SUPERIOR, Wis. - It was just an exhibition game at Wessman Arena Tuesday night, but that didn't matter. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first Yellowjacket sporting event against outside competition in 11 months. To be exact, it wsa 324 days. Almost a full  year. So the fact it was an exhibition game didn't matter one bit to anyone. The student-athletes were thrilled to have the chance to play.

The Yellowjacket women's hockey team took center stage, hosting Northland College in the first of a pair of exhibition games this week before the entering Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play for real in the weeks to come. At a time when teams are usually eyeballing playoff spots in the stretch run, this year the seasons are just getting started, and everyone is excited that's the case.

After giving up the first goal early in the first period, the Yellowjackets scored five unanswered goals, including three in the final 1:57 to take down Northland 5-1.

The Yellowjackets held a decisive edge in shots on goal early, but the Lumberjills opened the scoring at 6:35 of the first period when Zoe Chadwick made the 'Jackets pay for a turnover in the neutral zone, taking the loose puck in on a breakaway and sliding the puck underneath McKenzie Whalen (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks) to make it 1-0.

It stayed that way until the waning minutes of the second period when the Yellowjackets turned the tables and capitalized on a Northland mistake. Megan Dulong (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) took the turnover, got to the hash marks and lifted a shot over the shoulder of Northland goaltender Soleil Archambeault at 15:38 of the middle frame to tie the game at 1-1.

Dulong potted her second goal of the game, scoring the eventual game-winning goal on a wrist shot from the slot 4:30 into the third period to make it 2-1.

Despite having a hefty shot advantage, the game stayed close until the final minutes. With 5:04 to play Northland was assessed two penalties, including a five-minute major for kicking on Maddy Bloedel, meaning they would have a 5-on-3 advantage for two minutes and would essentially finish the contest on the power play. And the goals came in bunches.

C.C. Hayes (Fort Frances, Ontario/Fort Frances) got to a loose puck in the goal crease and scored her first of the game to give the Yellowjackets an important insurance goal with 1:57 to play. The goal was unassisted. The Yellowjackets put it away just 44 seconds later when Amber Heidenreich (Phillips, Wis./Hayward) tipped a Katie Montrose (Byron, Minn./Byron) shot past Northland goaltender Corrin Hanson to make it a 4-1 game. Then, with under a second to play Hayes scored her second of the game, scoring from a sharp angle to the right of the goal to make the final score 5-1.

Penalties were a factor, as the Yellowjackets took seven for 14 minutes while Northland took six for 23 minutes. On special teams the Yellowjackets were 2-for-6 on the power play while killing off all six power play chances for the Lumberjills.

Whalen got the start in goal and played the first 30:18, finishing with eight saves. She gave way to Rose Beeman (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's School) who went the rest of the way, stopping all seven shots she faced. The Yellowjackets outshot Northland 54-16.

The teams will play another exhibition game Friday at the Bay Area Civic Center in Ashland. The opening faceoff is set for 7:00 p.m.