By Justin Dade - Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team returned to their winning ways on Saturday night at Hobbs Ice Arena taking down the Tommies of St. Thomas 5-1 behind a strong second period.
After playing perhaps their worst game of the season the night before, the Blugolds dominated a tough Tommies' team that came in giving up just 2.29 goals per game.
Both teams had a single power play in the first period, but neither team was able to find the back of the net in a scoreless twenty minutes. UW-Eau Claire held a slight edge in shots on goal (9-7) into the first intermission.
The Blugolds blew the game open in the second period finding the offensive explosion they've been waiting for.
A too many men on the ice penalty committed by St. Thomas gave the Blugolds a power play five minutes into the second period. Jake Bresser (Fr. – Eau Claire, WI) got his first career Blugold goal with the man advantage with the lone assist coming from Kyle Lee (Jr. – Wausau, WI) to make it 1-0. The goal came in the dire seconds of the power play with 13 minutes left in the period.
Patrick Moore (Sr. – Grand Rapids, MN) added to the lead about two and a half minutes later to make it 2-0 with the lone assist going to Adam Knochenmus (Jr. – Roseau, MN).
UW-Eau Claire would continue to pour it on adding their third goal in just over four minutes on a shot from Jesse Tredinnick (Jr. – Onalaska, WI) to make it 3-0. Mac Jansen (Jr. – White Bear Lake, MN) and captain Jake Hopfner (Jr. – Eastpointe, MI) were credited with the helpers on Tredinnick's fifth goal of the season.
The Blugolds would take the 3-0 advantage into the second intermission with a 16-11 advantage in shots on goal.
The Tommies would avoid the shutout on a goal scored by Michael Dockry early in the final period to make it 3-1.
It wouldn't take UW-Eau Claire long to respond as Colton Wolter (Jr. – Fairbanks, AK) buried another puck past Benjamin Myers to make it 4-1 just a minute and a half later. Lee and Todd Koritzinsky (Jr. – Verona, WI) got the assists on Wolter's ninth goal of the year.
The Blugolds added even more insurance late in the period to earn the convincing win as Hopfner got a power-play goal of his own assisted by Jansen and Tredinnick to make it 5-1.
UW-Eau Claire needed this win in a big way and the team delivered to avoid a second consecutive loss.
Goaltender Jay Deo (Sr. - (Langley, British Columbia) played a much better game in this one after an early exit the night before. The senior netminder saved 21 of the 22 St. Thomas shots on goal to improve to 12-3-3 on the season.
The Blugolds (12-3-3) will now take on UW-River Falls on Thursday as WIAC play resumes on short rest. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. at Hobbs Ice Arena as UW-Eau Claire looks to remain undefeated in conference play.
Follow all the action on Blugold Game Day.