SUPERIOR, Wis. – After last Saturday's road loss to Bethel, the Yellowjacket men's hockey team lamented its struggle to play a full 60 minutes. Through the first four games of the campaign, the Yellowjackets had yet to play what they would say is a complete game.
 
Friday, the Yellowjackets entered Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play for the first time in 2024-25, and there had never been a more important time for them to put together a strong 60 minutes. And while it may not have been a perfect game, Friday was the best full-game effort of the season.

The Yellowjackets scored one goal in each period and, coupled with a strong penalty kill and even stronger goaltending, opened WIAC play with a 3-1 win over UW-Eau Claire Friday night at Wessman Arena.
 
With the victory, the Yellowjackets (3-1-1, 1-0-0 WIAC) snapped a seven-game winless streak against the Blugolds (0-6-1) and remained unbeaten on home ice to start the season.
 
Yellowjacket goaltender Jack Boschert (Florissant, Mo./Duchesne) was the best player on the ice Friday, turning in a dazzling performance, making a season-high 35 saves, including 18 in the third period as the Blugolds pressed to tie the game.
 
Offensively, Carson Riddle (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon) paced things, scoring a goal and adding an assist for his first two points of the season.
 
Game Notes

• Freshman Alexey Yarmulnik (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) scored his first collegiate goal early in the first period, getting to a loose puck at the top of the goal crease and lifting a shot over Eau Claire goaltender Max Gutjahr to open the scoring at 6:26.
• With each team down a skater early in the second, Riddle got the puck to Dusty Bergstrom (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) in the slot, and his shot beat Gutjahr for his second of the year at 2:21.
• Eau Claire's only goal came at 11:18 of the second period as Tyler Herzberg took a shot and beat Boschert on to the stick side from the right circle, cutting the Yellowjacket lead in half.
• Riddle iced the game with a shot into the empty net with 1:25 left in the third period.
• Eau Claire outshot the Yellowjackets 36-25 for the game, including 18-12 in the third period.
• The teams combined for just four penalties in the first two periods, but things got rough in the third, with 10 penalties being called.
• Each team took seven penalties for 14 minutes in the game, and each team went 0-for-4 on the power play.
• Eau Claire generated 11 shots on goal on the power play.
• The Blugolds also blocked 15 Yellowjacket shot attempts.
• Evan Axell (Plymouth, Minn./Armstrong) assisted on Bergstrom's goal, giving him five points on the year, which ties him for the team lead.
• With his 35-save effort, Boschert's save percentage increased to .968 for the year.

The Yellowjackets will be on the road Saturday for a date with UW-Stevens Point. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at K.B. Willett Arena.
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