SUPERIOR, Wis. – Friday night, the Yellowjacket men's hockey team deserved a better fate than it got. For much of the game at UW-Eau Claire, the Yellowjackets outplayed the Blugolds, and for the game they out shot them, but in the end all they got was a 4-0 loss to the No. 9 team in the country.
 
Looking to bounce back from the defeat, things didn't get easier for the Yellowjackets Saturday, as No. 8 UW-Stevens Point came to town. In trying to keep pace with the teams at the top of the conference, the 'Jackets knew they needed to start fast, land the first blow, and play a full 60 minutes to earn the win.
 
And in the end Saturday, they checked all those boxes.

The Yellowjackets scored the first three goals of the game and held on for a 3-1 win over the Pointers before an exuberant crowd at Wessman Arena Saturday.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets (6-6-0, 4-2-0 WIAC) are now tied for first place in the conference with the Pointers, but sit in second place because the Pointers currently have a game at hand.
 
The opening minutes of the game Saturday was a feast for the eyes of the hockey watcher. Both teams attacked the opponent offensively, displaying great speed, skillful playmaking and strong defensive play.
 
Just under six minutes into the game, the Yellowjackets opened the scoring on a play that looked innocent. Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet Senior) won an offensive zone faceoff, and Blake Holmes (Apple Valley, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) wristed a shot past Stevens Point goaltender Alex Proctor for his fourth goal of the year, to make it 1-0 at 5:44.
 
Minutes later the Yellowjackets took a penalty, and although they killed it off, the Pointers gained the momentum and started to storm the Yellowjacket zone. The Yellowjackets withstood the pressure, and increased the lead before the period ended.
 
Justin Dauphinais (Val Caron, Ontario/École Secondaire Catholique Horizon) got the puck in the right circle and did a masterful job of creating time and space before rifling a shot on goal from the right circle. Proctor made the save, but Dauphinais followed the play and buried his own rebound, scoring his fifth of the year at 17:47 to make it a 2-0 game. Tristan Therrien (Prévost, Québec/Newbridge Academy) got the only assist on the play.
 
The Yellowjackets could have driven the nail into the coffin in the final seconds, as Reed Stark (Suffern, N.Y./Douglas County West) went in on a breakaway, but his shot went off the post with about two seconds left in the period.
 
As the second period unfolded the teams ramped up the physical play, and Stevens Point began to exert a territorial advantage. The Yellowjackets tightened up on defense and kept the zero on the board. Midway through the period the Yellowjackets went on their first power play of the game, and they made it count to extend the lead.
 
Rasmussen got the puck in the high slot and his shot beat Proctor high, putting the Yellowjackets up 3-0. The power play goal, assisted by Holmes and C.J. Walker (Boise, Idaho/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) was the fifth of the year for Rasmussen.
 
In the third period the Yellowjackets kept it steady but couldn't put home the all-important fourth goal. Then just past the midpoint of the period, the Pointers made things interesting.
 
Sam Ayd dumped the puck into the Yellowjacket zone, and it took a funny hop off the board and caromed in front of the net. Conor Witherspoon won the race to the puck and deftly tipped it over the shoulder of Jan Skorpik (Brandýs nad Labem, Czechia/OA Prague) to get the Pointers on the board at 10:49 of the period.
 
Stevens Point pressed the rest of the way, but the Yellowjackets blocked several shots, and when one got through Skorpik was there. Skorpik got the win Saturday, turning aside 26 shots to improve his record to 2-0-0 on the year.
 
Superior also won the special teams battle Saturday, going 1-for-2 on the power play and killing off both Stevens Point power plays.
 
The Yellowjackets will close out the first half of their season Saturday, Dec. 9 when they host Northland. The opening faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Wessman Arena.