MENOMONIE, Wis. – The UW-River Falls men's hockey team earned a 5-4 overtime victory at UW-Stout Friday evening.
UWRF improves to 7-3-1 overall and 3-2 in the WIAC with its first overtime win of the season.
After the Blue Devils erased a 3-1 deficit with three consecutive goals to take their first lead of the night at 15:43 of the third period, an extra attacker goal by Sam Anzai forced overtime.
Josh Arnold scored the OT game-winner, his first goal of the season, one-timing a pass from Cayden Cahill.
UWRF led 36-31 in shots on goal while Dysen Skinner improved his record to 6-1 in net, logging 27 saves.
The Falcons took a 2-0 lead in the first period, with goals from Jack Kilroy and Gibb Coady.
Each finished off nice passes from linemates. Kilroy scored eight minutes into the night off a pass from Valentino Passarelli, and Coady scored five minutes later from Caleb Anderson.
Stout scored late in the period to cut the Falcon lead to 2-1 heading into the first break.
The Falcons and Blue Devils traded goals in the first period as UWRF maintained a one-goal advantage heading into the final 20 minutes. Before Cayden Cahill scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season, the home team spoiled a Falcon power play with a shorthanded goal to set the score at 3-2 in favor of UWRF.
Down 4-3, Coach Freeman and the Falcons pulled Skinner for the extra attacker and converted with just 15 seconds left in regulation. A cross-ice pass from Cahill to Noah Ganske set up Anzai open in the slot to push the score to 4-4.
In the OT period, both teams went scoreless through the first four minutes before Cahill once again set up a goal, evading a Blue Devil defender before feeding a back-door pass to Arnold for the game-winner.
The two teams play again tomorrow night at Hunt Arena in River Falls.
