EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team had concluded the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) semifinal round on Saturday with the 3
rd seeded UW-Stout Blue Devils back in town. With a win or go home situation at hand, UW-Eau Claire dominated game two of the semifinal series, 5-2, to force a tiebreaker mini game. After being tied 1-1 at the conclusion of the first 20-minute mini game period,
Connor Szmul (Sr. – Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) was crowned the hero of the night as Szmul put home the game winning goal in the 2
nd overtime period as the clock struck 12:26 a.m. on Sunday, February 25
th, and the Blugolds advanced to the Commissioner's Cup finals.
After falling the night before to Stout, UW-Eau Claire had their backs against the wall as they entered the evening down 0-1 in the semifinal series. In the beginning, things looked gloomy for the Blugolds as UW-Stout opened Saturday's scoring just 2:53 into the game for a 1-0 lead. The unfortunate start for UWEC was rectified at the 10:32 mark as
Connor Szmul found the equalizer during the Blugolds' first powerplay of the night on his eighth goal of the season.
Kyler Grundy (Jr. – Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Indian Trail Academy) and
Quinn Green (Sr. – West Chicago, Ill./St Charles East) earned assists on Szmul's first tally for Eau Claire.
The Blugolds weren't satisfied with the tying goal as Grundy and Q. Green connected just over a minute later during the following powerplay, giving Eau Claire their first lead of the night. Grundy picked the top left corner of the night with his shot to earn his team leading 11
th goal of season and Green's 18
th assist before the first intermission. Special teams play was key for the two semifinal squads as the two sides combined for 24 penalties and 105 penalty minutes.
The second period found the two teams trading goals late in the frame as
Sammy Martel (Sr. – Bolingbrook, Ill./Nequa Valley) picked up his seventh goal of the season on a rebound off the Stout netminder's pad, making it 3-1 in favor of UWEC. Both Grundy and Q. Green earned assists on Martel's eventual game winning goal as the duo combined for one goal and five assists during the second semifinal game. Less than two minutes left in the period, Stout put home a rebound of their own, while on the powerplay, to cut the Blugold lead back to just one goal as UWEC hit the second intermission with a 3-2 advantage.
The third and final frame of the second semifinal game was won quickly and convincingly as
Leo Bacallao (So. – Madison, Wis./Vel Phillips Memorial) netter his ninth goal of the season just over two minutes into the frame.
Colin Stein (Jr. – Pewaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial) and
Cade Lemmer (So. – Tomahawk, Wis./Wausau West) earned assists as the Blugolds took back their two-goal lead.
Colin Stein wrapped things up early for UWEC as he extended the home team's lead to three goals at the 5:03 mark of the third period. Stein's shot from the point that went through the goalie's legs untouched was assisted by
Willy Stauber (Sr. – Duluth, Minn./Marshall) and
Jack Johnston (Sr. – St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy & Summit School). UW-Eau Claire would switch to a more defensive shape for the remainder of regulation and hold on to the 5-2 victory, forcing a tiebreaker mini game to follow the end of the third period.
With the score reset and a trip to the conference tournament finals on the line, the two teams battled ferociously to find an upper hand in the opening mini game period.
Carter Green (So. – Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) found Eau Claire's advantage at 7:04 of the first normal period on a shot from the point that went untouched into the back of the net to give UWEC a 1-0 lead.
Connor Szmul earned the lone assist as the Blugolds held all the momentum and the lead. The 3
rd seeded Blue Devils refused to concede without an answer as UW-Stout tied the mini game at 1-1 with less than five minutes left in regulation. The two sides battled to the final whistle and found themselves deadlocked at 1-1 as the mini game went into its first overtime period.
With an extra period of hockey already in the books, the fans at Hobbs Ice Arena were treated with a second free period as the two teams continued to find the upper hand on each other and earn a trip to the finals. Both teams had their own opportunities to win the game in the initial overtime, but the goaltenders and defenses stood tall as the two teams went to a second OT period.
As the clock struck midnight just before the initial puck dropped of the second overtime period, Hobbs Ice Arena still roared as the faithful supporters of both sides refused to call it a night with so much at stake. The teams' endurance and limits were truly being tested as the two squads came upon hour five of the night in a battle that seemed to endlessly continue.
Connor Szmul, who lit the lamp first for UWEC back in the opening period of the initial game, capitalized on a Stout miscue as he found himself all alone in front of the net with just over five minutes left in the second overtime. After receiving a pass from
Tyler Herzberg who was below the goal line, Szmul made a move to his backhand and fired a shot on net that was ultimately stopped by the goalie's left pad. Szmul continued with his play as he took control of the empty space, gathered his own rebound, and slid the puck under the Stout goalie, winning the game for UW-Eau Claire and sending the Blugolds to the WIAC tournament finals.
Max Gutjahr (So. – Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) stopped 15 of the 17 shots he faced during the initial game of the evening to earn his 16
th win of the year. He also stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced during the mini game periods. Gutjahr is now 16-7-2 on the season.
The Blugolds (17-8-2, WIAC 10-4-1) will face off against UW-Stevens Point for the seventh time in the past eight years in the Commissioner's Cup title game. Puck drop from K.B. Willett Arena on Saturday, March 2
nd is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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