SUPERIOR, Wis. – NCAA Division III has the longest off-season of any level of hockey. Junior teams, for example, can play upwards of 100 games in a regular season and playoff season combined, starting in September and concluding in May. At the NCAA Division level, teams begin play in October and, if reaching the NCAA Frozen Four, can play into April.

At Division III however, the season begins in late October and is wrapped up in late March. Teams play a maximum of 33 games if they go all the way to the national championship.

For the Yellowjacket men's hockey team, the most recent off-season spanned 265 days, but that off-season officially was put in the rearview mirror Friday, as the Yellowjackets took the ice for the first time in 2024-25.

And what a successful debut it was.
 
After falling behind early, the Yellowjackets rallied, scoring once in each period on the way to a 3-1 win over Gustavus Adolphus College Friday at Wessman Arena.
 
The win was the first in a season opener for the Yellowjackets (1-0-0, 0-0-0 WIAC) since they defeated St. Scholastica 7-0 on the road to open the 2021-22 season.
 
Jack Boschert (Florissant, Mo./Duchesne) followed up an All-WIAC rookie season with a strong start to his sophomore campaign, turning in a 26-save effort to earn his first win of the year. Boschert was strong throughout the night but was at his best when the 'Jackets needed him most. Gustavus came out applying strong pressure early in the third period, but Boschert was there time and again to shut the door on the Gusties.
 
Reed Stark (Suffern, N.Y./Douglas County West), who was among the most snakebitten players on the Yellowjackets last season, turned in a strong performance in the opener, netting the game-winning goal in the process.
 
Game Notes

• Gustavus opened the scoring at the 7:40 mark of the first period when Jack Suchy converted a two-on-one, beating Boschert low to make it 1-0.
• Daniel Rozsival (Chicago, Ill./North Shore Country Day) turned in a strong shift later in the first that resulted in his first goal of the year. Rozsival blocked a shot, pursued the puck through the neutral zone and worked along the boards to get the puck to the net. Rozsival followed then crashed the net and found a loose puck off the left post, poking it home to tie the game.
• Rozsival has scored a goal in the season opener each of his two seasons at UWS.
• Stark forced a turnover in the neutral zone and skating into Gustavus territory, snapping a shot from the left circle past the Gustavus goaltender on the short side to put the Yellowjackets in front at 6:24 of the second.
• Dusty Bergstrom (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) iced the win, scoring into an empty net with 3.1 seconds left to make the final score 3-1.
• The Yellowjackets outshot Gustavus 30-27.
• Both teams posted perfect penalty killing games, with Gustavus killing off four power plays and the Yellowjackets killing six, including a lengthy two-man advantage.
• Freshman Blake Setter (Calgary, Alberta/Central Memorial) earned an assist on the Rozsival goal, earning his first collegiate point.
• All-time the Yellowjackets are 15-6-2 against Gustavus, having won the last three meetings.
• The last time the Yellowjackets and Gusties played a game on November 8 came in 2002, a game the Yellowjackets won 6-0.

 The Yellowjackets will be back home Saturday when they host St. Olaf at Wessman Arena. The opening faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
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