SUPERIOR, Wis. – For the Yellowjacket men's hockey team, consistency is everything at this point of the season.

As the team nears the midpoint of the 2021-22 season, consistency has eluded the Yellowjackets. Just once through the first nine games have the Yellowjackets won consecutive games. On the other hand, they have yet to drop consecutive games on the year.

After last Saturday's disappointing loss at UW-Stout, the Yellowjackets were looking to continue the latter trend and avoid losing their second straight contest. Standing in the way of the return to the column was a familiar foe, Northland College, a team the Yellowjackets have seen more over the past three seasons than any other opponent.
 
Like last Saturday the Yellowjackets opened the scoring, and like last Saturday they had a two-goal lead. Unfortunately, also like last Saturday they were unable to hold the lead and were forced to settle for a 2-2 tie at Wessman Arena Friday, with Northland securing the extra point in the conference standings by taking the shootout 1-0.
 
It was the first time the Yellowjackets (5-4-1, 3-2-1 WIAC) got to try out the new overtime rules in the WIAC. In the past, a game tied at the end of regulation would go into five minutes of five-on-five overtime, and if it was still tied the game would be called a draw. New this season is five minutes of three-on-three overtime, and if the teams remain deadlocked they head to a shootout to determine who gets the extra point in the conference standings.
 
The overtime provided thrilling hockey from start to finish. Northland had a point-blank chance to win it early but Yellowjacket goaltender Myles Hektor (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) denied them with a right pad save. Later, Cole Woodliffe rang one off the crossbar. In the final ten seconds the Yellowjackets caught the LumberJacks and had a nearly full-ice two-on-zero break, but Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) couldn't convert the setup from Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everest Academy).
 
In the shootout the teams went through four rounds with neither team scoring. Northland broke through on the fifth attempt when Parker Severson slipped the puck between Hektor's pads. Needing a goal to keep the game going, the Yellowjackets turned to Terchiyev, but his shot was denied by Northland goaltender Taylor Unruh, giving the visitors the extra point in the standings.
 
After a scoreless first period the Yellowjackets broke through on the power play at 11:22 of the second period. Dylan Johnson (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) got a loose puck and put a shot between Unruh's pads for his eighth of the year, making it 1-0. Bradley Stonnell (Surrey, British Columbia/Tamanawis Secondary School) and Jordan Martin (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) assisted.
 
In the third period the Yellowjackets went on the power play and didn't score, but they kept the puck in the offensive zone and capitalized shortly after it expired. Will Blake (Champlin, Minn./Breck School) made a great pass from the right wing to Coltyn Bates (Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) in the slot, and Bates one-timed a shot into the net for his third of the year and it was 2-0.
 
Northland had a quick answer, however, as Connor Evans drove the net and directed the puck home for his first of the year just 54 seconds later, cutting the Yellowjacket lead in half. Then at 14:52 Northland tied it, with Brendan Charlton scoring his first of the year on the power play, getting a loose puck in the left circle and scoring before Hektor could go from left to right, evening the score 2-2.
 
The Yellowjackets had chances late to take the lead once again, but Unruh and the post kept the game tied.
 
Hektor made his third straight start and finished the game with 22 saves. His record on the year is now 3-2-1.
 
On special teams the Yellowjackets were 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
 
The teams will see each other again Saturday in the second game of the weekend home-and-home series. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Bay Area Civic Center in Ashland.