EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The Yellowjacket women's hockey team returned to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play Saturday afternoon but came up short in a 4-2 loss to UW-Eau Claire.
With the loss, the Yellowjackets dropped to 4-6-1 overall and 1-3-0 in the WIAC.
Despite coming up short, the Yellowjackets saw a standout performance from
Cora Coz (Elk River, Minn./Elk River), who scored twice. Coz is now tied with
Kaylin Garner (Anchorage, Alaska/Chugiak) for the season lead, with five goals, two assists, and seven points each.
Molly Black (Devils Lake, N.D./Devils Lake) started in goal and recorded 36 saves, moving her season record to 2-3-1.
Game Notes:
- The Blugolds wasted no time opening the scoring, striking just 3:22 into the game when McKenna Sandberg found the back of the net off assists from Kenzie Keller and Ellie Andersen. Less than five minutes later, Ava Bullert doubled the Blugolds' lead, making it 2-0.
- The Yellowjackets responded late in the first period. Taylee Marks (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Hammarskjold) connected with Coz who ripped a low glove shot from above the top of the circle to cut Eau Claire's lead to 2-1 heading into the first intermission.
- Early in the second period, the Blugolds extended their lead when Kara Burke scored at the 5:12 mark, assisted by Maddie Hulter and Rachel Mirwald, making it 3-1.
- The Yellowjackets weren't done yet. Just over a minute later, Coz struck again with a beautiful between-the-legs goal off feeds from Kailey Swerhun (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Ignatius) and Anna Scherling (Rogers, Minn./Rogers), bringing the Yellowjackets back within one at 3-2.
- The score remained tight until the third period when UW-Eau Claire's Lauren Ballinger buried a goal five minutes into the frame, restoring the Blugolds' two-goal cushion at 4-2, where it stayed until the final horn.
- Coz's two-goal performance marked her first multi-goal game of the season.
- The Yellowjackets went 0-for-2 on the power play but successfully killed off a five-minute major.
The Yellowjackets will look to bounce back Tuesday, Dec. 10, when they travel to St. Cloud, Minn. to face Saint Benedict at Ritschie Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
