EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The Hobbs Ice Center in Eau Claire has been a difficult arena to play in for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team. Over the past decade, victories at Hobbs have been few and far between.
 
The Yellowjackets would need a victory in enemy territory Friday to not only keep pace with the top teams in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), but also to run their winning streak to five games.
 
Although they played a good game Friday, the 'Jackets couldn't generate enough quality scoring chances, and their winning streak went by the boards.
 
UW-Eau Claire posted goals in each period on the way to a 4-0 win over the Yellowjackets Friday.
 
The score was deceiving, as the Yellowjackets (5-6-0, 3-2-0 WIAC) outshot UW-Eau Claire for the game, and for the most part were the better team, but the Blugolds took advantage of a few Yellowjacket mistakes to earn the win on home ice.
 
In the first period the Yellowjackets came out strong, notching the first four shots on goal of the game but came away with nothing to show for it. Late in the period the Yellowjackets took three consecutive penalties, derailing their early momentum, and giving Eau Claire a chance to take the lead.
 
On their second power play of the game the Blugolds did just that, as Willy Stauber took a wrist shot from the high slot that beat a screened Jack Boschert (Florissant, Mo./Duchesne) high to the stick side to make it 1-0 with just under two minutes to play in the period.
 
The Yellowjackets killed off a penalty that carried over to the second period and quickly established themselves in the offensive zone, but again they found scoring chances hard to come by. Despite outshooting Eau Claire 10-4 in the period, the Blugolds were the only team to score.

Ryan Green finished off a two-on-one rush, beating Boschert from the right of the net to make it 2-0 at 7:12.

Later in the period the Yellowjackets had their best chance of the game. An Eau Claire defender ran into an official and fell down, and the Yellowjackets pounced on the loose puck, but Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) was denied at point-blank range to keep the game 2-0.
 
In the third period Eau Claire put the game away. Kyle Oleksiuk scored on a two-on-one at 9:24, beating Boschert high on the glove side to make it 3-0. Then, with Boschert out for an extra attacker, Austin Becker scored from his own zone into the empty net at 18:02, to make the final score 4-0.
 
Shots in the game favored the Yellowjackets 23-19. Blake Holmes (Apple Valley, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) led the Yellowjackets with three shots on goal, while a host of Yellowjackets had two shots apiece.
 
With the loss, Boschert's record on the year falls to 4-1-0. He finished the game with 15 saves.
 
The Yellowjackets return home Saturday when they will host first-place UW-Stevens Point. The opening faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Wessman Arena.