SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket women's hockey team needed a change.
 
Coming into play Saturday, the Yellowjackets were riding a lengthy winless skid dating back to Nov. 21. So, in an effort to shake things up, Yellowjacket head coach Dan Laughlin switched up the uniform selection, moving from the traditional white home sweaters to the little-used gold.
 
It looked like the new sweaters were going to work, but unfortunately Marian scored a late goal to snuff out a third period rally and defeat the Yellowjackets 4-3 at Wessman Arena Saturday.
 
The Yellowjackets (4-10-1, 1-1-1 WIAC) have now lost seven games in a row and will look to regroup with a busy, three-game week coming up, one where they will return to conference play.
 
UWS came out strong Saturday. Friday night, they were outshot 16-11 in a scoreless first period, but Saturday, they tightened things up defensively to help goaltender Abby Pajari (Duluth, Minn./Proctor Senior), who was making her first start of the season. Late in the frame the Yellowjackets headed to the power play, and they took advantage to open the scoring.
 
After coming up empty in five shots on goal Friday, sophomore Ashton Parnell (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) put the Yellowjackets in front, scoring her fourth goal of the season to put the Yellowjackets up 1-0. Jada LeBlanc (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute) and Kailey Swerhun (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Ignatius) assisted on the goal at 18:53 of the period.
 
Marian, however, answered, and it did so with its second three-goal period of the weekend.
 
Parnell's goal held up until 13:44 of the second, when Sydney Schipper netted a power play goal for the Sabres, tying the game. Marian then landed a pair of punches in the final minute of the second, to take their first lead of the game. Alyssa Heim, who scored twice against the Yellowjackets Friday, picked up her third goal of the weekend with 26.7 seconds left to make it a 2-1 game. Marian's Allie Kieffer then hit a buzzer beater, scoring with a tenth-of-a-second on the clock, giving Marian a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
 
In the third period the Yellowjackets came out strong and played with a sense of urgency on the way to tying the game.
 
The 'Jackets swarmed the Marian goal for much of the period, and at 10:20 of the third they pulled to within a goal when Kailey Swerhun (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Ignatius) got a loose puck in the slot and waited out Sabre goaltender Abby Okon, firing into the wide-open net to make it 3-2. The unassisted goal was Swerhun's third of the year, and the senior forward now has goals in three of the last five games.
 
A few minutes later the Yellowjackets pulled even.
 
With Pajari off for an extra attacker due to a delayed penalty on Marian, Parnell poked home her second of the game and fifth of the season to tie it, 3-3. Emma Booth (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) and Gaby Andreacchi (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Patrick) assisted on the goal at 14:22. The goal marked the second time this season Parnell has scored twice in a game, having previously done it in a win over UW-Stevens Point Nov. 18.

Because the goal came on a delayed penalty, the Yellowjackets were also awarded a power play, but the golden opportunity to pull back in front went by the boards, as Marian killed it off.

Shortly after Marian killed off the penalty, it got the bounce it needed to pull back in front. A scrum in front of the goal saw the puck get past Pajari, and Aeryn Olson poked it across the line to make it a 4-3 game.
 
The Yellowjackets pressed hard after killing off a late penalty, but were unable to get the equalizer and force overtime.
 
UWS outshot Marian 36-32 in the game. Pajari had a good game in her first start of the year, finishing the day with 28 saves.
 
The Yellowjackets will return to action Tuesday, when they travel to Minneapolis to take on Augsburg. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Augsburg Ice Arena.