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Pointers Hold Off
Blugolds and Lock Up Sixth Seed
Box Score
UW-Stevens Point held off a furious UW-Eau Claire
comeback attempt in the final minute to post a 5-4 men�s hockey win over the
Blugolds on Friday at Willett Arena and lock up the sixth seed for next weekend
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs.
The Pointers took a 5-3 lead with 7:17 left on a goal
from Pat Lee just four seconds after UW-Eau Claire had pulled within a goal and
then stopped the Blugolds after they scored an extra attacker goal in the final
minute. UW-Eau Claire�s Sean Garrity scored a power play goal with the goalie
pulled with one minute remaining and the Blugolds had two great chances in the
final 10 seconds, but Pointers� goalie Marcus Paulson stopped the first and the
second sailed wide.
UW-Stevens Point extended its home unbeaten streak
over the Blugolds to 16 straight games and improved to 7-15-2 overall this
season and 3-9-2 in the NCHA. UW-Eau Claire is 8-12-4 overall and 1-9-3 in the
league. The teams play again on Saturday in Eau Claire in the regular season
finale, but the game has no bearing on the playoff seeding as UW-Eau Claire has
sealed the seventh seed. UW-Stevens Point will face the third seed, which could
be any of four teams.
The Pointers rallied from an early deficit as UW-Eau
Claire scored first with a shorthanded goal from Andrew Johnson at the 9:37 mark
of the first period. It marked just the second time the Pointers have won in 16
games this year the opponent has scored first.
UW-Stevens Point came back with a power play goal from
Lee before the Blugolds took the lead on a goal from Garrity early in the second
period. The Pointers then rattled off three straight goals in less than six
minutes. Ross Johnson and Brett Beckfeld scored 36 seconds apart to give the
Pointers the lead and Reed Lally added a goal for a 4-2 advantage.
After UW-Eau Claire�s Mark Stockdale scored a power
play goal to make it 4-3, the Pointers responded with a long shot from Lee
directly off the faceoff for the immediate answer.
UW-Eau Claire held a 33-30 advantage in shots as
Paulson made 29 saves for the Pointers. |
