Seniors Kelli Johnson, Kristin Faber and Christine Dickinson were honored before the game for their four years of effort and commitment on the team.

“Senior Day is always special.  It makes the four years of effort special, ” said Dickinson.

Throughout the whole game the girls brought high energy, a fast pace, and a lot of fight.  They kept pushing all the way to overtime.

Late in the third period, Johnson scored a goal on a power play with the assist coming from junior Taylor Jenkins and Faber.

The excitement on the ice and in the crowd was electric, as it brought UW-Eau Claire to a 2-1 lead.  Concordia soon after was able to also score on a power play, and evened the score back up to 2-2, causing the game to spill into overtime.

Concordia came ready to play and fired shots left and right at sophomore goalkeeper Mara Stormer.  She worked hard and managed to block 39 of 41 shots.  Concordia outshot the Blugolds 41-23, but Stormer’s quick reflexes kept Eau Claire in the fight.

“Anytime there is a winning steak, there is more hype,” coach Mike Collins said about the reason for the extra effort. “That leads to more confidence and better play.  Two teams fought hard and played well.”

In the second period, Eau Claire worked for their first goal.  They played smart and set up a breakout.  Assisted by Dickinson, sophomore Dani Kerr sent the puck sailing to the back of the net.
A smart, strong defense kept their lead alive for most of the second period, but the Falcons were able to score a second goal on another power play.

“Every game is a tough game,” Collins said. “There are no easy ones; you always have to play hard.”

Although they were unable to pull out another win on Saturday, Eau Claire kept their unbeaten streak alive.

On Friday night, Eau Claire beat Concordia 5-3.  Within the first three minutes the Blugolds scored two goals.  Faber shot one past the goalie and Kerr added another.

A fast lead over the Falcons was momentarily met in the second period until Faber sent another shot into the net.  Faber’s second goal of the game was shortly followed by freshman Nikki Kothenbeutel’s score, which solidified their win.

Good teamwork, lots of determination, and hard play brought another win home for the Blugolds.