SUPERIOR, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The 14th ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey jumped back into Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Friday evening for game one of a two-game weekend series against the UW-Superior Yellowjackets. Two goals in the second period and a shutdown defense earned the Blugolds the 2-0 shutout away from home.
The opening period saw the two WIAC foes battle for an early advantage with conference points on the line. Along with outshooting the Yellowjackets 9-2 in the first 20 minutes of play, Eau Claire kept possession of the puck for a majority of the first frame as they continued to find opportunities through odd-man rushes.
Quinn Green (Sr. – West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East) held the best chance for the Blugolds as he hit the short side post while driving to the net as the scoreline remained 0-0 at the first intermission.
The second period found an early Eau Claire advantage as
Quinn Green tipped a pass in front past the Yellowjacket netminder to give UWEC the 1-0 just 12 seconds into the frame.
Kyler Grundy (Jr. – Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Indian Trail Academy) and
Leo Bacallao (So. – Madison, Vel Phillips Memorial) recorded assists on Green's opening goal. The Blugolds kept pressing during and found themselves in control during the evening matchup as they outshot Superior 24-23. As the period dwindled to a close,
Connor Szmul (Sr. – Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) extended the Blugold lead to 2-0 with a rocket to the top left corner to earn his 5
th goal of the season.
Sammy Martel (Sr. – Bolingbrook, Ill./Nequa Valley) and
Kyle Oleksiuk (Jr. – Winnipeg, Manitoba) earned assists on what would be UWEC's final goal of the night.
The third period was a test for the Blugolds as they were forced to kill two of their four penalties of the night, but the defense stood strong and kept the Yellowjackets off the scoresheet. A final push by Superior with the goalie pulled was shut down by the Blugolds as they earned the 2-0 road shutout.
Max Gutjahr (So. – Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) stopped all 23 shots he faced to earn his 10
th win and 4
th shutout of the season. Gutjahr is now 10-6-1 on the year.
The Blugolds (10-6-1, WIAC 4-3) will finish the weekend series with the Yellowjackets on Saturday, January 20
th at Siinto S. Wessman Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
