Hockey Preview: Stout closes regular season by hosting Superior Friday

Blue Devil home games: Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio vs. UW-Eau Claire

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (8-15-1, 3-8-0 WIAC) and UW-Superior (7-16-0, 0-10-0 WIAC) will, in essence, play a two-game series separated by four days. Tonight's game wraps up the regular season and the teams will meet here again Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the first round of the tournament. Stout swept the two game series when the teams met in mid-January. Tonight is also Senior night and the Blue Devils will recognize Patrick Regan, Matt Millis, Carl Bombardier and Jordan Tredinnick.

WEBCASTS: All UW-Stout home games are scheduled to be broadcast in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video. Brady Burzynski and Hayden Bowe will be on the call throughout the season. Live Stats will also be available for home games.

THE 2014-15 BLUE DEVILS (8-15-1, 3-8-0 WIAC):  Justin Moody leads the team in goals with 11 and has 11 assists for 22 total points. Joey Haydock has eight goals with 10 assists for 18 points. Jake Useldinger has seven goals, including three shorthanded goals, with nine assists for 16 points. Tyler Cayemberg is matching Haydock with a team-high 10 assists and has added five goals. Craig Lindegard has six goals and seven assists. Senior captain Jordan Tredinnick has four goals and nine assists. Eighteen players have scored goals, 22 players have tallied at least one assist and 23 players have scored at least one point.  Spencer Viele and Chase Hollander have shared time between the pipes. Viele has started 15 games and Hollander nine. Viele is 5-9-1 overall, with a goals against average of 3.56 and a saves percentage of .907. Hollander has an overall record of 3-6-0, with a GAA of 4.13 and a saves percentage of .893. The Blue Devils are looking to shake off a five game losing skid. Superior holds 52-20-4 lead in the series.. | Blue Devil Statistics

SAVED BY THE BELL: Scott Bell played in his first game since Feb. 16, 2013, and tallied an assist in Stout's Jan. 30 game at UW-Eau Claire.

PENALTY FREE: When Jordan Tredinnick was whistled for tripping against Concordia University, Jan. 10, it was the first time he was sent to the penalty box since Jan. 31, 2013 against UW-River Falls. That is 42 consecutive games without getting an inside view of the penalty box. That is Tredinnick's sole trip to the box this year.

HAT TRICK: Freshman Austin Nelson's hat trick on Jan. 23 against Aurora University was not only the first hat trick of the season for the Blue Devils, but Stout's first hat trick since the 2011-12 season when Branden Gay executed the feat Dec. 2, 2011 against St. Scholastica.

LENDING AN ASSIST: When Chase Hollander was awarded an assist for his pass as Danny Ray scored against UW-Superior, Jan. 17, he was not the first Stout goalie, and won't be the last, to get an assist. Since the Blue Devil hockey program returned to varsity play during the 1996-97 season, six goalies, including Hollander, have earned at least one assist. Corey Koop did it last year. Jeff Stone during the 2008-09 season, and Jake Schuman during the 2004-05 season each recorded an assist. Jeff Dotson did it in 2000-01 as a freshman, then did it again as a senior in 2003-04. Kelly Elde did it twice during the 1996-97 season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Blue Devils' special teams have taken some hits over the last several weeks. Among the conference leaders on the power play just a a few weeks ago, Stout's power play over the last several weeks has lost some punch. On the season, Stout has a power play percentage of .186(16-86) and a penalty kill of .778 (25-113), ranking third in power plays and fourth in penalty kill. Stout has scored four shorthanded goals, with Jake Useldinger getting three of them. Useldinger is tied for third nationally in shorties. The Blue Devils have allowed six shorthanded goals.

