UW-Stout Wins Commissioner’s Cup

**UW-Stout Sports Information contributed to this recap

MENOMONIE, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stout won its first ever Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men’s Ice Hockey Championship/Commissioner’s Cup (presented by Culver’s) with a 5-4 win over UW-River Falls at Fanetti Community Center on March 7.

UW-Stout (21-5-1) also secured the conference’s automatic NCAA bid with the victory - the program’s first NCAA bid since 2008-09.

UW-River Falls (14-12-1) struck first midway through the opening period. At 11:48 of the first, Cole Teleki fired a shot from the point through traffic that beat a screened Sebastian Monaco to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

UW-Stout responded quickly once the second period began. With a carryover power play, the Blue Devils tied the game at 1:12 of the second. Hayden Stocks stepped into the slot and fired a shot that was initially stopped, Arhip Sidarovich followed with another attempt that was denied, and Nicolas Pigeon finally buried the rebound to knot the game at 1-1.

Just 15 seconds later (1:27), UW-Stout seized the momentum. Kullan Daikawa and Noah Tyrrell broke in on a two-on-one, where Daikawa feathered a pass across the crease that Tyrrell tapped home to give the Blue Devils their first lead at 2-1.

UW-Stout continued to press late in the period and added another key goal in the final minute. At 19:07 of the second, Felix Cadieux-Fredette sent a shot from the point that William Schofield redirected on goal, and Sidarovich pounced on the rebound to extend the advantage to 3-1 heading into the intermission.

The Blue Devils carried the momentum into the third. At 2:47 of the third, Daikawa again created the offense, feeding Nicholas Stevens, who finished the play to push the lead to 4-1.

UW-Stout added what proved to be the game-winning goal midway through the period. Daikawa tipped a point shot from Tyler Pfister at 12:44 for a 5-1 cushion.

UW-River Falls refused to go quietly as Burke Simpson scored at 14:14 and Dylan Smith added another at 15:46 to trim the deficit to two before pulling their goaltender late. Keenan Ingram made it a one-goal game with an extra-attacker goal at 18:15.

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