Falcons Top UWEC, 8-1, in NCHA Third Place Game

Feb. 29, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team got two goals from Lou Paulson and Lindsay O’Keefe and earned an 8-1 win over UW-Eau Claire in the NCHA tournament third place game played Sunday afternoon in Superior.

The Falcons, now 17-9-1, led 2-1 after one period and 3-1 after two.

UWRF took the lead for good at 1:59 of the first period. Lou Paulson scored her 13th goal of the year with an assist to Emily Nierenhausen. The Falcons grabbed a 2-0 lead at 6:16 when Lindsay O’Keefe scored her 13th goal of the year with an assist o Jodi Hensch. The Falcons went ahead 3-1 at 8:51 of the third period when Hensch scored a power-play goal. It was her sixth goal of the year and her fourth power-play goal of the season. She was assisted by Alison Schaber and O’Keefe.

The Falcons went ahead 4-1 at 1:33 of the third period when Kelly Hurley scored her 10th goal of the season with an assist to Schaber. At 11:22 the Falcons went ahead 5-1 when O’Keefe scored her second goal of the game and her 14th of the season. Jenny Wallace scored her first goal of the year, unassisted, at 15:54 to give UWRF a 6-1 lead. Paulson scored the team’s seventh goal at 17:57 with an assist to Hensch. It was Paulson’s second goal of the game and her 14th of the year. The Falcons ended the scoring with just one second to play when Lindsy Carlson scored her 11th of the year. She was assisted by Rachel Goodwin and Hensch.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made 13 saves and improved her record to 8-8-1. UWEC goalie Tara Berlute stopped 64 shots. The 64 saves is an NCHA playoff record.

Falcons Lose in NCHA Semifinal

Feb. 28, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team lost a 2-1 decision to UW-Stevens Point in the NCHA semifinal playoffs Saturday afternoon in Superior.

The Falcons, 16-9-1 overall, will play in the third place game at noon on Saturday and will play either UW-Superior or UW-Eau Claire.

There was no score after one period and the game was tied 1-1 after two.

The Falcons got on the board first at 7:39 of the second period. Lindsy Carlson scored an unassisted goal at 7:39. She beat the UWSP goalie with a shot high to the glove side. It was her 10th goal of the season. UWSP tied the game at 13:47 when Jackie Foley scored her sixth goal of the year. She scored after a scramble in front of the Falcon net.

UWSP’s Kim Lunneborg scored what proved to be the game-winner at 2:06 of the third period. It was her sixth goal of the year. She was assisted by Jana Jurkovich and Liz Goergen.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made 38 saves and UWSP goalie Amy Statz stopped 21 shots. Yaeger is now 7-8-1 for the year and Statz improved to 10-4-4.

Falcons Beat St. Olaf, 3-1; End Regular Season 16-8-1

Feb. 18, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team scored a goal in each period en route to a 3-1 win over St. Olaf Wednesday night at Hunt Arena.

The Falcons led 1-0 after one and 2-1 after two.

Ali Slinden started the scoring with a goal at 12:40 of the first period. It was her third goal of the season and she was assisted by Nicole Magnuson. SO tied the game at 6:55 of the second period when Lindsay Weier scored a power-play goal. The Falcons got the lead back at 15:06 when Lou Paulson scored off a scramble in front of the Ole goal. She scored her 12th goal of the season with assists to Magnuson and Lindsy Carlson. The Falcons got the only goal of the third period at 5:11 when Magnuson scored her team-leading 16th goal of the year. Kelly Hurley got the assist.
Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made 29 saves to raise her record to 7-7-1 on the year. Ole goalies Kerry Rollwagen (20) and Andrea Smith (14) combined for 34 saves. The Falcons were 0-3 on the power play and the Oles finished 1-3.

The Falcons, now 16-8-1 overall and 11-4-1 in the NCHA, will play in the NCHA playoffs Feb. 28 and 29 at a site and time to be determined.

Falcons Get 1-0 Win at LFC

Feb. 15, 2004

The Falcon women's hockey team scored just one goal on Sunday at Lake Forest but it was enough to give the Falcons a 1-0 win.

