FOND DU LAC, Wis. - The Marian University men's hockey (14-6-1, 8-6-0 NCHA) penalty kill held UW-Eau Claire scoreless on six power play opportunities to lead the Sabres to a 3-1 win over the Blugolds.

The Sabres opened with the first pair of goals which were only separated by five minutes.  Sophomore Connor Blanck started the scoring with his sixth goal of the year at the 7:42 mark with an assist to junior Jake Howie. 

Marian then converted on a power play when sophomore Clay Cross found the back of the net with assists from junior Lane Valimont and Howie for his fifth goal of the year.

Marian managed to outshoot the Blugolds 9-7 in the period but spent most of the second period in the penalty box after five minor penalties were enforced.  The Sabres fought off all five penalties including a span of 1:11 where UWEC had a 5-on-3 advantage.

UW-Eau Claire would net one goal in the period at the 4:04 mark to cut the lead to 2-1 but from there sophomore Hunter Vorva stood on his head.  Vorva made 11 saves in the second period and stopped all five shots he faced in the third to earn the win in net.  In total, Vorva stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced as UWEC outshot Marian 24-17 for the game.

Senior Hunter Stewart iced the game with an empty net goal in the final minute, assist to fellow senior Derek Thorogood, as he reached 100 career points in his career.

Senior Gianni Mangone led the Sabres with a game-high six shots on goal.

Marian next opens the Battle of Highway 41 rivalry series at Lawrence Friday, Feb. 2 with the puck dropping at 7 p.m.

--FightBlueFight--