UW-Eau Claire 5, Yellowjackets 4 (OT)
 
EAU CLAIRE, Wis.: The start of the season for the Yellowjacket women's hockey team has presented plenty of challenges, as the schedule is loaded with strong competition.
 
Gustavus is a perennial power out of the M.I.A.C., while Hamline was an N.C.A.A. tournament team a year ago. St. Catherine always gives the Yellowjackets. Saturday the Yellowjackets continued to run the gauntlet, taking on UW-Eau Claire, another team that made the N.C.A.A. tournament a year ago.
 
And the Yellowjackets almost completed a monumental comeback after digging themselves a significant hole, but Blugolds put an end to it when Elizabeth Bauer scored 1:52 into overtime to give UW-Eau Claire a 5-4 win Saturday afternoon at the Hobbs Ice Center.
 
After playing a scoreless first period the Blugolds came out flying in the second, scoring three times in the first 6:25 to blow the game open. Courtney Wittig scored the first two goals, burying one at 1:52 of the period and adding a power play goal a short time later at 3:03. At 6:25 Erin Goodell beat Yellowjacket goaltender Catherine Johnson (Lakeville, Minn./St. Paul Academy) to stretch the lead to 3-0.
 
Enough was enough at that point and the Yellowjackets began to claw their way back into the contest. Lauren Niska (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area) opened the scoring, beating Eau Claire goaltender Erin Connolly for her second goal of the season at 12:25. Kaleigh Martinson (Dayton, Minn./Champlin Park) and Molly Shelton (Pine Island, Minn./Pine Island) assisted, making it a 3-1 game after two periods.

Early in the third the Yellowjackets pulled to within one when Jenna Curtis (Webster, Wis./Webster) scored her second of the year just 2:42 into the final period. Then as the teams neared the midway point of the third the 'Jackets drew even. C.C. Hayes (Fort Frances, Ontario/Fort Frances) scored her first goal as a Yellowjacket, on an assist from Martinson, and with 11:01 to go the teams were tied at 3-3.
 
Later in the period Eau Claire regained the lead when Abby Roeser scored at 12:16.

The Yellowjackets answered late to tie the score and send the game to overtime. Moments after the Yellowjackets killed off a Hayes penalty they pulled Johnson for an extra attacker. The gamble worked as Shelton scored with just 1:07 left in regulation to pull the Yellowjackets even, 4-4. Amber Heidenreich (Phillips, Wis./Hayward) and Amanda Sergent (Eagle River, Wis./Northland Pines) assisted on the goal.
 
Johnson was making her third start of the year for the Yellowjackets and finished the game with 39 saves. She is now 0-3-0 on the year.

The Yellowjackets took three penalties for six minutes and were 0-for-2 on the power play.
 
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (1-4-0, 0-1-0 W.I.A.C.) return home for a Tuesday night tilt against Northland College. Game time from Wessman Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game can be heard live on 91.3 FM KUWS beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.