DE PERE - The UW-Eau Claire men's hockey team ended its season with a 5-2 loss to top-ranked St. Norbert here tonight in the first round of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.

The Green Knights won the three-game series in two games, winning last night 6-3 and tonight 5-2. The Blugolds end the season with a record of 8-15-4 while St. Norbert advances to the NCHA semifinals next weekend. The Green Knights move to 22-2-3 on the season with tonight's win.

Things started off promising for the Blugolds, as Ben Manny (Sr.-Chippewa Falls/Chi-Hi) scored a short-handed power play goal 11:36 into the first period for a 1-0 Eau Claire lead. The lead would be short-lives, as the Green Knights took advantage of a power play situation and tied the game just 2:04 after Manny's goal. With 31 seconds left to go in the first period, Spencer Carbery scored his second goal of the night for the game-winner.

All the scoring in the second period came from St. Norbert as they Blugolds allowed three more unanswered goals and fell in a 5-1 hole. Brooks Lockwood (So.-Hudson) tallied a power play goal in the third period but it was not enough to keep Eau Claire's season alive as the Blugolds suffered a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the top-ranked Green Knights.

The Blugolds mustered 21 shots on goal in the loss while St. Norbert peppered Eau Claire with 46 shots on goal.

Eau Claire-St. Norbert Box Score

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