EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The No. 1-ranked UW-Eau Claire men's hockey team won its second game to open the 2013-14 season unbeaten after the first weekend. Tonight the Blugolds defeated 15th-ranked Saint John's University (Minn.) 3-1 at Hobbs Ice Center.
The Blugolds (2-0-0) have now won six straight games going back to last season, tying the third longest winning streak in school history.
In tonight's game, a rematch from last year's NCAA first round which the Blugolds won 4-2, Eau Claire got out to a 2-0 lead before Saint John's could answer.
David Donnellan (Sr.-Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial) got the Blugolds on the board first with a power-play goal at 14:40 in the opening period with an assist from Charles Thauwald (So.-Rochester, Minn./Mayo).
In the second period, Daniel Olszewski (Sr.-Janesville, Wis./Craig) gave the Blugolds a 2-0 lead, scoring a short-handed goal at 6:20.
The Johnnies (2-2-0) answered in the third period with less than six minutes to play, cutting the Blugolds' lead to one, but Ross Andersen (Jr.-River Falls, Wis.), assisted by Niko Kapetanovic (Sr.-North Prairie, Wis./Kettle Moraine), pushed Eau Claire's lead back to two with a goal with 50 seconds remaining in the third.
Saint John's led the shot chart 35-28 but Tyler Green (So.-Noblesville, Ind.) was able to stop all but one of the shots, playing the entire game. He improves to 2-0-0 on the season.
The teams were even on penalties with each committing four for eight minutes.
The Blugolds will start a stretch of four straight road games next Friday when they are at Hamline University (Minn.). Action will get underway at 7:05 p.m.
-KM-