EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Hamline (3-11-2) was narrowly defeated by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (11-5-1), 4–3, at Hobbs Ice Center. Hamline rallied with three goals in the third period, including a power-play goal, but the visitors secured the victory with a goal in the overtime period.

The first period began with the Pipers winning the initial faceoff, but it was the home team that broke the deadlock. Max Dronen scored the opening goal at 13:59 with assists from Carter Green and Andrew Hayek, putting Wis.-Eau Claire ahead. Hamline's Cade Chapman faced a barrage of shots, making several saves to keep the game close. The period ended with Wis.-Eau Claire leading 1-0 after Hamline's Calvin Knight was penalized for holding, leading to a brief power play for the home team, which was halted by a penalty on Nolan Grier as the period concluded.

Wis.-Eau Claire extended their lead early in the second period, with Logan Ganz scoring at 18:58, assisted by Max Dronen and Danny Reis. The Pipers had an opportunity to respond during a power play starting at 18:37 but were unable to convert. Wis.-Eau Claire's defense remained strong, blocking multiple shots and maintaining pressure. The period ended with a score of 2–0 in favor of Wis.-Eau Claire, as Hamline struggled to find an answer.

The Blugolds extended their lead early in the third period when Leo Bacallao scored at 17:41 with assists from Logan Ganz and Carter Bradley, making it 3-0. Hamline responded with a power-play goal by Jack Lambert at 14:24, assisted by AJ and Brock Carls, narrowing the gap to two. Landon Steffen then brought Hamline closer with an even-strength goal at 08:08, assisted by Kyle Mortenson and Chapman. With just 4:52 remaining, Dom Thomas tied the game for the Pipers, assisted by Lambert and Tristen May-Robinson, resulting in a 3-3 draw to end regulation.

In a tense overtime period, Wis.-Eau Claire clinched a 4–3 victory against the Pipers. The period began with Tyler Herzberg winning the faceoff for Wis.-Eau Claire. Despite an early wide shot by Dayne Hoyord, the decisive moment came at 3:50 when Logan Ganz scored the game-winning goal, assisted by Carter Bradley and Dayne Hoyord. This goal marked Ganz's fifth of the season, securing the sudden-death win for Wis.-Eau Claire.

Landon Steffen scored one goal and registered four shots, contributing to the offensive efforts. Lambert tallied a goal and an assist, with his goal coming on the power play. Thomas found the back of the net, finishing with a 100 percent success rate in faceoffs. Chapman recorded 38 saves in goal, facing a challenging opponent with four goals allowed. 

The Pipers will finish out the rest of the season with conference opponents, taking on Augsburg in a home-and-home series on January 23 and 24. They will start on the road at Augsburg on Friday, with a 7 PM puck drop in Minneapolis!