It’s been a season to remember for UW-Superior, and another highlight was added over the weekend as the Yellowjackets claimed the regular season WIAC championship.
Facing UW-Stevens Point in the final game, the Yellowjackets clinched the title in a shootout win thanks to a goal by Carson Riddle, who scored for the 2-1 shootout win that also delivered Superior the point it needed to claim the crown.
The Yellowjackets trailed 2-0 but rallied to tie the game and force overtime, setting the stage for a thrilling shootout in a battle of nationally ranked teams.
Reed Stark scored a goal and dished out an assist and Jan Skorpik came off the bench and stopped 14 shots as Superior won the WIAC title for the first time since 2021.
Superior trailed 2-0 in Friday’s game as well and went on to lose 3-1 as its 15-game unbeaten streak ended. In fact, it’s the Yellowjackets’ first loss in the last two and a half months.
Superior is 18-4-3 overall and finishes with an 11-2-2 record in WIAC play.
Stevens Point ends the regular season at 18-6-1 overall and 10-4-1 in the WIAC. The Pointers won Fridays game thanks to a big night from Fletcher Anderson, who scored twice and dished out an assist.
Seeing Blue
UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout split their series, with the Blugolds winning the finale 4-2 after dropping Friday’s opener by a 5-4 score.
Four players scored in Saturday’s win for Eau Claire and Max Gutjahr made 26 saves. The Blugolds finish the regular season at 10-14-1 overall and 8-7 in the WIAC.
It was a different story on Friday as the Blue Devils notched the win when Hayden Stocks scored the game winner in overtime. Nicholas Stevens had a big game as he scored a goal and tallied two assists. Ryan Knight made 23 saves for Stout, which is 11-10-2 overall and 4-8-1 in the WIAC.
Falcons fly high
UW-River Falls didn’t have any trouble taking care of business against Northland, winning 7-3 and 5-1 to complete the regular season with a sweep.
Jonny Meiers stole the show on Friday, scoring four goals, the most by any player in the program since 2018 when Eddie Matsushima achieved the feat. Alex Atwill was in the spotlight as well, setting a program record with five assists.
Hunter Jones racked up two goals in Saturday’s win as the Falcons wrapped up the regular season at 14-10-1 overall and 8-6-1 in the conference.
Johnnies roll to series sweep
Saint John’s enjoyed a big weekend against Augsburg, winning the finale 4-1 after opening with an 8-2 on Friday.
A total of 10 players tallied a point in Saturday’s win and Bailey Huber made 37 saves for the Johnnies, who are in a three-way tie for third in the always tight MIAC standings. Saint John’s is 10-12-1 overall and 7-6-1 in the conference.
Saint John’s scored all eight of its goals in the final two periods of Friday’s win, recording the most goals in a game since 2022. The eight goals is also the most in a game against Augsburg since 1990 when the Johnnies won that battle by an 8-2 score as well.
Jackson Bisson led the charge with a pair of goals as well as an assist. Parker Gnos tallied a goal and two assists. Teammate Conner Couet did the same. Jack Wandmacher finished with thee assists.
Gusties still in first
Gustavus shook off Fridays 4-2 loss to St. Scholastica and played the Saints to a 3-3 tie on Saturday as it stayed atop the MIAC standings.
The Gusties are 13-8-2 overall and 9-3-2 in the conference, holding a five-point lead over second place Bethel.
The Saints are tied for third, owning a 12-11-2 overall record and 7-8-1 mark in the MIAC.
Gustavus earned a shootout win against St. Scholastica on Saturday. It got two goals from Jack Wineman in the win as well as two assists from Hunter Newhouse. Wineman tallied a goal in the shootout to give the Gusties the win.
Four different players scored for the Saints in Friday’s win while Tristan Shewchuk dished out three assists.
Gustavus can claim the MIAC title by beating Hamline or having Bethel knock off St. Olaf.
