SUPERIOR, Wis. – Hockey down the stretch was difficult for the Yellowjacket women's hockey team. A particularly rough patch came in late January and early February, a stretch that knocked the Yellowjackets out of contention for a top three finish in the conference.
 
Last weekend, the Yellowjackets put a conference losing streak in the rearview mirror, sweeping a road series at Northland to close the regular season. Their reward? Another game with Northland, their third meeting in five days, to open the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament.
 
On the season the Yellowjackets swept the season series from the LumberJills, outscoring them 18-0 in the process. Tuesday's playoff opener offered more of the same, as the Yellowjacket offense exploded for the second game in a row on the way to a 9-0 win over Northland at Wessman Arena.

The win evens the Yellowjackets' record for the year at 12-12-2.
 
Kailey Swerhun (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Ignatius) had a big day for the Yellowjackets, scoring three times to notch her first collegiate hat trick. Jenna Hoops (Woodbury, Minn./Visitation School) had a five-point game, while Darbie Mattson (Atikokan, Ontario/Atikokan) had a goal and three assists from the blue line.
 
In goal, Molly Black (Devils Lake, N.D./Devils Lake) got the start and turned aside 12 shots to get the win, improving her record to 8-6-1.
 
GAME NOTES

• The Yellowjackets had 11 players record at least one point.
• Mattson scored the eventual game-winning goal just 5:09 into the game, being Northland goaltender Maddy Bliss on a shot from the left point for her third of the year.
• Maddie Rewertz (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) scored from the top of the left circle at 14:25 of the first, and Swerhun finished off a great pass from Hoops less than two minutes later to put the 'Jackets up 3-0 after one.
• Swerhun redirected a shot from the point at 2:56 of the second period for her second of the game to extend the lead.
• Just past the midway point of the second, Trinity Mittl (Baldwin, Wis./Baldwin-Woodville) picked up her first collegiate goal, pushing a rebound past Bliss to put UWS up 5-0 after two.
• Hoops picked up her first goal, and fifth point at 6:44 of the third to make the lead six.
• At 10:10 of the third Swerhun poked a loose puck home for a power play goal, completing the hat trick and making it 7-0.
• Ashton Parnell (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) closed out the scoring, netting power play goal at 14:43 and an even strength goal just 15 seconds later. Both goals came on wicked shots from the slot. She now has five goals on the year.
• The Yellowjackets went 4-for-8 on the power play, marking a season-high for power play goals in a game.
• For the game the Yellowjacket outshot Northland 84-12. The 84 shots set a new school record, breaking the previous mark of 81, set against Saint Mary's Oct. 31, 2015.
• Black now has three shutouts on the year.
• Swerhun's 10 goals is a new career high for goals in a season. She's he second Yellowjacket to hit double digits this season, joining Hoops.
• Northland's Bliss finished the game with 75 saves.
• With last week's announcement of Northland College's closure at the end of the year, Tuesday's game marked the final game in the history of its women's hockey program.

The Yellowjackets now advance to the WIAC Semifinals where they will take on UW-River Falls in a weekend series. The series open Friday, Feb. 28 at W.H. Hunt Arena in River Falls. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m.
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