STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Over the years, the Yellowjacket men's hockey team has had some epic matches with UW-Stevens Point. There have been playoff games, NCAA tournament games, and plenty of memorable regular season contests between the teams.
 
Recently, however, it has felt like the Pointers have been able to find magic, especially on their home ice, denying the Yellowjackets wins.
 
That was the case Saturday night. After digging themselves a hole in the first period, the Yellowjackets rallied, only to have the comeback foiled by a late goal in a 5-4 loss at K.B. Willett Arena.
 
The Yellowjackets (3-2-1, 1-1-0 WIAC) rallied from three goals down to tie the game in the third period, but Stevens Points' Josh German scored from a sharp angle less than two minutes later to provide the winning margin.
 
Reed Stark (Suffern, N.Y./Douglas County West) and Tyler Ryder (Byron Center, Mich./Northstar Christian Academy) each had a goal and an assist to pace the Yellowjackets offensively. Stark's goal, his second of the season, tied the score at 11:36 of the third period.
 
It was a tough night for Yellowjacket goaltender Jack Boschert (Florissant, Mo./Duchesne), who allowed four goals on 14 shots in just over a period of play. The comeback took him off the hook, however, and the loss was tagged on Jan Skorpik (Brandýs nad Labem, Czechia/OA Prague), who came on in relief of Boschert early in the second period.
 
Game Notes

• It was all Stevens Point in the first period, as it outshot the Yellowjackets 12-5 on the way to opening up a 3-1 lead.
• Fletcher Anderson opened the scoring for the Pointers, connecting on a one-timer at 9:33 of the first.
• The Yellowjackets tied the game at 13:25 when Daniel Rozsival (Chicago, Ill./North Shore Country Day) intercepted a Pointer clearing pass and went in along, deking Stevens Point goaltender Alex Proctor and scoring on the backhand for his second goal of the year.
• Chris Engelbert broke the tie for the Pointers at 15:22, Payton Hart added a power play goal at 17:17.
• On the first shift of the second period, Nico Chmelevski poked a rebound home to make it 4-1 just 15 seconds in.
• The fourth goal spelled the end of the night for Boschert.
• The Yellowjackets started the climb back 5:17 of the second, when Tyler Ryder (Byron Center, Mich./Northstar Christian Academy) made a shorthanded end-to-end rush up the left wing, cut to the net and slid a backhand under Proctor to make it 4-2.
• Ryder's first goal of the year was also the first shorthanded goal of the season for the Yellowjackets.
• At 10:49 of the second the Yellowjackets pulled to within one at 4-3. On a 5-on-3 power play Gavin Rasmussen (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet) got a rebound to the left of the Pointer goal and put it under the bar for his first of the year.
• The power play goal was just the second of the year for the Yellowjackets, and it snapped an 0-for-16 drought.
• Stark pounded on a loose puck at the top of the goal crease and buried it midway through the third period to get the Yellowjackets event, but German scored unassisted from the right wing two minutes later to break the tie.
• Stevens Point outshot the Yellowjackets 35-24.
• Skorpik made 20 saves on 21 shots in the game.

The Yellowjackets are back home Friday, Nov. 29 when they open the 2024 Superior Showdown, sponsored by Subway with a game against Lawrence University. The opening faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Wessman Arena.
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