Hockey Preview: Blue Devils to face Superior in WIAC tournament

Blue Devil home games: Live Stats | Live Video      WIAC Men's Hockey Championship Website

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (8-16-1, 3-9-0 WIAC) host  UW-Superior (8-17-0, 1-11-0 WIAC), Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in a first round WIAC men's hockey tournament game at the Fanetti Community Center (formerly the Dunn County Ice Arena). The Blue Devils are the fourth seeded team in the tournament and the Yellowjackets are the fifth seeded team. Tickets prices for the game are $7.00 (adults), $3.00 (students with a valid student ID), and $5.00 (senior citizens–62 and over).  Because of WIAC policy, students are not admitted free to a WIAC tournament event. However, UW-Stout will provide free admission to the first 100 students with a valid student ID who claim a ticket at the door on the night of the event. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

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 (8-16-1, 3-9-0 WIAC): Justin Moody leads the team in goals with 11 and has a team-high 11 assists for 22 total points. Moody is currently tied for fifth in the WIAC in goals and is15th in assists. 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 10 assists and has added five goals. Craig Lindegard has six goals and seven assists. Senior captain Jordan Tredinnick has five 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 16 games and Hollander nine. Viele is 5-10-1 overall, with a goals against average of 3.47 and a saves percentage of .909. 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 six game losing skid. | 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 .182 (16-88) and a penalty kill of .776 (26-116), ranking third in power plays and fifth in penalty kill in the WIAC. 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: The Blue Devils lost a pair of home games last week to close out the regular season. The Blue Devils allowed three first period goals in a 5-1 loss to UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 19, then allowed two third period goals and fell to UW-Superior, 2-1, Feb. 20. | Eau Claire Story and Box Score | Superior  Story and Box Score


SCOUTING UW-SUPERIOR: The Yellowjackets snapped a nine game losing streak when they downed Stout last Friday. The 'Jackets closed out the season with  7-0 loss at Stevens Point Saturday. During that nine gameskid, seven games were 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 Svensson getting eight assists, Ecklund seven assists and Hotchking six assists.  Tom Paine leads 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. But Bryce Fink (2.82 GAA, .898 sv percentage) has worked the last two games, including the win over Stout.  Zach Thompson (3.48, .871) has figured into six decisions. | Yellowjacket Statistics

UW-SUPERIOR'S LAST TIME OUT: Friday night at UW-Stout the Yellowjackets got a chance to experience something they hadn't felt in more than a month - the exhiliration that comes with victory. The win over the Blue Devils snapped a nine-game losing skid and eased a great deal of the pressure that the team was feeling. The exhiliration was short-lived. UW-Stevens Point, spurred by four goals in a stretch of 4:09 in the first period, took all the drama out of the regular season finale early, blanking the Yellowjackets 7-0 before a capacity crowd at K.B. Willett Arena Saturday night.. | Game Story and Statistics

LAST TIME THEY MET: UW-Superior scored two goals in the final period to notch their first conference win of the season, 2-1, over UW-Stout at the Fanetti Community Center Feb. 20. The Yellowjackets'  Jordan Neduzak scored at 7:03 of the third to tie the score and Alex Thompson scored the game winner with less than seven minutes left at 13:49. Stout's  only goal of the game came at 12:18 of the first period when Jordan Tredinnick scored on a 4-of-4 situation. Stout's Spencer Viele made 31 saves, the Yellowjackets' Bryce Fink had 24 saves. | Game Story and Statistics

THE SERIES: UW-Superior holds 53-20-4 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 (223-267-29) 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-Superior: Dan Stauber (248-132-54) 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 winner of Tuesday's game will travel to UW-Stevens Point for a two game WIAC semi-finals series, Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28.