Box Score EAU CLAIRE - For the second time this season, the University of St. Thomas held the UW-Eau Claire hockey team to a single goal in posting a victory.
St. Thomas spoiled the Blugolds' home opener with a 4-1 triumph at the Hobbs Ice Center Wednesday night.
The Tommies, who were the 2005 NCAA Division III national runner-up, had beaten the Blugolds by a 6-1 margin on Nov. 5 in St. Paul. They had won only once however in six previous contests against the Blugolds at Hobbs.
Matt Kaiser put the Tommies on the board at the 14:07 mark of the first period, scoring on a power play. Early in the second period, Nick Harris gave St. Thomas a little more breathing room and then Kevin Rollwagen put the game away with two goals in the final eight minutes of the period.
First-year Blugold coach pulled starting goal Steffan Braunlich (Sr.-Los Angeles, CA/Loyola) after two periods and gave sophomore Mike Gatzke (So.-White Bear Lake, MN/Hill-Murray) his first collegiate appearance in the nets. Gatzke turned away 20 shots in the final 20 minutes while the Blugolds clawed their way onto the scoreboard with just 8:18 left in the contest. Steve Dus (Jr.-Onalaska, WI) scored off assists from Dan Fina (Fr.-Fontana, WI/Glenbard South, IL) and Sean Clark (Sr.-Royal Oak, MI/Brother Rice) just after a St. Thomas penalty had expired. The goal was Dus' third of the season.
The four goals by St. Thomas matches the fewest allowed by the Blugold defense this year but it was also the fourth time the Blugolds had managed one or fewer goals in a contest. The Blugolds have scored just 16 goals in eight contests and have converted on just 5 of 41 power play attempts while allowing 18 out of 59.
St. Thomas outshot the Blugolds for the game, 42-26 including a 12-6 margin in the first period and a 20-11 advantage in the final period.
The loss drops the Blugolds to 0-6-2 on the season heading into Northern Collegiate Hockey Association contests Friday and Saturday against Lake Forest and St. Norbert. Both games will start at 7 p.m. at Hobbs.
St. Thomas improved to 4-3 on the season and has now scored 10 of its 23 goals in two contests against the Blugolds.
Eau Claire-St. Thomas Box Score
