Menomonie, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin–Stout men's hockey team capped off a weekend sweep with a thrilling 3–2 victory over UW–River Falls on Saturday night at Fanetti Community Center, closing out the series after a 4–1 win on Friday.
River Falls struck immediately, opening the scoring just 18 seconds into the contest on the Falcons' first shift. A shot through traffic beat a screened Sebastian Monaco, who never saw the puck, giving the visitors an early 1–0 edge. The opening period was an uncharacteristically sloppy one for the Blue Devils, marked by missed passes and difficulty establishing rhythm.
Momentum began to swing late in the first period when a River Falls player was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for spearing after the whistle—continuing a chippy theme from the weekend. The five-minute power play carried into the second period, and Stout capitalized. Tristan Therrien broke through with a power-play goal, snapping a shot off the far post and in after a sharp setup from Noah Tyrrell to knot the game at 1–1.
From there, the Blue Devils dictated play throughout the second period, riding the momentum and controlling possession. Frustration mounted for the Falcons, culminating in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed to their goaltender after the whistle. Although Stout couldn't convert on that power play, they struck shortly after at even strength.
The sequence began with a thunderous hit by Maksis Brimanis in the defensive zone, springing the Blue Devils up ice. Gunner Moore fired a shot that deflected high into the air, creating a bouncing puck in traffic between the hashes. Tyrrell tracked it down and found Brimanis parked at the near post, where he buried the go-ahead goal to give Stout a 2–1 lead late in the second.
River Falls pushed back in the third period, and Monaco came up with one of the night's biggest saves midway through the frame, stoning the Falcons on a shorthanded breakaway with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Falcons eventually tied the game at 2–2 on a goal that required an officials' discussion after the net came off its moorings, but the goal was ultimately allowed.
Moments later, Stout nearly answered when Nicolas Pigeon crashed the crease to finish a loose rebound, but officials ruled the net had come off before the puck crossed the line.
The Blue Devils regrouped and delivered the decisive blow in the final minute. Following an offensive-zone draw on the right side, Kullan Daikawa tied up the faceoff as Hayden Stocks poked the puck free to a wide-open Nicholas Stevens in the slot. Instead of shooting, Stevens calmly walked around the goaltender and slid a pass across the crease back to Stocks, who tapped it home for the game-winning goal with under a minute remaining.
Monaco shut the door the rest of the way, sealing a dramatic series-ending win and a weekend sweep for the Blue Devils.
Up Next
UW–Stout will now break for the holidays before returning to action on January 2nd, when the Blue Devils travel to De Pere, Wisconsin, to take on No. 3 St. Norbert College in a marquee nonconference matchup.
