The UW-Eau Claire women’s hockey team took a double blow this weekend, losing to Adrian College (Mich.) both Friday and Saturday night. The scoreboard read 4-2 after both games, ending the Blugolds’ four-game winning streak.

“It wasn’t our greatest weekend,” freshman Meghan Lorenz said. “We struggled to play as a team.”

Coach Mike Collins used the phrase “two steps forward and one step back” to describe his young team’s performance, and said he regarded the weekend as only a hiccup in the season.

The non-conference Michigan team dominated Eau Claire ice this weekend, taking the Blugolds’ overall record down to 5-4.

Collins said the team had a great week of practice, but that didn’t show up in Friday’s game.

“Friday night was a real struggle for us,” he said, citing several problem areas, including botched loose puck battles and missed coverage.

Freshmen Maddi Hammer and Christine Dickinson scored a goal apiece during Friday’s game, but it wasn’t enough to match the Bulldogs. And even though Collins said the team’s effort and execution improved for Saturday’s game, it wasn’t enough to earn a victory.

Saturday afternoon led off with what freshman Kristin Faber called the “best period of the weekend.” Junior Margaret Campbell scored the first goal of the game.

But things slowly fell apart as the game progressed, with Adrian taking back two goals in the second period and two more in the third. The Blugolds’ junior Lauren Havard responded with a second goal less than 30 seconds after the Bulldog’s fourth, but it wasn’t enough to take back the game.

Faber said the team didn’t play to the best of its ability, adding that the quick Adrian goals shut them down and frustrated the players.

The team has a chance to redeem itself next weekend in two conference games. The Blugolds will host Concordia (Mequon) on Friday night – a team Eau Claire beat twice earlier this season. Saturday night brings Lake Forest to the Eau Claire ice. Collins said the second game will be a good game.

“They’re a good team and they’re always a great challenge,” he said.

Faber said it’s time to “get back on the winning side of things” and anticipates the team re-grouping this week to make a strong showing next weekend.

“We’re going to have to come up with a better game,” Lorenz said, adding that the standings will be more crucial after next weekend’s conference match-ups.