After a slow start to the season, the Blugold women’s hockey team tacked on its first win with a 2-1 victory over Hamline University (Minn.) and are looking for more, head coach Mike Collins said.

After a scoreless and back-and-forth first period, Eau Claire scored the game’s first goal at the 11:34 mark of the second period when sophomore Emma Silkey scored her second goal of the season off of a Claudia Gagnon assist.

Hamline tied the game at 13:22 in the second period despite being down a player on a penalty kill. However, Eau Claire was able to answer the call when freshman Sydney Schneider scored her second goal of the year on a power play at 15:31 assisted by senior Sam Knutsons, giving the Blugolds a 2-1 lead.

Junior goalie Paige Turner continued her solid play this season with another strong performance, Collins said, blocking 33 shots on the way to her first win of the season.

Eau Claire finished with 26 shots on goal, which is the most the Blugolds have had in a game all season, and were one-for-four on the power play while holding the Pipers scoreless in three opportunities.

With the win on Nov. 25, the Blugolds currently sit at 1-8 and will face UW-Stevens Point at 7 p.m. Friday at Hobbs Ice Center.

The Pointers are currently ranked No. 6 with a record of 7-2 after their 3-0 shutout win over Marian University and feature a high-powered and quick offense, senior Andi Husted said.

“Stevens Point is always an extremely fast, physical and hard-working team,” Husted said, “We will need to continue to focus on playing our positions defensively to keep up with their pace.”

The Pointers currently average over 30 shots while putting in over three goals a game, as compared to the Blugolds’ 15 shots a game and average of over one goal. Also, the Pointers goaltender, Janna Beilke Skoug, sits near the top of the conference with a total of 209 saves on the season and a .941 save percentage.

Collins said although the Blugolds will need to be prepared for Stevens Point’s scoring attack, they just need to stick to their system and play within themselves to have a shot.

“Stevens Point plays a simple but fast game and will put a lot of shots on net this weekend,” Collins said. “Yes, we need to be concerned about their game, but we are more focusing on how we can get to the top of our game.”

After nearly a week off over Thanksgiving break, the Blugolds returned to practice Monday. Husted said the time off has its positives and negatives.

“Having time off over break is good and bad for us as a team,” Husted said. “On the good side, it gives us the physical break needed to rest our bodies, but it can also get us out of our routine, which hurts us mentally.”

As the Blugolds practice this week for Stevens Point, Collins said not much will change in preparations for the weekend series with the conference opponent.

“To start the week, we worked on getting our basic skating, passing and shooting skills back after the few days off,” Collins said. “As the week progresses, we will continue to work on our systems, moving our feet to keep up with Stevens Point and our basic weekly skill drills.”