Utica, N.Y. – Facing the nation's top team and a dynasty in every sense, UW-Stout saw its historic season come to a close in the NCAA Frozen Four, falling 4-2 to three-time defending national champion and unbeaten No. 1 Hobart Friday night.
Hobart (30-0-0), riding a 42-game unbeaten streak, showed its speed early, striking first just 2:54 into the game. After All-American freshman goaltender Sebastian Monaco made the initial stop, a loose puck in front was jammed home to give the Statesmen a 1-0 lead.
UW-Stout (23-6-1) responded with resilience that defined its season. After successfully killing three consecutive Hobart power plays in the opening period, Hayden Stocks created the equalizer with an individual effort, stripping a defender in front and sliding a backhand on net. Nicolas Pigeon cleaned up the rebound and buried it into the open cage to tie the game at 1-1 at 18:17 of the first.
The remainder of the opening frame settled into a tight, evenly played battle, with Monaco turning aside Hobart chances to keep things level.
The Statesmen began to tilt the ice in the second period, using their pace to generate sustained pressure. Stout nearly flipped momentum midway through the period when Evan Luxford rang a backhand off the crossbar, and Stocks followed with a dangerous chance in tight that was denied. Monaco weathered a flurry of Hobart opportunities, but the Statesmen broke through at 13:12 to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
Stout pushed early in the third, but Hobart extended its lead to 3-1 at 8:13, creating a difficult uphill climb. The Blue Devils were handed a major opportunity late when Hobart was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for contact to the head with just over six minutes remaining.
Stout capitalized quickly. Stocks found Noah Tyrrell behind the net, who slipped a pass into the slot for Arhip Sidarovich. The freshman buried the chance on the power play at 14:41 to cut the deficit to 3-2 and inject life into the Blue Devils.
Moments later, however, momentum shifted again as Stout was whistled for interference on a neutral zone "pick play," negating part of the extended power play and moving play to four-on-four. Despite continued pressure, Hobart ultimately sealed the game with an empty-net goal in the final minutes.
Monaco was outstanding in goal, turning aside 36 shots against one of the most potent offenses in the country, while Stocks led the way offensively with two assists. Pigeon and Sidarovich each found the back of the net for Stout.
The loss closes the book on one of the most accomplished seasons in UW-Stout program history. The Blue Devils' 23 wins match the program record set by the 2008-09 team—the last squad to reach the Frozen Four. Along the way, Stout captured its first outright conference regular season championship in program history and its first WIAC Postseason Tournament title.
Stocks, Sidarovich, and Pigeon paced the Blue Devils offensively throughout the season, while senior defenseman Gunner Moore anchored the blue line all year.
Under head coach Mike MacDonald, UW-Stout not only returned to the national semifinal stage for the first time since 2009, but established a new standard for the program—one that will carry forward beyond a single historic season.
