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University of Wisconsin-Superior Athletics

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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Eric Shand
Jade Jensen

Men's Hockey

Struggles Continue for Yellowjackets

Eric Shand had the hat trick for the Yellowjackets Saturday night.
Box Score

Stevens Point 9, Yellowjackets 4

The Yellowjacket men's hockey team had its share of chances Friday night against nationally-ranked Stevens Point, particularly early in the game. When they didn't take advantage, the Pointers made sure they paid and earned the 4-2 win. Saturday night was more of the same, as the Yellowjackets again had a multitude of chances, but like Friday they didn't take advantage of all of them. And again the Pointers made them pay.

Every time the Yellowjackets crawled back to within striking distance Stevens Point snuffed the life out of the rally. In the end they put nine goals on the board, beating the Yellowjackets 9-4 at Wessman Arena in a game that was closer than the scoreboard indicated.

The loss is the fifth straight for the Yellowjackets, who remain winless in the WIAC.

Stevens Point got things going early. Real early. The Yellowjackets won the opening faceoff of the game but turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Eliot Grauer capitalized, scoring from the right circle to give the Pointers the 1-0 lead just 10 seconds into the game. At 10:08 of the period it went to 2-0 when Andrew Kolb took a centering feed from Logan Lemirande, waited out Yellowjacket goaltender Zach Thompson (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) and lifted a shot over his right shoulder.

Late in the period the Yellowjackets got a good bounce and cut the lead in half. On the power play the Yellowjackets dumped the puck in the Stevens Point zone. Pointer goaltender Brandon Jaeger came out of the net to play the puck and coughed it up. The puck came out front of the wide-open goal and Cody Hotchkin (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) batted it in for his fifth of the year and it was 2-1 with 3:11 to play in the first period.

With the teams playing 4-on-4 to start the second period, the Pointers again struck quickly. This time it took them just 14 seconds to score at the start of the period as Kyle Sharkey put one home to push the lead to 3-1.

Minutes later the Yellowjackets again cut into the lead on the power play. Eric Shand (San Dimas, Calif./San Dimas), an All-WIAC pick as a freshman who had struggled to find offense in 2014-15, scored his first goal of the season, leaning into a shot from the high slot that beat Jaeger clean to make it 3-1. Anton Svensson (Soldertalje, Sweden/Igelstavikens Gymnasium) and Matt Audette (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln) assisted.

The Yellowjackets tied the game shortly thereafter, and again it was Shand doing the damage, this time whistling a wrist shot from the left circle over the glove of Jaeger for his second of the game at 5:37 of the second, tying the score 3-3. Brandon Anderson (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) and Connor Faupel (Rochester, Minn./Century) got the assists.

But just as the Yellowjackets stole the momentum and were carrying the play, they took an ill-timed penalty and the Pointers took advantage. With Luke Karakas (Green Bay, Wis./East) in the box for holding Alex Brooks took a pass in the high slot and took a shot that went off Thompson's glove and into the net, re-establishing the two-goal lead at 4-2.

The Yellowjackets would go back on the power play and nearly tied the game, only to hit a pair of goal posts. In all the Yellowjackets hit three posts in the second period - two by Shand and one by Svensson. And while the Yellowjackets were hitting posts, the Pointers were hitting the back of the net.

It went to 5-3 at 14:57 of the second period as the Pointers converted the odd-man rush. Evan Dixon got the goal, tipping home a shot at the right post. Then in the final minute of the second the Pointers made it 6-3, this time Trace Strahle took a pass at the right point and one-timed a slap shot past Thompson.

Just 1:31 into the third period the Yellowjackets again cut into the lead, and again it was Shand. On the power play Shand took a pass in the right circle and his shot went off the glove of Jaeger and into the net to cut the deficit back down to two, 6-4.

But that's as close as the Yellowjackets would get despite having a five-minute power play early in the frame. The Pointers, meanwhile, would use special teams to put the game out of reach.

Sharkey scored his second goal of the game on the power play, having the puck bounce off his skate and past Thompson at 3:42 to make it 7-4. A shorthanded goal from Jacob Barber at 6:15 made it 8-4. Barber then closed out the scoring, connecting on the power play in the final minute of the game to make it a 9-4 final.

It was a tough night in goal for Thompson, who faced 36 shots and made 27 saves, a save percentage of .750. His record on the year falls to 2-4-0. For the second night in a row Jaeger earned the win, making 31 saves to improve to 14-3-0 on the year.

Stevens Point took 12 penalties for 35 minutes, while the Yellowjackets took six for 12 minutes. On the power play the Yellowjackets were 3-for-11 and the Pointers were 3-for-6.

Things don't get any easier for the Yellowjackets (7-12-0, 0-6-0 WIAC), as they travel to River Falls to take on the Falcons. Game time from Hunt Arena on Friday, January 30 is set for 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard live locally on 91.3 FM in Superior, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. If you are outside the local listening area you can tune in online through the iFan Sports Network. Jon Garver will have the call.
 
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Players Mentioned

Matt Audette

#3 Matt Audette

D
5' 10"
Sophomore
Connor Faupel

#7 Connor Faupel

D
6' 1"
Sophomore
Cody Hotchkin

#20 Cody Hotchkin

F
5' 9"
Senior
Eric Shand

#5 Eric Shand

D
6' 1"
Sophomore
Anton Svensson

#11 Anton Svensson

F
5' 8"
Sophomore
Zach Thompson

#35 Zach Thompson

G
5' 11"
Sophomore
Brandon Anderson

#23 Brandon Anderson

F
6' 4"
Freshman
Luke Karakas

#26 Luke Karakas

F
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Matt Audette

#3 Matt Audette

5' 10"
Sophomore
D
Connor Faupel

#7 Connor Faupel

6' 1"
Sophomore
D
Cody Hotchkin

#20 Cody Hotchkin

5' 9"
Senior
F
Eric Shand

#5 Eric Shand

6' 1"
Sophomore
D
Anton Svensson

#11 Anton Svensson

5' 8"
Sophomore
F
Zach Thompson

#35 Zach Thompson

5' 11"
Sophomore
G
Brandon Anderson

#23 Brandon Anderson

6' 4"
Freshman
F
Luke Karakas

#26 Luke Karakas

5' 9"
Freshman
F