MENOMONIE, Wis. – Through the first 40 minutes of play Friday, the No. 9/11-ranked Yellowjacket men's hockey team looked like anything but one of the best teams in the country. It could be said that the Yellowjackets were sleepwalking their way through the first two periods, and were in danger of seeing their unbeaten streak go by the boards as they turned in their first clunker of the 2024-25 season.
The thing about sleepwalking, though, is that you eventually wake up. That's what happened for the Yellowjackets, who had their alarm go off sometime during the second intermission.
After mustering just five shots on goal through two periods, the Yellowjackets had 23 shots on net in the third and got the equalizer from
Collin Pederson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) with under two minutes to play, forcing overtime. Then, with 1:28 remaining in the extra session,
Justin Dauphinais (Val Caron, Ontario/École Secondaire Catholique Horizon) pounced on a rebound in the left circle and buried it, completing the comeback and giving the Yellowjackets a 2-1 win over UW-Stout at the Fanetti Community Center.
The victory extended the Yellowjacket unbeaten streak to 14 games and kept them in first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Yellowjackets now stand at 17-3-2 overall and 10-1-1 in the WIAC.
Reed Stark (Suffern, N.Y./Douglas County West) started the game-winning play, moving down the right wing and cutting to the middle for a golden scoring opportunity. His shot was denied by Stout goaltender Ryan Knight, but Dauphinais found the rebound and scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season to give the 'Jackets the come-from-behind win. It was the second overtime winner of the season for Dauphinais.
Jack Boschert (Florissant, Mo./Duchesne) got the start in goal for he Yellowjackets and kept the team in it during the first two periods, finishing the game with 20 saves.
Game Notes
- Friday's win was the fourth overtime win of the season for the Yellowjackets, tying the school record for overtime wins in a season set in 2001-02.
- The teams combined for 13 penalties and 67 penalty minutes in the first period.
- Two Yellowjackets – Frank Dovorany (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) and Matt Francois (Denver, Colo./Grandview) received five-minute majors and game ejections.
- Stout emerged the stronger team from the penalty frenzy and opened the scoring with under a minute to go in the first period when Tristan Therrien (Prévost, Québec/Newbridge Academy) converted off an odd-man rush to make it 1-0.
- In the third period the Yellowjackets, among their 23 shots on net had multiple high danger chances, but Stout goaltender Ryan Knight turned them aside time and again.
- With time ticking down the Yellowjackets pulled Boschert for an extra attacker. Working the puck around the offensive zone, Stark got a shot away from the right circle that was stopped. Players piled up around the front of the Stout net, but Pederson found the loose puck and poked it in for his fifth of the year, tying the game with 1:50 remaining.
- In the overtime the teams traded chances. Stark had multiple point-blank chances, and Stout hit a post, but neither converted until Dauphinais scooped up Stark's rebound and gave the 'Jackets the win.
- Dauphinais has now scored five game-winning goals this season.
- Stark assisted on both goals and now has eight points in seven career games against Stout.
- Boschert has allowed one goal or less in eight of his 10 appearances.
- The Yellowjackets outshot Stout 34-21.
- The 14-game unbeaten streak is tied for the third-longest in program history, matching the mark previously set Nov. 22, 1991 and Jan. 18, 1992 and Nov. 1, 2008 through Jan. 10, 2009.
- The 17 wins is a new high for a Rich McKenna-coached team.
- The last time the Yellowjackets won at least 17 games was 2008-09.
The Yellowjackets and Blue Devils will play the second game of their weekend series Saturday at the Fanetti Community Center. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m.
