SUPERIOR, Wis. – No doubt about it, times are tough for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team.
 
A recent losing skid has pushed a once-promising season to the brink. In late January, the Yellowjackets were unbeaten at home, but since they've dropped three of their last four on home ice. And the team has endured a rash of injuries unlike anything seen in recent memory.
 
Friday night the 'Jackets hit the ice at Wessman Arena for the final time in the 2021-22 regular season, facing a UW-Stout team also on a lengthy skid. In addition, major playoff implications were on the line. Most likely, the winner of the weekend set would host the other when the WIAC playoffs commence next weekend.
 
Things started well for the Yellowjackets Friday, but Stout exploded for four goals in the second period on the way to a 6-4 win at Wessman Arena. The loss was the fifth straight for the Yellowjackets (12-10-2, 5-6-1 WIAC), who will look to close the regular season when the teams meet again Saturday.
 
The Yellowjackets were on their second power play of the game late in the first period when Jordan Martin (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) directed a shot past Stout goaltender Zack Cloutier, but the goal was waived off, citing inadvertent goaltender interference. Moments later, the 'Jackets did break through, however, as Coltyn Bates (Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) put a shot home from the slot to make it 1-0 at 15:01. Martin and MacGregor Sinclair (Irma, Alberta/Irma School) assisted.
 
For Bates, it was his eighth goal of the year and his fourth in the last four games.
 
Stout countered with a power play goal of its own just three minutes later, and the teams were tied after one period.

In the second, the Blue Devils outshot the 'Jackets 11-5 and scored four times to pull away. Logan Nelson scored at 3:35, and Dylan Rallis added a goal just 37 seconds later to make it a 3-1. Yellowjacket head coach Rich McKenna called a timeout after the third goal, but it wasn't enough to change the momentum.
 
Hayden Clark scored his second of the year unassisted at 10:12 of the period to make the score 4-1, and that spelled the end of the night for Yellowjacket goaltender Landon Pavlisin (San Clemente, Calif./Pacific Coast), who allowed four goals on 16 shots. Nick Althaus (St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) came on in relief of Pavlisin, and turned away two quality scoring chances right away.
 
Stout scored again with 1:15 to go in the second period when Nelson beat a defender out of the left corner and found a loose puck in the left circle, driving it home to make it 5-1 after two periods.
 
In the third the Yellowjackets got one back early when Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everest Academy) scored a power play goal, getting a rebound in the left circle for his sixth of the year at 4:21. Terchiyev made an impact later in the period, as well. With 8:18 gone in the third he was kneed by Caleb Serre, drawing a five-minute major penalty. The Yellowjackets came up empty on the power play, and adding insult to injury, Stout scored shorthanded at 11:27, getting a goal from Cole Beckstead to push the score to 6-2.
 
Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) pulled the Yellowjackets back to within three goals at 14:08, picking the top corner from the right circle for his fifth of the year. Then, with 1:03 to go in the third period Rasmussen struck again, this time scoring from the left of the goal, making it 6-4.
 
With under a minute to play the Yellowjackets pulled Althaus for an extra attacker, but that was it for the scoring and Stout got the win.
 
Despite coming in while the Yellowjackets were down, Althaus got tagged with the loss, and his record dropped to 2-3-0 on the year. He finished the game with eight saves on 10 shots.
 
On special teams, the Yellowjackets went 3-for-6 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
 
The Yellowjackets will close the regular season Saturday night at UW-Stout. The opening face-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Fanetti Community Center in Menomonie.