Cardinals split with Oles
Saint Mary’s bounced back on Saturday with a 4-1 win over losing 5-0 to St. Olaf on Friday.
Lauden Poellinger dished out a pair of assists to help lead the way for the Cardinals, who scored three goals in the final period to secure the win.
In Friday’s game, St. Olaf stretched its win streak to five games behind a hat trick from Jonathan Panisa, who recorded the first three-goal game of his career. His hat trick was the first by a St. Olaf player since 2023.
The Oles are tied for third in the league standings with a 12-8-3 overall mark and 7-6-1 record in the conference. The Cardinals are three points out of a playoff spot at the moment. They are 10-12-1 overall and 6-7-1 in the MIAC.
Royals in second
Bethel finished the weekend strong, winning 6-2 over Concordia on Saturday. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie on Friday.
The Royals remain in second place in the MIAC standings after Tyler Braccini scored twice and Logan Anderson, Dane Stoyanoff and Spencer Kring dished out two assists apiece. Tyler Kostelecky scored for the fourth consecutive game in the win.
While Bethel and Concordia tied at 2-2 in regulation, and stayed that way after two overtimes, the Royals earned the shootout win thanks to a goal from Jack Brown.
Bethel is 12-8-3 overall and 8-4-2 in the MIAC. Concordia is three points out of a playoff spot. The Cobbers are 10-10-3 overall and 6-5-3 in the conference Their loss to Bethel was their first since Jan. 11, ending a seven-game unbeaten streak.
Spartans make history
Aurora is the regular season champion in the NCHA for the first time after sweeping Dubuque. The Spartans actually cliched the Peter’s Cup on Friday with a 7-0 win.
Jake Code, Jackson Kirk, Jacob Brockman and Lukas Sedlacek all scored a goal and dished out an assist in the win. Matt O’Donnell made 16 saves for the Spartans, who have won three in a row.
Aurora scored four goals in the final period. Hassan Akl led the way in the win with two goals and two assists while Chayce Schmidt finished with a goal and two assists. Kirk tallied a goal and assist and Simon Diaz finished with two assists.
With a 21-3-1 record, they officially have the most wins in program history. The Spartans are 15-2-1 in the NCHA.
Green Knights finish with sweep
St. Norbert ends the regular season on a six-game winning streak after picking up two wins against Lawrence.
The Green Knights won the finale 8-2 after topping the Vikings 5-2 on Friday.
St. Norbert is 20-5 overall and 15-3 in the conference and is the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
Liam Fraser was impressive as usual, scoring twice and dishing out two assists. Logan Dombrowsky came through with a goal and two assists. Carter Holtmann and Brock Baker each dished out three assists. Bryan Gilman added two goals.
In Friday’s win, Fraser recorded four assists. Dombrowsky finished with a goal and three assists. Holtmann tallied two goals.
Trine prevails against Bulldogs
In a battle of nationally ranked teams, Trine won the series, winning Friday’s opener 3-1 before taking a shootout win on Saturday.
Alexander Babich led the way with a goal and two assists on Friday as Trine secured the third seed for the NCHA playoffs.
Tied at 2-2 after regulation and two overtimes, the Thunder and Bulldogs battled in a shootout and Trine got the win off a goal by Kyle DeMarco.
Jack Cooper finished with two assists in the win.
Trine is 18-5-2 overall and 12-4-2 in the conference. Adrian finishes 16-8-1 overall and 10-7-1 in the NCHA.
Raiders roll
MSOE swept a series against Lake Forest over the weekend, winning the finale 7-2 after earning a 1-0 win on Friday.
Seven players scored a goal in the victory on Saturday while Preston Pack dished out two assists. Austin Schwab made 33 saves.
Friday’s game was much tighter but the Raiders prevailed thanks to Casey Roepke’s second period goal. Schwab finished with 23 saves to preserve the shutout win.
MSOE is 12-9-4 overall and 7-8-3 in the NCHA.
