WINONA, Minn. (Blugolds.com) – The ninth ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team was back in Minnesota on Saturday evening with another nonconference matchup against a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent. As UW-Eau Claire and Saint Mary's University (Minn.) got underway, a clear momentum shift was in the air from the opening period as the Blugolds in the opening minutes of each period during their 5-0 dominant victory over the Cardinals.
Despite an early Blugold goal being waved off in the opening 90 seconds,
Tyler Love (Gr. – Pittsburgh, Pa./Moon Area) put the Blugolds back on top moments later as he walked in from the blue line and picked out the open space in the bottom left corner for his second goal of the season.
Sammy Martel (Sr. – Bolingbrook, Ill./Nequa Valley) and
Trenten Heyde (So. – Atlanta, Ga./Grayson) earned assists on Love's opening tally as the Blugolds found the offensive opportunities early and often. The goal light remained dormant the rest of the first frame as the Blugolds carried their one goal lead in the the first intermission.
The second period began in similar fashion to the first as
Aaron Swanson (Sr. – Sun Prairie, Wis..Sun Prairie East) capitalized on a counterattack with
Leo Bacallao (So. – Madison, Wis./Vel Phillips Memorial) just over two minutes into the frame. Bacallao and
Kyler Grundy (Jr. – Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Indian Trail Academy) earned assists on Swanson's fourth goal of the season. UWEC were penalized once in each period during the evening matinee, and
Ryan Green (Sr. – Muskego, Wis.) found an opportunity to extend the lead at the 14:53. Green was sprung free past the SMU defensemen and beat the Cardinal goaltender glove side to increase the Blugold lead to 3-0 before the second intermission.
Quinn Green (Sr. – West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East) received the lone assist on
Ryan Green's second goal of the season while shorthanded.
The third began with an Eau Claire powerplay and a chance to add to the three-goal lead.
Sammy Martel did just that after dropping down from the point on the weak side and ripping home his fourth goal of the season off a pass from
Ryan Green to make it 4-0.
Willy Stauber (Sr. – Duluth, Minn./Marshall) also earned an assist on Martel's powerplay goal.
Two minutes later, both squads found themselves with a 4-on-4 scenario after minor penalties were assessed to both teams. With just over 30 seconds left in the penalties,
Kyle Oleksiuk (Jr. – Winnipeg, Manitoba) entered the zone on the right-hand side and sent a pass rink wide to setup
Ryan Green for a one timer and the Blugolds' fifth and final goal of the evening.
Colin Stein (Jr. – Pewaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial) also earned an assist on Green's second tally of the night as the Blugolds continued to capitalize on their offensive chances. UWEC finished the game outshooting the Cardinals 41-23 and earned the 5-0 victory away from home.
Max Gutjahr (So. – Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) stopped all 23 shots he faced as he earned his eighth win of the season and third shutout of the season. Gutjahr is now 8-5-1 on the season and holds five shutouts in his career.
The Blugolds (9-5-1, WIAC 4-3) will return home to Hobbs Ice Arena and continue nonconference play on Friday, January 12
th when they host Hamline University. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Hobbs.
