SUPERIOR, Wis. – When things aren't going your way, sometimes, they really don't go your way.
 
The 2021-22 season was going well for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team, as it worked its way into the middle of January riding a long unbeaten streak and sitting near the top of the WIAC standings as the stretch run began.
 
Since then, the lineup has been ravaged by injuries, and entering play Saturday, the Yellowjackets had dropped back-to-back games for the first time. After a heartbreaking loss on the road at River Falls Friday, the Yellowjackets were looking to flip the script on the Falcons Saturday when the teams played the second game of their weekend series.

It wasn't to be.
 
River Falls jumped out to an early lead and the Yellowjackets were never able to battle all the way back, falling to the Falcons by the same score as Friday, 4-3, this time at Wessman Arena.
 
Down two goals, the Yellowjackets (12-8-2, 5-5-1 WIAC) pulled to within one when Coltyn Bates (Brandon, Manitoba/Vincent Massey Collegiate) worked his way through the River Falls defense and muscled the puck past Falcon goaltender Dysen Skinner with 4:17 to go in the third period.
 
After the goal the Yellowjackets continued to press, but River Falls continued to play outstanding defense, limiting the number of quality chances the Yellowjackets had. With an extra attacker on, the Yellowjackets came out of a timeout with 1:27 to play, but a late penalty call put the 'Jackets shorthanded and seriously hampered their chance to pull even.
 
In the final 10 seconds, the Yellowjackets won two offensive zone face-offs, but both times River Falls blocked the shot from the point, preserving its win and the weekend sweep.
 
Cayden Cahill opened the scoring for River Falls, beating Yellowjacket goaltender Nick Althaus (St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) up high from the right circle just 5:39 into the game.
 
The Yellowjackets answered with a brilliant shift, but weren't able to get anything past Skinner. Late in the shift, the Falcons blocked a shot which resulted in an odd-man rush the other way, and Jack Kilroy fed Gibb Coady who beat Althaus to make it 2-0 at 7:38.
 
In the final minute of the first the Yellowjackets cut the lead to 2-1. Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everest Academy) took a shot from the high slot that Dylan Johnson (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) deflected past Skinner for his team-leading 12th goal of the season. The marker snapped a seven-game goal drought for Johnson.
 
Early in the second period the Falcons regained the two-goal cushion. Vilho Saariluoma took a shot from the left circle and beat Althaus low to the glove side for a power play goal at 8:18.
 
The Yellowjackets again would pull to within one at 15:20. Zach Bannister (Grande Prairie, Alberta/St. Joseph Catholic) came out of the left corner and fed a pass across the slot to Reed Stark (Suffern, N.Y./Douglas County West), and the freshman blasted home his eighth of the year to make it a 3-2 game. Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) also picked up an assist.
 
But as has been the case too often this season, the Yellowjackets quickly gave it back.
 
Sam Anzai took a shot from the left boards that Althaus gloved, but he couldn't control it and Valentino Pasarelli poked the loose puck home to make it a 4-2 game just 41 seconds after Stark's tally. The goal spelled the end of the night for Althaus, who allowed four goals on 12 shots. Landon Pavlisin (San Clemente, Calif./Pacific Coast) came on and kept the Falcons off the board the rest of the way, stopping all five shots he faced in just under 23 minutes of play.
 
The Yellowjackets pressed hard in the third period but were unable to tie the game and send things to overtime.
 
After only having 15 shots on goal Friday the Yellowjackets nearly doubled that number Saturday, and outshot River Falls 28-17.
 
Next week is another three-game week for the Yellowjackets, who return to the road to take on UW-Stevens Point Wednesday, Feb. 9. The opening face-off is set for 7 p.m. at K.B. Willett Arena.