In an aggressive game against second ranked St. Norbert College, UW-Eau Claire men’s hockey defeated the Green Knights with a final score of 3-0, marking the Blugolds’ first shutout of the season, and the first time they shut out St. Norbert since 1994.

Facing off at Hobbs Arena on Friday night, the two teams played a fast-paced and eventful game with the puck flying back and forth.

Senior goalie Brandon Stephenson had a busy night, blocking four fast breaks within a minute and catching several pucks in the body throughout the night to contribute to St. Norbert’s goose egg. With just under five minutes in the first period, senior Devin Mantha scored the first goal against St. Norbert.

Pushing for their first goal, the Green Knights played hard and kept pressure at the net against Eau Claire’s defense. The Eau Claire defense held strong though and the score remained 1-0 Blugolds at the first period intermission.  Kurt Weston scored the third and final goal, taking advantage of the Green Knights’ empty net after they pulled their goalie with just a few minutes left in the game.

Though the Knights outshot the Blugolds 40-31, Stephenson blocked all of the attempts by St. Norberts to bring the Blugolds to an overall record of 15-3-2. They are now ranked number one in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.

Check back for extended coverage or pick up Thursday’s edition of The Spectator.