The UW-Eau Claire men’s hockey season started on a sour note this past Friday when the team suffered a 2-0 loss against the Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders. However, the Blugolds were quick to recover. On Saturday, the team skated away with a 3-2 win in overtime against the Lake Forest Foresters.

The second game of the season was one of “ups and downs,” Head Coach Matt Loen said. Things started off rough in the first period, Loen said. Nonetheless, the team was able to come together and pull off the victory.

“I like the way we fought back,” Loen said.

There were four players in particular who stood out among the rest, Loen said. Jake Hopfner, a senior, Jesse Tredinnick, a senior, Adam Kleven, a sophomore, and Camden Haugenoe, a first-year competitor, displayed “good recovery” throughout the game, Loen said.

Saturday’s match was Haugenoe’s first victory as a collegiate athlete. Haugenoe saved 27 of the 29 shots he faced. Tredinnick, who also played a large role in the team’s victory, was on the ice for all three goals.

The Blugolds got themselves on the board at 3:59 in the first period. Hopfner scored the first goal of the season with an assist from Kleven.

The Foresters turned it into a tie game after scoring a goal at 10:27. By the first intermission, the Blugolds committed three penalties, were outshot 16-5 by the Foresters, and ended the period 1-1.

Hopfner said he didn’t think the first period went as well as it could have. The team’s work ethic was lacking, he said, and some of the focus this week will be on avoiding penalties in the upcoming games. Additionally, with the 9 new first-years, it’s vital make sure the team as a whole has knowledge of the system, Hopfner said.    

“We’re polishing up some things, trying to be more consistent,” Hopfner said.  

The second period was where things started to look up for the Blugolds, while the third period was overall uneventful. The Foresters swept past Haugenoe at 1:34 in the second period, but Tredinnick was quick to even the score. He hit the back of the net unassisted at 1:49.

Neither team scored during the third period, resulting in a necessary overtime. Throughout the second and third periods, the Blugolds outshot the Foresters 21-12.

The Blugolds soared into overtime with a score of 2-2 and ended the game victorious. At 3:55, Tredinnick scored the winning goal with the help of T.J Stuntz, a senior, and Tyler Hart, a junior.

Looking at the season to come, Loen said he is unsure but optimistic. With it being so early in the season, it’s hard to say exactly what the end-goal is, he said.

“We’re taking it game by game,” Loen said.

Hopfner, on the other hand, said he has his eyes on the prize. Hopfner said the goal, as always, is for the Blugolds to advance to the NCAA tournament.

Loen said he is excited for the Blugolds to kick off the home season this coming weekend.

This next weekend consists of two home games for the team, one at 7 p.m. on Friday against Bethel University, and the other at 7 p.m. on Saturday against Hamline University.