STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The No. 12 UW-Stevens Point men's hockey team (0-1-2) had to erase a two-goal deficit to pick up a 2-2 tie with visiting Gustavus Adolphus (0-0-1) in non-conference play on Friday.
 
The Gusties took the lead at the 15:18 mark of the first, an early advantage in GAC's first game of the season. The Pointers' deficit doubled at 7:39 of the second period.
 
Conor Witherspoon (Metamora, Mich./) scored his first goal of the season at 15:36 of the second period to get UWSP within one. Sam Ayd (Grant, Minn./) and Cody Moline (North Branch, Minn./) each had an assist, their first points of the season.
 
Freshman Matthias Smith made his collegiate debut in net to begin the third. He made two saves, one each before and after the tying goal by Wilson Northey (North Vancouver, B.C./).
 
Northey tied the game at 12:45 of the third with a nice wrister from short range after a feed from the blue line by Harrison Stewart (Rockford, Ill./). It was Northey's third point of the season.
 
Both teams had power-play opportunities in overtime, but neither could find the game winner. Smith made two saves in overtime. GAC goalkeeper Jackson Hjelle also had two saves in overtime. Hjelle had 45 saves in the game. UWSP's Ryan Wagner (Indianapolis, Ind./) made eight saves through two periods of action.
 
The Pointers close out a three-game homestand with a 7:00 p.m. game against St. Scholastica on Saturday (Nov. 5).