Box Score

STEVENS POINT – A 5-4 lead was not enough for the Pointer men's hockey team to secure their first Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) victory on Friday evening, as the ninth-ranked Yellowjackets of UW-Superior scored two late goals to escape with the 6-5 victory.

The win for the Yellowjackets moves them to 7-2-1 overall, 2-2-1 in NCHA play while the Pointers drop to 3-8-0 overall, 0-7-0 in conference play.

Fifteen Stevens Point penalties on the evening translated to 12 power play opportunities for Superior and the Yellowjackets took full advantage, scoring four goals with at least a one man advantage including three in the third to steal the victory.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first, the Pointers answered with a shorthanded goal in the last of the first and a power play goal in the second to tie the game at 2-2. Goals from Jon Madden (Brighton, MI) and Alex Handy (Carmel, IN) midway through the second and at the start of the third gave the Pointers a 4-2 edge in what looked to be their first league victory of the year.

That's when the Yellowjackets came back to life, answering with back-to-back goals from Justin Faryna and tying the game at 4-4.

Sam Graham (Los Angeles, CA) broke the tie and gave the Pointers a 5-4 lead with 8:18 remaining in the game only to see the lead disappear just over a minute later, as Talon Berlando scored the equalizer at the 14:36 mark, knotting the score again at 5-5.

Brian Bina added the game winner on a power play opportunity with just 50 seconds remaining in the game, putting the goal past Pointer keeper Nick Graves (Hewitt) and the Yellowjackets held on for the 6-5 victory.

Graves tallied 28 saves in goal while Garrett Tinkham earned the victory, stopping 31 of the 36 Pointer shots on goal.

The Pointers and Yellowjackets return to action Saturday evening at K.B. Willett Arena. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.