SUPERIOR, Wis. – Early in the 2021-22 season, the Yellowjacket men's hockey team had a hard time finding consistency. The 'Jackets would win one, then lose win. They'd have a great game, followed by a less than spectacular outing. With the stretch run looming, complete with a full complement of games within the WIAC, the Yellowjackets needed to find their stride and build some momentum if they had any intentions of defending their 2021 conference title.
 
Following Saturday's game with Gustavus, it looks like the Yellowjackets are finding their game at just the right time.
 
The Yellowjackets scored once in each period Saturday and were especially effective in a dominant third period on the way to a 3-1 win over the Gusties at Wessman Arena.
 
For the Yellowjackets (10-4-2, 4-2-1 WIAC), the win was their fourth in a row and stretched their unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2). The victory also keeps the Yellowjackets unbeaten on home ice in 2021-22 (5-0-2). Going back to January 2019, a stretch of 30 games, the Yellowjackets are 22-4-4 at Wessman Arena.
 
But it hasn't always been easy at home. Through the first six games of the 2021-22 season, the Yellowjackets failed to register a first period goal. That changed Saturday. Freshman Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) picked up his fourth goal of the year with 4:17 to go in the opening period, staking the Yellowjackets to a 1-0 lead. Rasmussen started the play by throwing a big check on the Gustavus defender, separating him from the puck. Rasmussen then took the puck, moved to his backhand and flipped a shot over the glove of Gustavus goaltender Grant Boldt.
 
Late in the second period a little bit of good luck gave the Yellowjackets some breathing room. Sam Sterne (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) took a shot off a faceoff that was blocked, but the carom went to Zach Bannister (Grande Prairie, Alberta/St. Joseph Catholic) in the right circle, and his wrist shot found the back of the net with 3:47 to play in the period, pushing the Yellowjacket advantage to 2-0. It was the fifth goal of the year for Bannister.
 
Early in the third period the Yellowjackets struck again. Jordan Martin (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate), who now has a point in seven straight, forced the puck into the blue point and Chad Lopez (Arlington, Texas/University of Texas) poked it home for his sixth of the year, giving the Yellowjackets a 3-0 lead just 1:34 into the third. For Lopez, the goal was a long time coming, as it snapped an eight-game goal drought. Bannister also assisted on the play.
 
Penalties were a big part of the third period, and while the Yellowjackets were down two men, Gustavus broke through and spoiled the shutout. Brandon McNamara had the puck in the left circle and threw it toward the net where it banked off Sterne and past Yellowjacket goaltender Myles Hektor (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest), making it a 3-1 game with 3:18 to play.
 
From there the penalty kill did the job and the Yellowjackets closed out the weekend sweep.
 
Hektor was rock solid in goal while making his third consecutive start for the Yellowjackets. He finished the night with 30 saves, and in the process improved his record to 7-2-1. The Yellowjackets on the strength of a 15-7 advantage in the third period outshot Gustavus 33-31 for the game.
 
The Yellowjackets will be back home Friday, Jan. 21 when they host UW-Eau Claire. The opening faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Wessman Arena.