Senior defenseman Ryan Kruss scored his first goal of the year on the power-play but the Forester men's hockey team fell 3-1 Saturday night at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

After one period of play the Blugolds led the Foresters in shots 17-2 and on the scoreboard 1-0 thanks to a power play tally at 16:24 on a rebound in front of the crease.

Just 46 seconds after UW-Eau Claire made it 2-0 in the third, Kruss answered on the power play, collecting the puck at the top of the right circle and blasting a shot past the goaltender, beating him glove side. The goal gave the Foresters hope as they now trailed by just one with 5:13 left in regulation. It was a senior-to-senior connection with the assist going to forward John Nugent.

Unfortunately for the Foresters, they pulled the goalie with two minutes to play and Eau-Claire took advantage with an empty net tally at 18:19. 

Senior goaltender Louis-Philippe De Courcy finished Saturday night's game with 39 saves and the weekend with 80.

Lake Forest dropped to 0-1-1 on the season while UW-Eau Claire improved to 2-0. The Foresters open Northern Collegiate Hockey Association play next weekend at home against Northland College Friday night and College of St. Scholastica on Saturday.

by Cam McGuire