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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Anton Svensson
Jade Jensen

Men's Hockey

Yellowjackets Win Overtime Thriller

Anton Svensson scored the overtime winner Tuesday at Stout.
Box Score

Yellowjackets 4, Stout 3 (OT)

Just four days after the Yellowjacket men's hockey team and UW-Stout met in the second-to-last game of the regular season, the teams were facing off again, as they battled for survival in the first round of the WIAC post-season Tuesday at Dunn County Arena in Menomonie. Entering the game as the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively, Stout and the Yellowjackets found themselves in a do-or-die situation - the team that won moved on to the WIAC semifinals, and the losing team would be done for the season.

Nothing was decided in the initial 60 minutes so the teams headed for overtime and at the 6:49 mark Jordan Neduzak (Morden, Manitoba/Morden Collegiate Institute) found Anton Svensson (Soldertalje, Sweden/Igelstavikens Gymnasium) driving the net and the sophomore from Sweden tipped home the game-winning goal, giving the Yellowjackets the 4-3 win.

Svensson actually had the two most dramatic plays in the game. With under a minute to play in regulation he sent a puck toward the empty Stout goal, only to have it hit the post, allowing the Blue Devils to come back the other way and, with just 11.5 seconds remaining, tie the score and force the extra session.

The Yellowjackets carried the play in the first period, outshooting Stout 14-8 and drawing first blood. Jordan Shockley (Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) stole a pass at center and carried to the Stout line, where he deked out a defender, skated to the right circle and let a shot go that beat Stout goaltender Spencer Viele to make it 1-0. Shockley's third goal of the season, at 16:35, was unassisted.

Early in the second period the Yellowjackets stretched the lead to 2-0. Tom Paine (Superior, Wis./Marshall School) had the puck to the left of the goal and threw a pass to the front of the net where Cody Hotchkin (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) got it and lifted a shot over the glove of Viele. It was Hotchkin's eighth goal of the year.

Stout broke through at 11:33 of the second period when the teams were skating 4-on-4. Tate Rusk held the zone at the right point and made pass to the left circle where Danny Ray got it and fired a shot that beat Bryce Fink (Tacoma, Wash./Keystone) between the pads to make the score 2-1.

The Yellowjackets regained the two-goal lead before the period was out. On the power play Svensson had the puck at the left of the goal and made a perfect feed to Neduzak between the circles, and his shot beat Viele high on the stick side. Neduzak's seventh goal of the year came at 17:13 of the second period.

In the third period Stout came out re-energized and took the play to the Yellowjackets. They were unable to capitalize on an early power play, but the momentum stayed with them and they cut the deficit in half at 7:06 of the third on a goal by Rusk. It appeared that the net behind Fink had been dislodged, but the goal was allowed to stand.

Stout continued to carry the play, but time wasn't on its side. With a minute left the Blue Devils got the puck deep in Yellowjacket territory and Viele bolted for the bench. In a play reminiscent of the gold medal game in women's hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Svensson floated a puck from the neutral zone toward the empty cage that would have salted the game away, only to see it ring off the post. Play continued and the Blue Devils drove the puck deep in Yellowjacket territory. A scramble in front of the net result in Craig Lindegard finding the loose puck and poking it home with 11.5 seconds left in regulation, tying the score 3-3.

The Yellowjackets controlled the play from the outset of overtime. Paine and Tanner Dion (Hardisty, Alberta/Central Sedgewick) each had chances in the period's first minute, but Viele made the saves. The Yellowjackets drew a power play early in the overtime but didn't capitalize. Just after the penalty expired the Yellowjackets had the puck in their own zone. Owen Stauber (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) started the play, sending a lead pass to Neduzak on the right wing. Neduzak entered the zone and made a perfect pass to Svensson who was streaking in on goal, and he tipped the shot home to give the Yellowjackets the win.

Fink earned the win for the Yellowjackets, improving to 3-6-0 on the year. He made 35 saves. At the other end Viele also made 35 saves in taking the loss for Stout.

The Yellowjackets took seven penalties for 17 minutes, while Stout took seven penalties for 14 minutes. The Yellowjackets were 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Blue Devils were scoreless in five chances.

The overtime victory was the first in playoff action for the Yellowjackets since March 4, 2006, when B.J. Radovich scored off a faceoff to give the Yellowjackets a 3-2 win at St. Norbert in the Peters Cup finals. The win was also the 249th in the head coaching career of Dan Stauber, moving him past Steve Nelson and giving him the most wins Yellowjacket men's hockey history.

The Yellowjackets (9-17-0) now advance to the WIAC semifinals and they will travel to UW-Stevens Point for a best-of-three (two games and a mini-game) series. The first game will be Friday, February 27 at K.B. Willett Arena beginning at 7:00 p.m. The game can be heard on a delayed broadcast on 91.3 FM in Superior, beginning at the conclusion of the Yellowjacket women's basketball broadcast. Jon Garver will have the call.
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Players Mentioned

Tanner Dion

#12 Tanner Dion

F
6' 1"
Senior
Cody Hotchkin

#20 Cody Hotchkin

F
5' 9"
Senior
Jordan Neduzak

#9 Jordan Neduzak

F
5' 11"
Sophomore
Tom Paine

#19 Tom Paine

F
6' 0"
Senior
Jordan Shockley

#17 Jordan Shockley

F
5' 8"
Sophomore
Owen Stauber

#22 Owen Stauber

D
6' 0"
Sophomore
Anton Svensson

#11 Anton Svensson

F
5' 8"
Sophomore
Bryce Fink

#1 Bryce Fink

G
5' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tanner Dion

#12 Tanner Dion

6' 1"
Senior
F
Cody Hotchkin

#20 Cody Hotchkin

5' 9"
Senior
F
Jordan Neduzak

#9 Jordan Neduzak

5' 11"
Sophomore
F
Tom Paine

#19 Tom Paine

6' 0"
Senior
F
Jordan Shockley

#17 Jordan Shockley

5' 8"
Sophomore
F
Owen Stauber

#22 Owen Stauber

6' 0"
Sophomore
D
Anton Svensson

#11 Anton Svensson

5' 8"
Sophomore
F
Bryce Fink

#1 Bryce Fink

5' 8"
Freshman
G