EAU CLAIRE, Wis.: To say the Yellowjacket men's hockey team has had a tough time at the Hobbs Ice Center in recent years would be an understatement. 

Over the years the Yellowjackets, despite having a significant advantage in the all-time series, have struggled to find the win column against UW-Eau Claire, especially on the Blugolds' home ice. But Saturday, things felt different.

The Yellowjackets came out and played a solid first period, setting the tone for what could have been the team's first win in Eau Claire since 2010. Unfortunately, a controversial call and a couple bad bounces worked against them, and the Yellowjackets came up just short, falling to the Blugolds 4-2.

Early in the third period the Yellowjackets were down a goal, 2-1, when the linesman determined a play to be onside that wasn't. Seconds later Andrew McGlynn scored his second goal of the game to push the lead to two, and giving Eau Claire the eventual game-winning goal. The goal on the controversial call dealt a crippling blow to the Yellowjackets' comeback attempt.

And despite trailing for about half the game, it was the Yellowjackets who drew first blood.

Coltyn Bates (Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) got the scoring started for the Yellowjackets, snapping a shot from the right circle between the pads of Eau Claire goaltender Zach Dyment to give the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead at 6:26 of the first period. Bates' second of the year was set up by Troy York (Plano, Texas/West) and Chad Lopez (Arlington, Texas/University of Texas at Arlington).

Eau Claire would tie it just 80 seconds into the second period. Nathan Petermann would have his one-timer from the slot turned away by Yellowjacket goaltender Oscar Svensson (Södertälje, Sweden/Haga Gymnasium), but a few seconds later he got the puck back and snuck a shot between Svensson's pads to even the score.

A few minutes later the Yellowjackets would go shorthanded as Colton Nelson (Grand Rapids, Mich./Edmond North) was assessed a five-minute major for checking from behind. The Yellowjacket penalty kill was winning the battle, but with under two minutes left in the major Connor Hamonic (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) was sent to the box to put the Yellowjackets down two men. It only took 11 seconds for Eau Claire to capitalize, as McGlynn got a loose puck to the right of the goal and beat Svensson to the glove side to put the Blugolds on top.

Later in the frame the officials gave Eau Claire defenseman Scott Munro a major after his slash took a near breakaway from Pavel Mikhasenok (Yekaterinburg, Russia/Everest Academy), but the Yellowjackets couldn't pull even with the man advantage.

With time ticking down in the third period the Yellowjackets cut the Eau Claire lead in half. A shot went wide of the Eau Claire goal, and the carom off the end boards came to Will Blake (Champlin, Minn./Breck) at the right of the net and he flipped the puck over Dyment's glove, and with 2:21 to play the Yellowjackets trailed 3-2.

It took a while for the Yellowjackets to regain possession and get Svensson out of the goal - the extra attacker getting on the ice with just 10 seconds to play. Moments later Jake Bresser blocked a shot and the puck bounced off his leg into the Yellowjacket zone and he scored into the empty net with less than a second to play to make the final 4-2.

Svensson was making his fourth straight start in goal for the Yellowjackets and finished the night with 33 saves. His record on the year is now 3-3-0. At the other end Dyment finished the game with 26 stops for Eau Claire.

The Yellowjackets killed off two of the three Eau Claire power plays and went scoreless in six man advantage opportunities of their own.