EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with Bethel (Minn.) on Saturday at Hobbs Ice Arena. The fifth-ranked Blugolds scored a go-ahead goal late in the third period, but the Royals had an answer even later to force overtime. Neither team scored in the extra period, sending each side home with a share of the spoils.
Bethel opened the scoring, finding the back of the net with under two minutes remaining in the first period. The lead didn't last long though, with UW-Eau Claire finding an answer via a
Kyler Grundy (Jr. - Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Indian Trail Academy) goal midway through the second period. Grundy struck off assists from
Aaron Swanson (Sr. - Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie East) and
Leo Bacallao (So. - Madison, Wis./Memorial) with just over eight minutes gone by in the period.
It remained a 1-1 game much of the rest of the way. The Blugolds finally broke the stalemate in the dying moments of regulation.
Tyler Herzberg (Fr. - Germantown, Wis./University School of Milwaukee) scored a go-ahead goal with 1:11 left in the third period, capitalizing on assists by Grundy and Bacallao. Unfortunately for UW-Eau Claire, Bethel scored an even later goal to force overtime. The Royals got a puck into the net with 47 seconds remaining in regulation.
Neither side could break through in overtime, with only four shots in total for the duration of the extra period.
Max Gutjahr (So. - Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) made 39 saves in net for the Blugolds. Bethel narrowly held the advantage in shots, 41-34.
The tie with the Royals kept the Blugolds unbeaten on the season at 3-0-1. UW-Eau Claire will next be in action on Tuesday, Nov. 14, with a big-time matchup in the team's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener. The Blugolds travel to take on 13th-ranked UW-Stevens Point, with game time scheduled for 7 p.m. in Stevens Point.