Lou Paulson scored the only goal of the game at 13:02 of the third period. It was her 11th goal of the year and she was assisted by Emily Nierenhausen. The Falcons outshot the Foresters 38-17. UWRF had 13 shots in the first two periods and 12 in the third. UWRF finished 0-4 on the power-play while LFC was 0-1. The Falcons were called for four minor penalties and LFC for six.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made 17 saves to record the win and raise her record to 6-7-1. It was her second shutout of the year.

The Falcons, now 15-8-1 overall and 11-4-1 in the NCHA, will end its regular season schedule on Wednesday when they host St. Olaf in a non-conference game at Hunt Arena. Action starts at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Win at LF, 3-1

Feb. 14, 2004

The Falcon women's hockey team scored a goal in each period to pick up a 3-1 win at Lake Forest Saturday night.

UWRF led 1-0 after one and 2-0 after two.

Leah Baron started the scoring for the Falcons with a goal at 5:09 of the first period. It was her ninth goal of the year. Ali Slinden and Jodi Hensch picked up the assists. The Falcons went ahead 2-0 at 14:30 of the second period when Kelly Hurley scored her ninth goal of the year. There were no assists on the power-play goal. The Falcons went ahead 3-0 at 5:01 of the third period when Lindsy Carlson scored her ninth goal of the season, unassisted. LFC made it a 3-1 game when Erin McGrath scored at 16:08.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner made eight saves and improved her record to 9-1 this year. The Falcons had 47 shots on goal.

The Falcons, now 14-8-1 overall and 10-4-1 in the NCHA, will play the second game of the series at Lake Forest on Sunday with action starting at 2 p.m.

Falcons Sweep UWS, 5-2

Feb. 7, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team swept UW-Superior with a 5-2 win at Hunt Arena Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons led 1-0 after one and 3-1 after two.

Ali Slinden gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead at 13:54 of the first period when she scored her second goal of the year. She was assisted by Nicole Magnuson and Lou Paulson. The Falcons went ahead 2-0 at 1:02 of the second period when Lou Paulson scored her 10th goal of the year while UWRF was on the power-play. Leah Baron and Lindsy Carlson assisted. Carlson gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead with another power-play score. She netted the goal at 12:02 with assists to Jodi Hensch and Paulson. UWS made it a 3-1 game at 16:13 when Erin Kegley scored. Kegley scored at 14:37 of the third to make it a 3-2 game. Lindsay O’Keefe scored an empty-net, power-play goal at 18:51, her 12th goal of the year. Magnuson scored the final goal of the game, her team-leading 15th of the year, at 19:34. Slinden got the lone assist.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made 36 saves. Jacket goalie Elyse Dowdell stopped 36 shots.

The Falcons, now 13-8-1 overall and 9-4-1 in the NCHA, will next play at Lake Forest on Saturday with action starting at 7 p.m.

Falcons Top UWS, 5-1

Feb. 6, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team got a goal and two assists from Ali Slinden in a 5-1 win over UW-Superior Friday afternoon at Hunt Arena.

The Falcons led 1-0 after one and 3-0 after two.

UWRF grabbed a 1-0 lead at 3:40 of the opening period when Ali Slinden scored her first goal of the year with an assist to Lou Paulson. The Falcons went ahead 2-0 at 9:41 of the second period when Kelly Hurley scored her eighth goal of the season with assists to Emily Nierenhausen and Lindsay O’Keefe. The Falcons went ahead 3-0 at 14:08. O’Keefe scored the power-play goal in a scramble in front of the UWS net. It was her 11th goal of the year and her team-leading fifth power-play tally of the season. Hurley and Lindsy Carlson picked up the assists. UWS made it a 3-1 game at 7:11 of the third period when Erin Kegley scored. The Falcons got that goal back at 9:10 when Leah Baron scored her eighth goal of the year with an assist to Slinden. The Falcons finished the scoring at 16:30 when Nicole Magnuson scored her team-high 14th goal of the year with assists to Slinden and Paulson.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner made 22 saves to record her eighth win of the season in nine decisions. UWS goalie Kristy Faechner made 23 saves and she is now 12-3-1 for the year.

