The UW-Eau Claire women’s hockey team finished up the first part of their season on Friday, beating the College of St. Scholastica 4-1.

Ava Bullert and Ellie Anderson each brought in two goals for the Blugolds, leading them to victory. Anderson also finished the game with an assist on Bullert’s first goal. 

Sophie Rausch finished with two assists and Mckenna Sandberg finished with one.

Josie Mathison stopped eight of the nine shots she faced to gain her seventh win of the season.

Anderson, a third-year forward, said she is happy that she was able to help the team succeed. 

“It felt great as a team to just come out with a win,” she said. “Staying loose and focused really helped me in the game, and (as a team) we’ll definitely use that momentum as we go into the second half.”

Bullert, a second-year forward, said that she was happy to finally get a goal scored early in the game.

“I think we were really dominating before that first goal, so it was nice to finally see a score get put on the board,” she said. 

This wasn’t the first meeting between these two teams this year. Earlier in the season, the Saints visited Eau Claire where the Blugolds made quick work of the team, beating them 8-1. 

Head coach Eric Strand said that having seen them earlier in the season had helped them prepare for this game. 

“That first game, we had a lot of uncertainty on how they would play,” Strand said. “Seeing them for the second time, you’ve already answered that question and have a bit of familiarity.”

With this game under their belts, the team will now take a well-deserved three-week break, according to Strand, before coming back to practice and preparing for their next game. 

Bullert, a second-year forward, said this break is to readjust their mentalities and focus on their weight training. 

“With a lot of hockey during the season, it’s hard to build our strength while playing,” she said. “So this break will allow us to rest up while also doing some weight training”

Strand said he gives the girls this break to help them reconnect. 

“The focus for the offseason is to continue to train,” Strand said. “But I think it’s also a good time to give them some time away from the rink. This allows them time to refocus and heal because when we come back, it’s going to be a 60-day sprint before playoffs.”

Anderson said she is looking forward to the break to prepare for the future. 

“Going back to the basics and refreshing will help us going forward,” Anderson said. “(This time) is to go back to why we love the game and reflect on that.”

With almost a month-long break in between games, this will conclude the team’s first half of the season. 

They went 9-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play, leading them to be ranked ninth nationally. 

The Blugolds’ next game will be at home against Lake Forest on Jan. 3rd, 2024. The puck drop is at 7 p.m.

Hokanson can be reached at [email protected].