SUPERIOR, Wis. – With the non-conference schedule in the rearview mirror, the Yellowjacket women's hockey team officially entered the stretch run Thursday. With nine games left in the 2023-24 regular season, everything from this point forward would be played within the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).
 
The first opponent of the stretch drive was UW-Eau Claire. The Yellowjackets and Blugolds faced off earlier this season, with Eau Claire coming from behind to defeat the Yellowjackets 4-2 at the Hobbs Ice Center back in November.
 
No comeback was needed Thursday, as Eau Claire scored first and pulled away for a 4-1 win over the Yellowjackets at Wessman Arena.
 
The Yellowjackets (4-12-1, 1-2-1 WIAC) got back to within two with a goal midway through the third period, but Eau Claire got that one back in short order to deliver the knockout punch in the game.
 
In the early going the teams traded opportunities, and the Yellowjackets had opportunities on early power plays, with Jenna Hoops (Woodbury, Minn./Visitation School) and Veda Roeske (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) having golden opportunities at point-blank range, but the 'Jackets came up empty.
 
After killing off a second power play chance, Eau Claire opened the scoring when Hattie Verstegen pounced on a loose puck in the blue paint and poked it home at 14:13 of the first period, making it 1-0.
 
Eau Claire continued to push in the second period, outshooting the Yellowjackets 10-3 in the frame and extending its lead. Top scorer Sophie Rausch got the puck across the Yellowjacket line, made a quick move around a defender and wired a shot that beat Rose Beeman (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's School) over the glove to make it 2-0 at 9:54.
 
It stayed that way until the third period was almost half over. Eau Claire stretched the lead to 3-0 as Rausch found Sadie Long in the right circle, and she lifted a shot past Beeman at 9:33.

The Yellowjackets finally broke through at 11:44 of the third. Ashton Parnell (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) worked the puck into Eau Claire territory on the right wing and sent a pass to the front of the net, where Emma Booth (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) drove it home for her second goal of the year, cutting the Blugold lead to 3-1.

It didn't stay that way long, however, as Eau Claire took advantage of a Yellowjacket miscue and McKenna Sandberg scored at 13:38 to make the final score 4-1.
 
Beeman had a strong showing in goal for the Yellowjackets, finishing with 36 saves.
 
The Yellowjackets and Eau Claire will meet for the third and final time in the 2023-24 regular season Saturday at the Hobbs Ice Center in Eau Claire. The opening faceoff is set for 2 p.m.