The Falcons were 1-3 on the power play while UWS finished 0-2. UWRF had three penalties for six minutes and UWS four for eight. The Falcons had four shots in the first period, 10 in the second and nine in the third. UWS had nine, 10 and three.

The Falcons, now 12-8-1 overall and 8-4-1 in the NCHA, will host UW-Superior again on Saturday at Hunt Arena with the puck dropping at 1:05 p.m.

Falcons Beat UWEC, 5-2

Jan. 31, 2004

Lou Paulson scored twice and had one assist to help lead the Falcon women’s hockey team to a 5-2 win over UW-Eau Claire Saturday night at Hunt Arena.

The score was tied 2-2 after one and the Falcons led 3-2 after two.

UWEC took a 1-0 lead at 5:54 when Karen Hebert scored from the point. It was her fifth goal of the year. UWRF tied the game at 7:27 when Rachel Goodwin scored her third goal of the season with an assist to Ali Slinden. UWEC went ahead 2-1 at 13:26 when Allison Campbell scored a power-play goal. The Falcons tied the game again at 19:20 when Jodi Hensch scored on a shot from the point. It was her fifth goal of the year and she was assisted by Paulson.

The Falcons went ahead 3-2 at 3:12 of the second period. Lindsay O’Keefe scored a power-play goal with UWRF on a five-on-three advantage. Hensch and Lindsy Carlson got the assists. It was O’Keefe’s 10th goal of the year.

UWRF got two more goals in the third, both from Paulson. She scored at :26 with assists to Magnuson and Slinden and at 9:30 with assists to Magnuson and Carlson. She now has nine goals this year.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made 15 saves and improved her record to 4-7-1. The Falcons had 40 shots on goal.

The Falcons, now 11-8-1 overall and 7-4-1 in the NCHA, will host UW-Superior on Friday at Hunt Arena with the puck dropping at 1:05 p.m.

Falcons Top UWEC, 4-1

Jan. 30, 2004

Nicole Magnuson and Lindsy Carlson combined on three of the women's hockey team's four goals in a 4-1 win over UW-Eau Claire Friday night at Hunt Arena.

The Falcons led 2-0 after one period and 3-1 after two. Kelly Hurley started the Falcon scoring with a goal at 6:37 of the first period. It was her seventh goal of the season and she was assisted by Allison Schaber and Lindsay O'Keefe. Magnuson scored the team's second goal at 12:41 of the period with Carlson assisting. UWEC made it a 2-1 game at 5:59 of the second period when Amanda Schultz scored. The Falcons got the two-goal lead back at 18:33 of the period when Magnuson scored her second of the game and 13th of the season. She was assisted by Carlson. UWRF got the only goal of the third period when Carlson scored her seventh goal of the year with Magnuson assisting.

UWRF goalie Amber Lindner improved her record to 7-1 for the year making 26 saves. UWEC goalie Sara Steinhoff stopped 30 shots.

UWRF, now 10-8-1 overall and 6-4-1 in the NCHA, will host UW-Eau Claire again on Saturday at Hunt Arena with action starting at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Earn 1-1 Tie at UWSP

Jan. 24, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team earned a 1-1 tie at UW-Stevens Point Saturday afternoon.

Lou Paulson got the Falcon goal at 11:52 of the second period, her seventh of the year. She was assisted by Nicole Magnuson and Lindsy Carlson on the even-strength score. That tied the game at 1-1. UWSP had taken a 1-0 lead at 14:13 of the first period when Hilary Bulger scored a pwoer-play goal. UWRF was outshot in every period, 10-4 in the first, 12-4 in the second, 12-7 in the third and 3-1 in the extra session.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made the one Falcon goal stand up by making 36 saves. The Falcons had 16 shots on goal. The Falcons finished 0-3 on the power play and UWSP was 1-6. The Falcons had six minor penalties and UWSP three. The Falcons held the Pointers off the scoreboard when UWSP had 1:57 of a 5-on-3 power play advantage in the third period.

UWRF, now 9-8-1 overall and 5-4-1 in the NCHA, will host UW-Eau Claire on Friday with the puck dropping at 7:05 p.m. at Hunt Arena.