STOUT'S LAST TIME OUT:   UW-Eau Claire scored three first period goals on their way to a 5-1 win over UW-Stout Thursday  night here. The Blugolds scored 1-minute, 8-seconds into the contest, then scored twice in the final five minutes of the period. Eau Claire added a goal midway through the second period and took a 5-0 lead three minutes into the third period. Joey Haydock broke up the shutout two minutes later in the period, with assists by Justin Moody and Danny Ray. Chase Hollander stopped six shots before getting knocked out of the game. Spencer Viele came on to make 27 saves. | Game Story and Box Score |


SCOUTING UW-EAU CLAIRE: Ross Andersen and Ethan Nauman have both scored 18 goals and 11 assists. Andersen leads the conference in shorthanded goals with four, while Nauman has five power play goals. Brandon Wahlin has 10 goals and 19 assists. Patrick Moore also has 19 assists, with seven goals. Jack Callahan has 18 assists and three goals. Tyler Green and Joey Deo have shared time in the goal. Green is posting a 9-3-1 record with a GAA of 1.99 and a saves percentage of .930. Deo has a 6-3-1 record with a 2.94 GAA and a save percentage of .912. | Blugolds Statistics

UW-EAU CLAIRE'S LAST TIME OUT: The Blugolds saw a three game winning streak come to an end with a 5-2 loss to UW-Stevens Point Saturday, one night after taking the third ranked Pointers by an identical 5-2 score. In the opener, the Blugolds used a four-goal second period to hold off the Pointers. Adam Knochenmus scored in the first period and Eau Claire ran off the next three goals to lead off the second period on goals by Ethan Nauman, TJ Stuntz and Ross Andersen. The Pointers would get on the board in the period before Patrick Moore made it a 5-1 game. Stevens Point added a goal in the third.. Jay Deo made 45 saves. The next night was a different story. Eau Claire took a 2-1 lead, but the Pointers scored four unanswered goals, three in the second, for the win. . | Game One Story and Statistics | Game Two Story and Statistics

LAST TIME THEY MET: The teams split a weekend series, Jan. 30-31, in Eau Claire, with the Blugolds winning the first, 5-3, but Stout coming back for a 4-3 second night win.Stout scored two third period goals and road that to a 4-3 win over 12th ranked UW-Eau Claire Jan. 31 at Hobbs Ice Arena. With the game tied at 2-2 heading into the third period, Lindegard scored unassisted at 5:30 of the final stanza to put the Blue Devils up 3-2. Andersen scored two minutes later, with assists by Tate Rusk and Shayne McLaughlin, to give Stout their second two-goal lead of the night, and what would prove to be the game-winning goal. On opening night, Ethan Nauman scored two goals, including a goal in the second period to put the Blugolds up for good in a 5-3 win. Jason Eddy added a goal midway through the third period for the final score. | Game One Story and Statistics | Game Two Story and Statistics

THE SERIES: Eau Claire holds a 35-33-3 lead in the series.


SCOUTING UW-SUPERIOR: The Yellowjackets have fallen on rough times this year and are looking for their first conference win. Stuperior is trying to shake off a nine game losing streak. Of those nine games, seven have been losses by two goals or less. Tanner Dion leads the Yellowjackets with nine goals and seven assists. Ian Ecklund, Cody Hotchkin and Anton Svensson each have contributed seven goals, with Ecklund getting seven assists and Hotchkin and Svensson getting six assists. Tom Paine lead the team in assists with 11 and has one goal. Cory Simons has worked the majority of time between the pipes, with a GAA of 2.82 and a saves percentage of .905. Bryce Fink (2.74 GAA, .902 sv percentage) and Zach Thompson (3.48, .871) have shared back-up duties.. | Yellowjacket Statistics

UW-SUPERIOR'S LAST TIME OUT: The Yellowjackets had the weekend bye, but the previous week were swept by UW-Eau Claire with identical 5-3 decisions. In the opener on senior night, the Blugolds broke a 3-3 tie with two third period goals for the win. The following night, the Yellowjackets held a 2-0 lead in the first period, only to see the Blugolds knot up the score early in the second period, then go on to add a couple of more goals to take a 4-2 lead. Superior pulled to within one goal on Ian Ecklund's goal late in the period. Eau Claire scored again in the third for the final score. | Game One Story and Statistics | Game Two Story and Statistics

