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University of Wisconsin-Superior Athletics

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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Hailey Adair
Jade Jensen

Women's Hockey

Saints Shut Down Yellowjackets

Hailey Adair scored the only goal of the game for the Yellowjackets Wednesday.
Box Score

St. Scholastica 4, Yellowjackets 1

In early January the Yellowjacket women's hockey had a stretch where they played five games in eight days. The final game of that grueling stretch was the first of two meetings between the Yellowjackets and their Twin Ports rivals from St. Scholastica. In the first edition, the Yellowjackets fell behind early but came back to earn the win as they started 2015 off 4-1-0.

The second edition of the rivalry for 2014-15 took place Wednesday at Wessman Arena, and unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, they are trending in a different direction than they were when the teams met in Duluth back in January.

The Saints scored a pair of goals in the third period to pull away from the Yellowjackets and pick up the 4-1 victory in the final game of the regular season for both teams. For the Yellowjackets, the loss was their second in a row and their fifth in their last six games heading into the WIAC playoffs, which kick off this weekend.

In the first period the teams went back and forth and the Yellowjackets held the edge in shots on goal at 11-7, but it was the Saints that jumped out to the 1-0 lead. With 2:53 to play in the opening frame Brandi Malwitz netted her third of the season, slipping one past Yellowjacket goaltender Megan Leikkari (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Westgate CV&I).

The Yellowjackets tied the game in the early stages of the second period. Team scoring leader Dani Schultz (Morris, Minn./Morris Area) earned her team-leading 14th assist of the season, getting the puck to Hailey Adair (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) and the sophomore forward potted her seventh goal of the season just 2:37 into the middle period to tie the game at 1-1. Kiara De Kezel (Deloraine, Manitoba/Deloraine) also picked up an assist on the play.

St. Scholastica took the lead back for good at 12:58 of the second on the second goal of the season from Kaitlin Johnston.

In the third period the Saints' leading scorer, Nina Waidacher, took over and ensured the visitors would pick up the victory. Waidacher added an insurance goal, her 21st of the season at 6:02 of the third period to make it a 3-1 game. Waidacher then closed out the scoring in the final minute, sliding the puck into an empty net at 19:44 to make the final score 4-1.

The Yellowjackets held a heavy shot advantage in the game, outshooting the Saints 37-22. Saints goaltender Lindsey Hartfiel was a rock in goal the first time the teams met this season, and tonight she was even better, earning the victory with a 36-save performance. At the other end Leikkari, making her third start in a row, finished the night with 18 stops.

Each team took four penalties in the game for eight minutes. The Yellowjackets went 0-for-1 on the power play while the Saints were scoreless in two opportunities.

The loss closes out the regular season for the Yellowjackets (15-10-0, 5-7-0 WIAC), who will enter the WIAC post-season as the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. They will travel to UW-Stevens Point February 27-28 for a best-of-three series with the Pointers. Game time on both Friday and Saturday nights is set for 7:00 p.m. If the teams are tied at the conclusion of the two regulation games the series will be decided with a 20-minute mini-game, to be played immediately following the conclusion of Saturday's game.
 
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Players Mentioned

Hailey Adair

#21 Hailey Adair

F
5' 6"
Sophomore
Kiara De Kezel

#18 Kiara De Kezel

F
5' 7"
Senior
Megan Leikkari

#30 Megan Leikkari

G
5' 7"
Junior
Dani Schultz

#6 Dani Schultz

F
5' 4"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Hailey Adair

#21 Hailey Adair

5' 6"
Sophomore
F
Kiara De Kezel

#18 Kiara De Kezel

5' 7"
Senior
F
Megan Leikkari

#30 Megan Leikkari

5' 7"
Junior
G
Dani Schultz

#6 Dani Schultz

5' 4"
Senior
F