EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Last weekend the Yellowjacket men's hockey team did something it hadn't done since the 2013-14 season – sweep a two-game playoff series. They came into the weekend looking to accomplish the feat a season time in as many weeks, as a sweep would be the team's easiest path into the WIAC championship game.
 
Standing in the way was UW-Eau Claire. The Blugolds, the team that knocked the Yellowjackets out of the playoffs a year ago, came into the series as the No. 2 seed in the WIAC and the No. 4-ranked team in the nation.
 
As well as the 'Jackets played a week ago, they'd have to be even better this weekend.
 
The sweep isn't going to happen, and the road to the WIAC title game is going to be tougher, following Friday's 4-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire at the Hobbs Ice Center.
 
With the loss, the Yellowjackets now must win Saturday's regular contest, then get a victory in the mini-game in order to advance. It's the same scenario Eau Claire faced a year ago, when the Yellowjackets won the series opener. The Blugolds won Saturday's game in overtime before taking the mini-game.
 
Friday night the Yellowjackets got the start they wanted. They owned a big territorial advantage, and got an early power play where they had some great looks. But as would be a trend throughout the night, Eau Claire blocked a handful of shots and weathered an early Yellowjacket storm.
 
At the other end the Blugolds used a little luck to take the lead. A Logan Von Ruden shot deflected off a Yellowjacket defender, popped in the air, and Simon Sagissor batted it out of the air and past Oscar Svensson (Södertälje, Sweden/Haga Gymnasium) to make it 1-0 with 5:18 to go in the first period.

Eau Claire turned it up a notch in the second period, dominating the early stages of the frame. The 'Jackets were pinned in their zone for stretches, and Eau Claire outshot them 7-0 early. Head coach Rich McKenna called his timeout about six minutes in to regroup and the 'Jackets answered briefly, but minutes later the Blugolds extended their lead. Matt Stanton scored on a wrist shot from the right circle at 12:40 of the second to make it a 2-0 game.
 
The Yellowjackets were finally able to break through against the stingy Blugolds early in the third. Andrew Durham (Richardson, Texas/Plano East) had the puck in the left corner and found Bruno Birzitis (Riga, Latvia/Riga Distance Education Secondary) in the left circle and he let a rocket go that beat Eau Claire goaltender Zach Dyment to cut the lead in half just 2:48 into the third.
 
That's as close as the Yellowjackets would get. Eau Claire got that goal back when Jon Richards scored at 8:43 of the third period, then Richards put the final nail in the Yellowjacket coffin with his second of the game just about 10 minutes later to make the final score 4-1.
 
Eau Claire outshot the Yellowjackets 33-23 in the game. Svensson took the loss in goal for the Yellowjackets, finishing the game with 29 saves. His record for the year now stands at 10-3-0.
 
Game two of the WIAC semifinal series is coming up Saturday. The opening faceoff from the Hobbs Ice Center is set for 7:00 p.m.