Utica, New York- UW-Stout punched its ticket back to the Frozen Four in emphatic fashion, using a dominant second period and a stellar performance in net to take down No. 4 Utica, 5-1, Saturday night in front of a hostile crowd of 3,951 at the Adirondack Bank Center.
The win improves the Blue Devils to 23-5-1 on the season, matching the program record for wins set by the 2008-09 team—the last Stout squad to reach the national semifinals.
Utica, last year's national runner-up, came out flying on home ice and controlled much of the early play. The Pioneers struck first on the power play midway through the opening period, but UW-Stout responded almost immediately with a momentum-shifting equalizer.
Jake McAlpine chipped a puck deep from the neutral zone that was stopped behind the Utica net, but Nicolas Pigeon won the race to it, carried on his backhand, and slipped a perfect feed to Hayden Stocks at the top of the crease. Stocks buried the chance high glove side to even the game at 1-1.
From there, it became the Sebastian Monaco show. The freshman netminder made a series of high-end saves to keep the game level, including a huge kick save just 1:30 after the tying goal on a Utica power play chance from between the hashes.
UW-Stout seized full control in the second period. Just over two minutes in, Stocks struck again on the power play for his team-leading 17th goal of the season. After Noah Tyrrell was denied in front, the rebound kicked directly to Stocks, who fired into an open net to give Stout its first lead.
Later in the period, with tensions boiling over and both teams skating four-on-four, Pigeon delivered a highlight-reel goal. The junior forward danced around two defenders in the corner, sending them into each other before cutting across the crease on his backhand and sliding a five-hole finish home. He punctuated the moment by pointing to the logo on his chest as the Blue Devils took a 3-1 lead.
While Stout's offense surged, Monaco slammed the door on the other end. The netminder turned aside 46 shots on the night, including a pair of highlight reel saves midway through the third period. With 11:05 remaining, he denied a point-blank opportunity that looked destined for the back of the net, then followed it up minutes later with a full-extension cross-crease stop to rob Utica on a tap-in.
Utica pushed hard in the third, carrying much of the play, but the Blue Devils—battle-tested from a physical WIAC slate—absorbed the pressure and wore the Pioneers down. Tempers flared throughout the night, but UW-Stout's physicality ultimately took its toll as Utica ran out of steam late.
Nicholas Stevens iced the game with an empty-net goal after Stout finally cleared its zone, and just seconds later Evan Luxford stripped a defender in the neutral zone and raced in alone, finishing five-hole to cap the 5-1 victory.
By the Numbers
- 23 – Wins for UW-Stout this season, tying the program record (2008-09)
- 46 – Saves by Sebastian Monaco in a standout performance
- 17 – Goals this season for Hayden Stocks, who scored twice
- 2/4 – Power play efficiency for UW-Stout
- 5 – Unanswered goals by the Blue Devils after trailing 1-0
Up Next
UW-Stout will remain in Utica for the NCAA Frozen Four, hosted at the Adirondack Bank Center. The Blue Devils will face No. 1-ranked Hobart—owners of three consecutive national championships—in the national semifinal on Friday. Game time is to be determined, with puck drop scheduled for either 3 p.m. E.T. or 7 p.m. ET.
It marks Stout's first Frozen Four appearance since 2009, as the Blue Devils now turn their attention to the ultimate test against a perennial powerhouse.
