ASHLAND, Wis. – The Northland College Men's Hockey team fell to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 2-0 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday night in Ashland, Wis.
The Blugolds struck early, finding the back of the net just three and a half minutes into the game. After the opening goal,
Dakota Meyer stood tall, saving 10 more shots to end the period.
Mac Reed recorded the LumberJacks' first shot on target, but it was smothered by Max Gutjahr.
The second period began similarly to the first, with UW-Eau Claire striking early again. This time, a deflection off Meyer took a bad bounce and landed in the back of the net. Just over six minutes in, Northland was on the penalty kill for the first time. Meyer made four saves during the penalty kill to keep the deficit at two. Shots came from
Logan Gallagher,
Joe Weber, and
Valerii Kneib, but after 40 minutes, the score remained 2-0 in favor of the visitors.
The LumberJacks had their best scoring chances in the final period. It took 13 minutes for the first NC shot, which came from
Luke VanBaalen, who launched a shot just past the blue line. With five minutes left, the Jacks were on the power play.
Nik Johnson had a crack at goal, followed by a shot from Gallagher that hit the pipe, but Northland remained scoreless. In the final stretch, the LumberJacks pulled Meyer for the extra skater.
Ben Stewart had a few chances on goal, but when the buzzer sounded, the final score was 2-0.
Stewart led the Jacks with three shots, all coming in the final period. Gallagher, Kneib, Reed, and
Brock Hart all tallied two shots. Defensively,
Trey Taylor blocked a game-high four shots. Meyer made 44 saves, ending the game with a save percentage of 95.7 percent.
The Jacks and Blugolds will conclude the series tomorrow (Saturday) with a 4 p.m. puck drop at the Bay Area Civic Center.
Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
