UW-Eau Claire Drops NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey First Round Contest

GENEVA, Ill.--University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire fell 3-2 to Aurora University (Ill.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship at Fox Valley Ice Arena on March 15.

Aurora (24-4-1), making its first NCAA appearance, got on the board 15:51 into the first period on a power-play goal. After a scoreless second period, both teams found the back of the net early in the third period. The Spartans scored 2:58 into the period for a 2-0 advantage. UW-Eau Claire trimmed its deficit to 2-1 less than three minutes later when Leo Bacallao answered with a strike from the slot.

Aurora tallied an empty net goal with 41 seconds left in the contest and the Blugolds’ Jadon Reimer scored his first collegiate goal with 18 seconds remaining.

Aurora entered the game ranked second in NCAA Division III in scoring offense with 4.79 goals per game, but Max Gutjahr stopped 34 shots. The Spartans held a 37-26 advantage in shots, while UW-Eau Claire led in the faceoff circle, winning 38 of 62 draws.

UW-Eau Claire completed the 2025 campaign with a 14-16-1 record and won the WIAC Commissioner’s Cup for the fifth time in program history. The Blugolds made their fourth NCAA appearance.

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