It would have been easy for UW-Superior to come away from the weekend without a win. After losing 4-0 to nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire one night earlier, the Yellowjackets faced a tall order Saturday against UW-Stevens Point, which also happens to be ranked nationally.
Rather than stumble, they seized the opportunity, knocking off No. 8 UW-Stevens Point 3-1 to stay within striking distance of first place in the conference.
UW-Superior jumped on top 3-0 and held on from there as it notched an important victory.
Blake Holmes and Calvin Rasmussen each tallied a goal and an assist while Jan Skorpik racked up 26 saves for his second win.
The Yellowjackets are 6-6- overall and 4-2 in the league. The Pointers are 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference.
Big night for Blugolds
Kyler Grundy made the biggest play of the night for the Blugolds. In a tied game against UW-Stout, Grundy scored 78 seconds into overtime to lift No. 9 UW-Eau Claire to a 4-3 win over the Blue Devils.
Grundy got past a defender with a toe-drag move and then put the puck into the top left corner of the net to secure the thrilling win.
Max Gutjahr stopped 16 shots and won his seventh game of the year for UW-Eau Claire, which improved to 8-2-1 overall and 4-1 in the WIAC.
Quinn Green, Connor Szmul and Tyler Herzberg also scored for the Blugolds, who have won three consecutive games and are unbeaten at home this season (4-0-1).
Royals sweep Johnnies
Down two goals, Bethel rallied for a 4-2 win over Saint John’s to complete the MIAC series sweep of the Johnnies Saturday.
The Royals scored twice to tie the game at 2-2 going into the third and then capped the win with two goals in the final 20 minutes of action.
Bethel has now won three consecutive games against Saint John’s – it earned a 3-2 win Friday – and it’s the first time the Royals have won at least three consecutive games against Saint John’s in more than a decade.
Bethel is 8-2-2 overall and 4-1 in the MIAC, moving to a tie with St. Scholastica for the top spot in the standings.
The win comes on the heels of an overtime victory Friday when Tyler Kostelecky scored the game winner.
Oles and Auggies split
St. Olaf opened its series against Augsburg with a 3-1 win thanks to a three-goal second period that proved to be the difference.
Tyler Green helped lead the way with his first multi-point game, dishing out a pair of assists, He has five assists in all this year. Matthew Pointer scored his first goal of the season. Thomas Lalonde made 26 saves and just missed on his fourth career shutout.
Augsburg bounced back Saturday with a 4-2 win. Nick Catalano provided a big boost, scoring twice, marking the second time in his college career he’s had a multi-point game. Samuel Vyletelka made 24 saves for the Auggies. Augsburg improved to 5-3-1 overall and 3-1 in the MIAC. The Oles are 5-5-2 and 3-2-1.
Pipers and Cobbers split
Jordan Hlaverson was the hero for Hamline on Friday in a 3-2 win in overtime. It was one of two goals on the night for Halverson, who also came through with an assist. Nikolai Dulak finished with a goal and an assist while Maximillian Haselbacher tallied 38 saves.
But Concordia bounced back in a big way Saturday, rolling to a 6-1 victory to earn a split in this MIAC series.
Mason Plante stole the spotlight in the victory, scoring a pair of goals and also dishing out two assists. The game was really never in doubt as the Cobbers led 3-0 after two periods. Joe Harguindeguy came through with the first three assist game of his career. Blaise Miller and Tucker Skime each scored their first collegiate goal and Matt Fitzgerald made 19 saves for his fourth win.
Concordia is 6-2-1 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Hamline is 4-7 overall and 2-4 in the MIAC.
Lumberjacks continue to battle
Reeling from a 9-0 loss to UW-Stout one night earlier, Northland gave everything it had Saturday night against UW-River Falls.
The Lumberjacks allowed their only goal of the night in the second period.
They had their own opportunities to score, taking 22 shots in the game while on the defensive end of the ice, Viktor Wennberg was tough as nails, stopping 49 shots, including 22 in the opening period.
Northland has lost 11 consecutive games and is 1-11 on the year while sitting at 0-6 in conference play.
Bulldogs keep on rolling
Third-ranked Adrian had no problem at all taking care of business against Concordia over the weekend, winning 8-0 and 6-2.
Zachary Heintz helped Adrian finish off the NCHA series Saturday by scoring a pair of goals. Speaking of Heintz, one night earlier, he notched his 100th career point in the 8-0 win over the Falcons.He scored three goals and dished out two assist in that win.
Bradley Somers tallied a goal and two assists after dishing out five assists on Friday, and Mathew Rehding finished with a goal and an assist. Jaden Shields dished out a pair of assists while Nolan Suggs started his first collegiate game and prevailed behind a 25-save effort.
Adrian has won three in a row and is 8-2-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
Green Knights end 2023 on a high note
St. Norbert swept MSOE over the weekend, winning 5-1 and 4-2.
A three-goal second period was the difference Saturday as the Green Knights completed a sweep of the NCHA series and picked up their eighth win in their last 10 games. The game marked the final time St. Norbert will play in 2023. It returns to action Jan. 12 against Aurora.
Hunter Garvey made 27 saves while Will Stomp tallied a goal and two assists. Liam Fraser finished with a goal and an assist. Logan Dombrowsky tallied two assists for St. Norbert, which improved to 9-4 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
St. Norbert won 5-1 in the opener Friday, scoring four goals in the first 11 minutes of play to set the tone. Fraser scored twice in the win and Adam Stacho tallied a goal and two assists. Dayton Deics had three assists.
Thunder Struck
No. 15 Trine closed out a series against Marian in impressive fashion, beating the Sabres 6-3 after winning 4-1 on Friday.
Six players scored in Saturday’s win. Sean Henry had one of those goals and also tacked on two assists. Drew Welsch finished with two assists as well.
Tine improved to 10-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference.
Foresters get back on track
Lake Forest had lost six consecutive games going into the weekend against Lawrence. But the Foresters are back to winning after sweeping the Vikings 6-3 and 3-2.
In Friday’s game, Lake Forest scored all of its goals in the second period on their way to the win. Griffen Sanom scored twice and Chase Freiermuth dished out three assists. Kohl Reddy racked up 22 saves and won his first game as a member of Lake Forest’s team.
On Saturday, Collin Bella scored with less than two minutes to play to lead the Foresters to the win. With the victory, Lake Forest jumped from ninth to sixth in the conference standings. Reddy made 35 saves.
The Foresters are 4-6 overall and 2-4 in the NCHA.
