Blue Devils Capture First Outright WIAC Title with 3-2 Win Over Eau Claire

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In front of a sold-out Fanetti Community Center, UW-Stout delivered a championship performance Saturday night, defeating rival UW-Eau Claire 3-2 in the latest installment of the "War on 94" to secure the program's first-ever outright WIAC regular season title.

The Blue Devils entered the night one point ahead of the Blugolds after Friday's emotional win, knowing a victory would put them alone atop the conference standings. Co-champions of the WIAC in 2010-11 and the NCHA in 2006-07, Stout had never stood alone as regular season champions—until now.

The win pushes UW-Stout to 19-5-1 overall and 12-2-1 in WIAC play under head coach Mike MacDonald. It marks the program's most overall wins since the 2008-09 Frozen Four team that advanced to Lake Placid and establishes a new high-water mark for conference victories in a season.

UW-Eau Claire (16-7-2, 11-3-1 WIAC) came out with urgency, controlling the first 10 minutes and recording the first nine shots on goal. The Blugolds broke through at 4:26 of the first period, when Dayne Hoyord scored at even strength to give Eau Claire a 1-0 lead.

Freshman goaltender Sebastian Monaco steadied the Blue Devils during that early push, and the momentum began to tilt at 12:54 of the first, when Hoyord was assessed a cross-checking minor. While Stout did not convert on the power play, the extended zone time flipped the ice and allowed the Blue Devils to dictate play the rest of the period. The equalizer came at 19:04 of the first. Connor Mariner cleared the puck off the glass to relieve pressure, and Hayden Stocks gathered it in the neutral zone with speed. Stocks beat his defender wide entering the offensive zone and slipped a pass to Nicolas Pigeon cutting to the net, where Pigeon buried the chance to tie the game 1-1 heading into the intermission.

UW-Stout carried that momentum into the second period. At 4:08 of the second, Kullan Daikawa sent a dangerous puck toward the crease that created traffic in front. The puck bounced loose in the blue paint, and Sam Kroon finished the play to give the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead. The eventual game-winner came late in the second at 18:13. Brendan Boyce carried the puck into the offensive zone along the boards and found Hayden Stocks open in the slot. Stocks had time and space to pick his corner and snapped a shot high blocker side for his 14th goal of the season, extending the lead to 3-1. Eau Claire answered quickly at 19:03 of the second, when Hoyord scored his second of the night to cut the deficit to 3-2 and set up a tense final period.

The third period belonged to Monaco. Just 24 seconds into the frame, Monaco denied a breakaway chance, reading the shooter and sealing the ice to preserve the one-goal advantage. As Eau Claire pushed, Monaco elevated his play even further. At 14:45, he made a windmill glove save on a prime opportunity between the hashmarks during a 3-on-2 rush. Moments later, at 13:40, he produced a remarkable three-save sequence—stopping an initial one-on-one attempt, sprawling to deny the rebound, and flashing the glove again seconds later to end the threat.

With 2:09 remaining, the Blugolds generated another odd-man rush that found a shooter open between the circles, but Monaco once again stood tall. Eau Claire pulled its goaltender at 17:51 and spent the final minute firing shots toward the net, but Stout blocked attempts, controlled key draws, and closed out the victory.

When the final horn sounded, the Blue Devils had not only won the "War on 94" series finale—they had claimed the WIAC Regular Season Trophy outright.

By The Numbers

3-2 – Final score in the regular season finale.
19-5-1 (12-2-1 WIAC) – Most conference wins in program history.
First outright WIAC regular season championship in program history.
37 saves by Sebastian Monaco, including 15 in the third period.
38-30 – Stout advantage in faceoffs, led by Nicolas Pigeon (16-6) and Kullan Daikawa (11-8).
14th goal of the season for Hayden Stocks, the game-winner at 18:13 of the second.
670 fans – A sold-out Fanetti Community Center crowd witnessed history.

Up Next

As the No. 1 seed in the WIAC Tournament, the Blue Devils earn a first-round bye and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Stout will await the winner of No. 4 UW-Superior and No. 5 UW-Stevens Point in the semifinal round as they continue their pursuit of a return to the national stage.