ASHLAND, Wis. – After a two-week hiatus, the Yellowjacket women's hockey team was back on the ice Friday, opening their final weekend of the 2024-25 regular season with the first of two games at Northland College.
 
It was a big game for the Yellowjackets, who entered play Friday on a six-game winless streak. On top of that, UWS sat in fourth place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), a mere two points ahead of fifth-place Northland.
 
So not only would a win Friday bring an end to the team's recent skid, it would also lock them into the No. 4 seed in the WIAC tournament, meaning they would host the LumberJills in the opening round this coming Tuesday.
 
The 'Jackets needed a win, and they got it.
 
After a scoreless first period the 'Jackets scored twice early in the second period and that was enough, as they defeated Northland 3-0 at the Bay Area Civic Center.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets improved to 10-12-2 overall and 2-9-0 in the WIAC with one game to play.
 
Gaby Andreacchi (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Patrick) and Kailey Swerhun (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Ignatius) netted goals for the Yellowjackets in the second period before Brynn MacLean (Wilcox, Saskatchewan/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) iced the victory with an empty net goal late in the third.
 
In goal, Molly Black (Devils Lake, N.D./Devils Lake) got the start and the win, improving to 7-6-1 on the year. The shutout was the Black's second of the season and the third of her career.
 
Game Notes

• The Yellowjackets are now 23-1-1 all-time against Northland.
• In the first period the Yellowjackets had numerous scoring chances and the process handily outshot Northland 22-1, but things remained scoreless.
• The Yellowjackets broke through at 4:51 of the second period when Andreacchi scored off the rush, firing from the right circle and beating Northland goaltender Maddy Bliss to make it 1-0.
• It was Andreacchi's fourth goal of the season. The goal also gave Andreacchi 15 points, nearly doubling her previous season best total of eight, which she hit in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
• A few minutes later the Yellowjackets extended the lead. Coming on the heels of a power play, the Yellowjackets maintained possession in the offensive zone and Jenna Hoops (Woodbury, Minn./Visitation School) found Darbie Mattson (Atikokan, Ontario/Atikokan) coming down from the right point. Mattson's moved the puck into the slot and Swerhun redirected a shot past Bliss to make it 2-0.
• The goal was the sixth of the season for Swerhun, matching her career.
• It stayed that way until the final minute when MacLean scored her 10th goal of the season into the empty net, making the final score 3-0.
• MacLean is now tied for the team lead in goals with Hoops and Kaylin Garner (Anchorage, Alaska/Chugiak).
• The Yellowjackets outshot the LumberJills 51-16 for the game.

The Yellowjackets and LumberJills will close out the 2024-25 regular season with the second game of their series Saturday. The opening faceoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Bay Area Civic Center.
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