EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team secured a spot in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Semifinals (presented by Culver's) Saturday night with a 1-0 win over Northland College.
Box Score | WIAC Tournament Webpage
Much different from Friday's night's game, the first period saw no penalties with the Blugolds putting 10 shots on goal to Northland's four. But neither team could light the lamp, keeping the game scoreless.
In the second, the Blugolds came out firing, but Northland netminder Viktor Wennberg came up with big saves, including one on a Sammy Martel (So. – Bolingbrook, IL/Neuqua Valley) breakaway, to keep the Blugolds off the board.
But at the 11:39 mark Willy Stauber (So. – Duluth, MN/Marshall) would not be denied, scoring his second goal of the season off assists from Jon Richards (Sr. – Callaway, MN/Detroit Lakes) and Derek Hammer (Sr. – Woodbury, MN/East Ridge). The Blugold offense continued to put pressure on Wennberg, notching 14 shots on goal for the period while only allowing four.
Eau Claire picked up where they left off in the third, getting several scoring opportunities in the opening minutes of the period but still were unable to find the back of the net. Late in the period, the Blugolds would stifle the Lumberjacks with a successful penalty kill, securing the 1-0 victory.
Ryan Ouellette (Fr. – Colorado Springs, CO/Liberty) collected his 14th win of the season in goal, earning the shutout with 11 saves while the Blugolds finished the game with 32 shots while Northland was held to 11. Eau Claire also dominated the faceoff circle, winning 40 of 53 faceoffs.
With the win, Eau Claire (15-11-1) advances to the WIAC Semifinals and will travel to River Falls to face the second-seeded Falcons on February 25-26.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on the app, UWEC Blugolds.
