SUPERIOR, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The No. 11 ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team was back in action on Friday as they returned to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play. The Blugolds traveled North to face off with UW-Superior for their first meeting against the Yellowjackets of the year. Early goals in the first two period by Superior, dealt UW-Eau Claire their first WIAC loss of the year, 2-0.
The contest's first tally was had by the home squad as the Yellowjackets grabbed an early 1-0 lead within the first two minutes of play. The Blugolds kept things tight as they tallied ten shots on goal and 15 faceoff wins in the opening 20 minutes of play. Connor Szmul (Jr. – Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) led UWEC during the game with four of the team's 29 shots on goal.
The second period held an opening for Eau Claire as the Yellowjackets took back-to-back penalties in the first three minutes of play. The Blugolds recorded seven shots on goal during the four minutes of powerplay time but were unable to beat the Superior netminder. Momentum shifted back to the home side shortly after the second penalty concluded as Superior netted their second goal at the 7:21 mark of the middle frame. The two-goal deficit lasted the remainder of the second period as the Blugolds outshot the Yellowjackets 12-11.
In the third, UW-Eau Claire found themselves with two penalties of their own and another powerplay opportunity. Both squads were kept quiet on special teams' play as the powerplay units went 0 for 3 on for both teams. An even 7-7 shot total in the final period kept both sides scoreless as Eau Claire took their third loss of the season.
Max Gutjahr (Fr. – Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in his third loss of the year. Gutjahr is now 6-3-0 on the season.
The Blugolds (6-3-0 WIAC 2-1-0) will continue WIAC play on Saturday, December 3rd when they travel to Menomonie, Wis. to face UW-Stout. Puck drop is scheduled for 7PM.
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