BOSTON – The semester break officially came to an end for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team Friday, as they entered play in the Codfish Bowl, hosted by UMass Boston. Now in it's 59th year, the Codfish Bowl is the oldest tournament in NCAA Division III hockey, and with their entry, the Yellowjackets are the first team from the west to be invited to compete in it.
 
After Friday, the Yellowjackets are hoping to not only be the first team from the west to play in it, but also to win it.
 
The Yellowjacket single goals in each of the second and third periods on the way to a 2-0 win over Fitchburg State, sending them to the tournament championship game. The Yellowjackets (9-3-1, 5-1-0 WIAC) will take on the hosts from UMass Boston, who defeated UMass Dartmouth 5-2 in the tournament opener.
 
Jan Skorpik (Brandýs nad Labem, Czechia/OA Prague) made his second start in a row Friday, and earned the shutout with a 21-save performance. He is now 3-1-0 on the season, while Logan Nickerson (East Haddam, Conn./West Haven), who scored for the second game in a row, netted the eventual game-winning goal close to the midway point the second period.
 
Game Notes

• With the win, the Yellowjackets, who entered the day ranked No. 15 in the country, won their fifth game in a row.
• The shutout was the first collegiate shutout for Skorpik, and the third in the last seven games for the Yellowjackets.
• Daniel Rozsival (Chicago, Ill./North Shore Country Day) had the first good scoring chance of the game, but he lifted a backhand over the net on a breakaway early in the game.
• The Yellowjackets finally broke through at 8:32 of the second when Nickerson, stationed near the top of the goal crease, redirected a shot by Alexey Yarmulnik (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) past the Fitchburg State goaltender to make it 1-0.
• Collin Pederson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) and Ikki Kogawa (Chiba, Japan/Collingwood Collegiate Institute) hit posts in the second period.
• With 4:09 left in the third period, Kogawa gave the Yellowjackets some breathing room, burying a shot from the right circle for his fourth of the season, making it 2-0. Pederson assisted on the goal.
• With the shutout, Skorpik lowered his goals against average to 1.36, the lowest among the three Yellowjacket goaltenders. All three goalies have averages of 1.95 or lower.
• The win was the 100th for Rich McKenna as head coach of the Yellowjackets.
• There were only three penalties called in the game – one on the Yellowjackets and two on Fitchburg State. All three were called in the second period.
• The Yellowjackets outshot Fitchburg State 27-21.

The Yellowjackets will now take on the Beacons of UMass Boston in the Codfish Bowl final. The opening faceoff is set for 3 p.m. CST Saturday at Edward T. Barry Ice Rink.
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