LAST TIME THEY MET: Stout swept a home-and-home series, getting a 2-0 shutout, Jan. 16 in Menomonie and a 3-2 win in Superior the following night. Chase Hollander pushed aside 37 shots to get the shutout win, his first shutout of the season. Derek Sand and Justin Moody scored. In Superior the following night, Stout came back from a 2-0 deficit as Hollander got his second win of the weekend and picked up first career assists, dishing off to Danny Ray, who scored on the power play to put the Blue Devils on the board. Justin Moody knotted the game four minutes into the third period and Matt Millis got the game winner with three minutes remaining. Hollander recorded 36 saves. | Game One Story and Statistics | Game Two Story and Statistics
lead in the series.

THE SERIES: UW-Superior holds 52-20-4 lead in the series.


NEW NAME: The Dunn County Board recently approved renaming the Dunn County Ice Arena to the Fanetti Community Center in recognition of Marilyn Fanetti's contribution to fundraising efforts undertaken by the Menomonie Youth Hockey Association to remodel and add to the arena at the Dunn County Recreation Park. Fanetti donated $370,000 to the project and asked that the hockey arena and new community room be named for her family.

USCHO.com TOP 15 DIVISION III POLL: UW-Stout ranked opponents include: UW-Stevens Point (3rd); UW-Eau Claire (12th); UW-River Falls (6th); Lake Forest (13th) St. Thomas (15th). MSOE and St. John's were receiving votes.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Captains for the 2014-15 season include Jordan Tredinnick, Jake Useldinger and Tate Rusk.

AWARDS AND HONORS: Spencer Viele was selected as the WIAC athlete of the week Feb. 3, after posting a 4-3 win over 12th ranked UW-Eau Claire...Chase Hollander was selected as the UW-Stout athlete of the week after sweeping UW-Superior Jan. 16 and Jan. 17...Spencer Viele was selected the WIAC player of the week Nov. 25 after recording wins over Finlandia (4-1) and Lawrence (2-1)...Jordan Tredinnick was a WIAC honorable mention choice in 2013-14.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout: Terry Watkins (223-266-29) is in his 19th season as the head coach of the Blue Devils' varsity program. Watkins spent eight years coaching the club team (104-102-16) as Stout prepared to return to varsity status in 1997. Watkins was the 2006-07 NCHA coach of the year when Stout finished in a three-way tie for first. Watkins had a Hall of Fame career at Stout as a defenseman. Stout won a WIAC title in 2010-11, and an NCHA title during the 2006-07 season. Watkins reached 700 games as the head coach of a UW-Stout hockey team (varsity and club) when the Blue Devils played UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 7, 2013. UW-Eau Claire: Matt Loen (118-86-15) is in his eighth year as the head coach of the Blugolds. UW-Superior: Dan Stauber (247-131-54) is in his 15th year as the head coach of the Yellowjackets.


THE CONFERENCES: UW-Stout is a member of the five-team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The WIAC is made up of Stout, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Superior and UW-River Falls. Even though Superior is leaving the conference is other sports after this year, the hockey programs will remain affiliated with the WIAC.

STOUT'S RANKED HISTORY: Stout finished the 2008-09 season as the second ranked team in the USCHO.com poll. With the exception of the Nov. 17, 2008, USCHO.com poll, Stout had been ranked in the top 15 since the Nov. 13, 2006, poll. Stout made their first appearance in the poll on Nov. 27, 2000, when they received one vote, then moved up to 10th the following week. The 2008-09 season ending poll matched Stout's previous high mark of second in the Jan. 29, 2007, poll. Stout opened the 2009-10 season ranked third, their highest-ever season-opening ranking, but fell out of the polls midway through the season and returned to the top 15, Nov. 22, 2010. Stout was in the 2011-12 USCHO.com poll early in the season, dropped out, returned again, but dropped out. Stout returned to the poll after a win over top-ranked St. Norbert, Jan. 18, garnering eight votes in the Jan. 21 poll, effectively ranking the Blue Devils 19th. | USCHO.com Division III poll

UP NEXT: The Blue Devils will host UW-Superior, Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the WIAC tournament play-in game.