SUPERIOR, Wis. – The UW-Superior women's hockey team returned home to open their Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) season, hosting the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Saturday afternoon. The Yellowjackets fell to the Blugolds with a final score of 5-3 in a hard-fought matchup.
Anna Maulson (Lac du Flambeau, Wis./Lakeland Union) got the start in net for the Yellowjackets. Maulson was credited with 22 saves and is now 2-2-0 for the year.
Avery Olenik (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Hammarskjold),
Kaylin Garner (Anchorage, Alaska/Chugiak), and
Kailey Swerhun (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Ignatius) each found the back of the net for the Yellowjackets this afternoon, while four other players contributed assists to round out the team's offensive efforts.
Game Notes
- Sadie Long put the Blugolds on the scoreboard early in the first period. In the seventh minute, Madisyn Krumholz poked the puck free from Maulson, setting up Long perfectly at the back door to slide it into the net and give UW-Eau Claire an early advantage.
- With six minutes left in the first period, Gaby Andreacchi (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Patrick) drove hard to the net with the puck. Amid the chaos in front of the goal, Avery Olenik (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Hammarskjold) seized the opportunity, finding the loose puck and burying it for the equalizer.
- Early in the second period, with the Yellowjackets just coming off a penalty kill, Quinn Hartmetz fired a shot from the blue line that squeaked under Maulson's blocker, putting the Blugolds ahead 2-1. This go-ahead goal became the turning point, as UW-Eau Claire held the lead for the remainder of the game.
- In a span of three minutes, the Blugolds advanced their lead to 4-1.
- The Yellowjackets responded five minutes later, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Lucy Drougas (Superior, Wis./Superior) sent a long pass up the ice to Garner, who mishandled it, sending the puck toward the goal. Garner quickly recovered, grabbing the rebound and firing a shot just under the UWEC goaltender's glove to find the back of the net.
- Eau Claire would put up one more late into the second period to extend their lead 5-2.
- The only goal of the third period came from Swerhun. Cora Coz (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) fired a shot from the blue line that took a strange bounce, but Swerhun was in the perfect spot to capitalize, putting the puck into the back of the net.
The Yellowjackets will be back in action for more WIAC play as they host Northland on Friday, Nov. 22. Puck drop at Wessman Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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