By Justin Dade - Sports Information
MENOMONIE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The No. 6 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team fell to rival UW-Stout 2-1 on Thursday Night at Fanetti Community Center in a tough Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) loss.
It didn't take long for UW-Eau Claire to strike in this one as Alex Strand (Fr. – Roseau, MN) found the back of the net for his third goal of the season on a rebound in front of the net to give the Blugolds an early 1-0 lead. Fellow freshman Logan Von Ruden (Fr. – Northfield, MN) was credited with the lone assist and now has a helper in both of the last two games.
Things were quiet for the majority of a period that saw no penalties committed by either team until the Blue Devils answered with 4:09 left in the period. Colton Brausen put one past goaltender Jay Deo (Sr. – Langley, British Columbia) to make it 1-1.
UW-Eau Claire led in both shots on goal (12-11) and face-off wins (11-6) after the first period.
Neither team could find the answer to strong goaltending in a scoreless second period. The Blugolds were able to kill off two crucial UW-Stout powerplays to keep it an even 1-1 score.
Just 20 seconds into the second period, the Blugolds were stunned on an early Blue Devil goal scored by Riley Colvard to give UW-Stout the 2-1 edge.
Deo started in net for the Blugolds for the 22nd consecutive time. The senior net minder saved 26 of the 28 shots he faced in the loss to fall to 14-5-3 on the season.
The Blugolds (14-5-3) will now suit up for their third contest in the last five days as they take on UW-Superior for the first time this season for Alumni Night on Saturday at Hobbs Ice Arena. The puck will drop at 7:00 p.m.
Follow all the action on Blugold Game Day.