EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Feb. 15, 2025) – The UW-Stout men's hockey team wrapped up the regular season with a 4-2 loss to UW-Eau Claire on Saturday night at Hobbs Ice Arena. Despite a strong effort, the Blue Devils were unable to complete the comeback as the Blugolds capitalized on key opportunities throughout the contest.
The game started as a defensive battle, with both teams limiting high-danger chances in the opening period. Eau Claire eventually broke through at 17:10 when Dayne Hoyord found the back of the net off a feed from Kade Peterson, giving the Blugolds a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Eau Claire extended its lead early in the second period, as Max Ruoho scored at 2:40 with assists from Kyler Grundy and Tyler Herzberg, making it a 2-0 game. UW-Stout responded just under three minutes later when Jake McAlpine put the Blue Devils on the board with an even-strength goal at 5:12. McAlpine's tally, set up by Connor Mariner and Max Techel, gave Stout momentum, but the Blugolds remained aggressive.
The turning point came late in the second period when Eau Claire's Eli Reimer scored at 18:18, pushing the lead back to two goals at 3-1.
Stout continued to battle in the third period, and their persistence paid off when Tristan Therrien scored an unassisted goal at 14:21 to bring the Blue Devils within one. However, Eau Claire responded again, sealing the victory at 17:04 with a goal from Jordan Randall, assisted by Jadon Reimer and Eli Reimer.
The Blue Devils had their chances throughout the night, outshooting Eau Claire 15-10 in the first period, but were unable to break through Gutjahr consistently. Stout finished 0-for-5 on the power play, while Eau Claire went 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
Goaltender Tyler Masternak made 29 saves in net for UW-Stout, while Eau Claire's Max Gutjahr turned aside 26 shots to earn the win.
Up Next
With the regular season now in the books, UW-Stout (12-11-2, 5-9-1 WIAC) turns its attention to the WIAC Tournament. The Blue Devils enter as the No. 5 seed and will travel to No. 4 UW-River Falls for a first-round showdown at Hunt Arena. The puck drops on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. as Stout looks to extend its season and make a deep postseason run.
