Yellowjackets 1, Stout 1 (OT)
 
SUPERIOR, Wis.: Back in October the Yellowjacket men's hockey team was picked by the coaches of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to place fourth in the league in 2018-19. Friday night it got its first chance to test its meddle in conference play, as it hosted UW-Stout at Wessman Arena.
 
The Yellowjackets outplayed the Blue Devils throughout much of the contest, but had to rally from behind to salvage a tie and get a point as the teams skated to a 1-1 stalemate.
 
As the first period unfolded it was all Yellowjackets, as they owned a 16-8 edge in shots on net in the frame. The only thing keeping play close was power plays, as Stout had three in the period. The Yellowjacket penalty kill did the job, but Stout broke through to open the scoring at even strength.
 
With just over two minutes to play in the period, Lucas Carroll scored an unassisted goal, getting a lucky bounce when a poke check by Yellowjacket goaltender A.J. Smith (Keller, Texas/Southlake Carroll) ricocheted off Jerry Miettunen (Tuusula, Finland/Makelanrinne Sports) into the net to make it 1-0.
 
In the second period the Yellowjackets maintained their edge, both in shots and in territory. The Yellowjackets outshot the Blue Devils 16-3 in the period, and had three power play chances themselves, including a five-minute power play, but were unable to capitalize and continued to trail after 40 minutes.
 
Midway through the third period the Yellowjackets got on the board. David Kaplan (Vernon Hills, Ill./Bishop Eustace Prep) made the initial play in the neutral zone, taking a hit along the left wing boards but making a great pass to spring Pavel Mikhasenok (Yekaterinburg, Russia/Everest Academy) on the breakaway. The sophomore from Russia faked from the forehand to the backhand and slid the puck past Stout goaltender Tommi Ahlgren to even the score 1-1.
 
Later in the period Andrew Durham (Richardson, Texas/Plano East) made a great play down low to find Will Blake (Champlin, Minn./Breck) in front, but the freshman hit the goal post and the score remained tied.

It was all about the goaltenders the rest of the way. No matter the opportunity, Ahlgren for Stout and Smith for the Yellowjackets were there to make the save and preserve the tie.
 
Smith finished the game with 25 saves for the Yellowjackets. At the other end Ahlgren was spectacular, making 42 stops.
 
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (3-6-2, 0-0-1 W.I.A.C.) will face another tough test Saturday when UW-Stevens Point, the top-ranked team in the country comes to town. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. at Wessman Arena. It's Toys for Tots night, so Yellowjacket Athletics is asking fans in attendance to bring a new, unopened toy to donate to the Superior Fire Department's Toys for Tots drive.