SUPERIOR, Wis. – In recent years, fast starts haven't been something the Yellowjacket men's hockey team has been accustomed to. Friday night, the Yellowjackets won a season opener for the first time since 2021. You have to go back another year, to the 2020-21 COVID shortened season to find the last time the 'Jackets opened a season with two wins in a row.
 
With the first part taken care of courtesy of Friday's 3-1 victory over Gustavus, the Yellowjackets turned their sites to Saturday, as they played host to St. Olaf College at Wessman Arena, looking to open the season with a perfect weekend. Like the Yellowjackets, St. Olaf was looking to complete a weekend sweep after Friday's 4-1 win on the road at UW-Eau Claire.
 
Something had to give, or did it?
 
The Yellowjackets held a lead late in the third period before St. Olaf scored on a power play to tie the game and force overtime. The extra session did nothing to affect the outcome despite an intense Yellowjacket surge in the final minute, and the teams settled for a 2-2 tie Saturday night.
 
Following the overtime, the teams went four rounds in the shootout, which the Yellowjackets won 2-1.
 
Down 1-0 midway through the second period, the Yellowjackets struck twice in the span of 3:18 to erase the deficit and pull in front. Evan Axell (Plymouth, Minn./Armstrong) got the scoring started, hammering a shot from the right point over the right shoulder of St. Olaf goaltender Thomas Lalonde to tie the game at 9:27. Then at 12:45 Gavin Watt (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia/Auburn) drilled a one-timer from the left circle past Lalonde on the short side, to put the Yellowjackets in front, 2-1.
 
Kobe Grant (Vernon, British Columbia/South Kamloops Secondary) got the start in goal for the Yellowjackets and finished with 26 stops.
 
Game Notes

• St. Olaf's Pavel Karasek got the scoring started at 12:45 of the first, sneaking a puck past Grant. The Yellowjacket defense tried to clear the puck, but couldn't get it before it crossed the line by inches.
• The Oles had a chance to expand the lead later in the period, but hit the post behind Grant.
• After a slow start in the second the Yellowjackets found their legs and tied the game on the goal by Axell. Ikki Kogawa (Chiba, Japan/Collingwood Collegiate Institute) got the primary assist, moving the puck from the right wing to Axell, whose shot beat a screened Lalonde.
• On a power play minutes later, Watt took a pass from Blake Holmes (Apple Valley, Minn./St. Thomas Academy), and placed his one timer perfectly over Lalonde's right shoulder, to put the 'Jackets in front.
• St. Olaf hit multiple pipes in the third period, and on two more high-danger chances was denied by Grant.
• At 16:28 of the third, Connor Kalthoff took a shot from the point that the Yellowjackets got a stick on, but the block just popped the puck in the air and over the glove of Grant to tie the game.
• The overtime started slowing, but in the closing 90 seconds the Yellowjackets applied pressure, putting five shots on goal. Chris Ishmael (Oakville, Ontario/Abbey Park Secondary School) had two of the point-blank chances, while Kogawa had two shots turned aside and another go off the post.
• In the shootout, the Yellowjackets needed a goal to stay alive and captain Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet) got the job done, beating Lalonde low.
• After getting a save from Grant, Watt went in on Lalonde and beat him low to the stick side, giving the Yellowjackets the shootout win.
• St. Olaf outshot the Yellowjackets 28-26.

 The Yellowjackets hit the road for the first time Friday, Nov. 15 when they travel to Duluth to take on St. Scholastica. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at MARS Lakeview Arena.
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