ST. PAUL, Minn. – Saturday afternoon, the Yellowjacket men's hockey team was the better team on the ice for much of its game against Hamline. Unfortunately for them, the best player on the ice resided 200 feet away from the Yellowjacket goal.
 
Through 40 minutes, the Yellowjackets peppered the Hamline goal with shot after shot, a result of a forecheck that attacked the Pipers in waves. Hamline goaltender Kevin Lake, however, was up to the task of those shots, making 30 saves through the first two periods.
 
Lake's effort buoyed the Pipers, and kept the game even until early in overtime, where a Yellowjacket turnover at the blue line resulted in an odd-man rush and eventually, the winning goal.
 
Ryan Brandt stole the puck in the neutral zone, skated into the Yellowjacket zone and snapped a shot past starter Myles Hektor (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest), giving Hamline a 2-1 overtime win over the Yellowjackets Saturday afternoon at TRIA Rink.
 
The win for the Pipers was their third straight over a WIAC school via overtime. On the flip side, the Yellowjackets (10-6-1, 5-2-0 WIAC) now stand at 0-2-1 when the game goes to an extra session.
 
Hamline came out and drew first blood, something the Yellowjackets have been unaccustomed to in 2022-23. Andrew Erwin took a centering pass and wristed a shot past Hektor at 10:18 of the first period to make it 1-0.

The Yellowjackets answered a short time later.
 
Sam Sterne (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) started the play in the neutral zone, making a pass up the left win to Tristan Therrien (Prévost, Québec/Newbridge Academy), who skated in and made a pass toward the goal. The pass was broken up, but Lake slid out of position and C.J. Walker (Boise, Idaho/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) poked the loose puck home just off the left post for his seventh of the year, tying the game 1-1 at 13:35.
 
In the second the Yellowjackets outshot the Pipers 17-4, and had some incredibly high-quality chances, but Lake stonewalled them time and again.
 
Hamline had a chance early in the third period to break the game open, when Antonio Di Paolo (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Humboldt Collegiate Institute) was called for a five-minute major, but the Yellowjacket penalty kill came through in grand style, allowing just one shot during the extended power play.
 
The Yellowjackets had an initial rush in the overtime period but were unable to muster a shot on goal. Then just over a minute into the period, Brandt caused the turnover in the neutral zone, came into Yellowjacket territory, and from the right circle snapped a shot past Hektor low on the stick side, making the final 2-1.
 
For the game the Yellowjackets outshot the Pipers 31-22.
 
With the non-conference schedule now completed, the Yellowjackets will be in WIAC play the rest of the season. The stretch run begins Friday, January 20 when the 'Jackets travel to take on UW-Eau Claire. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Hobbs Ice Center.