SUPERIOR, Wis. – In the blink of an eye, the 2024-25 hockey season has reached the stretch drive, and for the Yellowjacket women's hockey team, that meant Senior Day on Saturday followed by the final regular season home game Tuesday.
 
The Yellowjackets entered play Tuesday having dropped their last three – all of them to UW-River Falls, who has been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation each of those meetings. It didn't get any easier for the Yellowjackets Tuesday, with nationally-ranked UW-Eau Claire coming into Wessman Arena.
 
The Blugolds kept the Yellowjackets at bay offensively and then capitalized on their power play chances to defeat Superior 3-1.
 
With the loss, the Yellowjackets fall under the .500 mark for the year at 9-10-2 to go along with a 1-7-0 record in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).
 
Freshman Taylee Marks (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Hammarskjold) scored the lone goal of the game for the Yellowjackets, blasting a shot from just inside the Eau Claire blue line past Eau Claire goaltender Tegan Swanson with 6:07 to go in the third period. The power play goal was the second of the year for Marks.
 
Anna Maulson (Lac du Flambeau, Wis./Lakeland Union) got the start in goal and played well Tuesday, finishing the game with 26 saves. Her record for the year stands at 3-5-1.
 
Game Notes

• Eau Claire opened the scoring just 1:23 into the game when Lauren Ballinger got a pass in the slot and slid a shot past Maulson.
• Ballinger scored her second of the game at 7:26 of the second period, receiving a pass in the right circle and lifting a shot over a sprawled Maulson. The goal came during a 5-on-3 power play.
• Eau Claire extended the lead in the third, again capitalizing on a 5-on-3, when Maddie Hulter poked a loose puck past Maulson to make it 3-0.
• The Yellowjackets broke the shutout at 13:53 of the final period. After a 3-on-1 rush was turned away by Swanson, Marks intercepted an errant clearing attempt and from the high slot blasted a shot into the top corner of the goal to cut the deficit to 3-1.
• As the third period went on the Yellowjackets wanted to get Maulson out for an extra attacker, but Eau Claire wouldn't allow them to set up the forecheck. The extra attacker finally got on in the final minute.
• It was a penalty filled game, with the Yellowjackets taking seven minor penalties and Eau Claire taking five.
• Eau Claire outshot the Yellowjackets 29-16 for the game, with more than half of their shots (15) coming while on the power play.

The Yellowjackets will now hit the road for a pivotal WIAC series against UW-Stevens Point. The series gets underway at K.B. Willett Arena Friday, Feb. 7. The opening faceoff is set for 2 p.m.
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