Yellowjackets 2, Hamline 1
 
SUPERIOR, Wis.: Maybe it was the momentum built up with a win Friday. Perhaps it was weight loss, as in the weight of the world was lifted off the shoulders of the Yellowjacket men's hockey team after Friday's win snapped a four-game skid. Or maybe it has something to do with the vintage orange sweaters the team was wearing.
 
Maybe it was a combination of all three, as the Yellowjackets were shot out of a cannon to start Saturday's game against Hamline.

They got all of the offense they would need in the first six minutes and then rode strong defense and the impeccable goaltending of Oscar Svensson (Södertälje, Sweden/Haga Gymnasium) to a 2-1 win over the Pipers Saturday at Wessman Arena.
 
With the win the Yellowjackets won consecutive games for the first time in 2018-19. The victory also gave the Yellowjackets a weekend sweep for the first time since January 13-14, 2017 when they swept Bethel and Gustavus on the road. Finally, the win gave the Yellowjackets their first win over Hamline in their last seven tries. The Yellowjackets now lead the all-time series against Hamline 12-11-2.
 
It didn't take long for the Yellowjackets to get on the board Saturday. Just 1:49 in Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everst Academy) took a feed in the right circle and set a shot over the right shoulder of Hamline goaltender Sam Nelson to make it 1-0. Coltyn Bates (Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) and Pavel Mikhasenok (Yekaterinburg, Russia/Everest Academy) assisted. It was a mirror image of the goal Terchiyev scored Friday night.
 
Minutes later the Yellowjackets made it 2-0 when Mikhasenok broke down the slot and took a pass from Will Blake (Champlin, Minn./Breck) and deposited into the upper corner for his third goal of the season. Terchiyev also picked up a helper on the goal that came at 5:36.
 
As the second period unfolded Hamline found its footing and took the play to the Yellowjackets, but time and again Svensson was there to make the play. Hamline put 20 shots on goal in the middle frame and Svensson stopped all but one. The only goal for the Pipers came at 13:10 of the period when Don Carter, Jr. took advantage of a Yellowjacket turnover and passed to the slot where Austin Wisely got the puck and beat Svensson on the stick side.
 
In the third period the Yellowjackets bounced back and held the Pipers off the rest of the way.
 
Mikhasenok and Terchiyev had two points each, giving them three and four points on the weekend, respectively.

But the story was Svensson. One night after picking up his first collegiate win he turned in an even more spectacular performance, finishing the game with 46 saves. For the weekend he stopped 70-of-72 shots faced and evened his record on the year at 2-2-0.
 
The Yellowjackets were outshot by Hamline 47-28 in the game.