STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team booked its place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament championship game with a dramatic 1-0 victory over No. 9 UW-Stevens Point in the third overtime of a minigame on Saturday. After the Blugolds took the series opener on Friday, the Pointers won Game 2 of the series 5-1 on Saturday, sending the two teams into a decisive minigame to determine which side would move on to the tournament championship game.
Neither side could score again until the third overtime of the minigame, when
Kyle Oleksiuk (Sr. - Winnipeg, Manitoba) cashed in a penalty shot opportunity to send the Blugolds into a frenzy and clinch their place in the WIAC Tournament title game for the fourth consecutive season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UW-Eau Claire (13-15-1) took an early lead in Game 2 of the series when Leo Bacallao (Jr. - Madison, Wis./Memorial) struck on a power play late in the first period. It wouldn't last though, as the Pointers went on to score five unanswered goals across the final 30 minutes of regulation.
- The win for UW-Stevens Point (19-6-2) meant a minigame would be needed to determine an advancing team. Each side held strong defensively through several periods.
- The Blugolds successfully killed a penalty at the end of the second overtime and again midway through the third OT.
- Shortly after the Blugolds thwarted the Pointers' power play in the third overtime, they were awarded a penalty shot following a covered puck in UW-Stevens Point's crease.
- Oleksiuk cashed in when it matter most, putting the puck over the left shoulder of the goalie and into the net to send the Blugolds to the WIAC championship game.
- Max Gutjahr (Jr. - Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) made several key saves throughout the night to keep UW-Eau Claire's hopes alive.
UP NEXT
UW-Eau Claire, as the No. 3 seed, will host fourth-seeded UW-River Falls in the Commissioner's Cup final on Saturday, March 8 at Hobbs Ice Arena. A start time will be announced soon. The winner of the contest receives the WIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Blugolds are seeking their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2020. They never got to play in the tournament that season despite qualifying, as it was canceled shortly after.
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