Falcons Lose at UWSP, 4-2

Jan. 23, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team lost a 4-2 decision at UW-Stevens Point Friday night.

UWSP jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Falcons scored twice to make it a 3-2 game. UWSP scored just 11 seconds into the contest when Jackie Schmitt scored unassisted. UWSP make it 2-0 at 4:22 of the first period when Ann Ninnemann scored a pwoer-play goal. The Pointers made it 3-0 at 13:48 of the second when Jennifer Norris scored a pwoer-play goal. But the Falcons climbed back into the game with the next two goals. Lou Paulson scored a power-play goal at :34 of the third with Jodi Hensch and Kelly Hurley assisting. It was Paulson's sixth goal of the season. The Falcons made it 3-2 at 9:51 when Lindsy Carlson scored her sixth goal of the year. The goal came with the Falcons on the power play. Hensch picked up her second assist of the night. But UWSP scored the clinching goal at 15:44 when Norris scored her second of the game. Both teams finished 2-6 on the power play.

UWRF goalie Amber Lindner made 28 saves while the Falcons had 18 shots on goal.

The Falcon loss was the third of the year to the Pointers. UWSP topped UWRF, 4-1 and 3-2 in River Falls on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

UWRF, now 9-8-0 overall and 5-4-0 in the NCHA, will play at UW-Stevens Point again on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Falcons Shutout UST, 3-0

Jan. 13, 2004

The Falcon women’s hockey team claimed a 3-0 win over St. Thomas Tuesday night at Hunt Arena.

The Falcons scored twice in the first period with both goals coming on the power play. Lindsay O’Keefe scored her ninth goal of the year at 9:38 with Nicole Magnuson assisting. Leah Baron scored her seventh goal of the year with Allison Schaber and Emily Nierenhausen assisting. After a scoreless second period, the Falcons got the only goal of the third stanza. Lindsy Carlson scored her fifth goal of the year at 16:25 to put the Falcons ahead, 3-0.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner earned her second shutout of the year making 24 saves. The Falcons had 33 shots on goal, including 13 in each of the first two periods. St. Thomas is now 8-4-1 overall.

UWRF, now 9-7-0 overall and 5-3-0 in the NCHA, will next play at UW-Stevens Point on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 23-24. Friday's game starts at 5 p.m. and Saturday's at 2 p.m.

Falcons Lose at Augsburg, 7-4

Jan. 10, 2004

Augburg scored four second period goals en route to a 7-4 win over the Falcon women's hockey team Saturday night in Minneapolis.

The Falcons led 2-1 after one, but trailed 5-3 after two periods. Leah Baron scored twice in the first period to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead. She scored at 3:18 amd again at 12:20. AC scored at 8:32 to tie the game at 1-1. In the second, AC scored at 6:35 to tie the game at 2-2. The Falcons took a 3-2 lead at 6:47 when Lou Paulson scored. But then AC scored five straight goals to take a 7-3 lead. Amy Gilbertson scored the final goal of the game, at 18:10 of the third period, to get the Falcons to within 7-4. Augsburg finished 5-9 on the power-play and scored four straight power-play goals in the second and third periods. AC scored three times in the final 43 seconds of the second period.

UWRF goalies Marlene Yaeger (10) and Amber Lindner (4) combined for 14 saves. The Falcons finished with 24 shots on goal.

UWRF, now 8-7-0 overall and 5-3-0 in the NCHA, will next host St. Thomas on Tuesday at Hunt Arena with action starting at 7:05 p.m. UST defeated the Falcons, 2-1 in overtime, on Nov. 15 in St. Paul.

Dec. 13, 2003

Kelly Hurley scored the Falcons' only goal in a 3-1 loss at UW-Superior Saturday afternoon.

The game was tied 1-1 after one and the Yellowjackets led 2-1 after two. UW-S started the scoring at 5:31 in the first period with a goal by Lindsay Bennett. Hurley knotted the contest with her goal at 14:28. Assists went to Leah Baron and Emily Nierenhausen. In the second period, Amy Kochinske netted the game winner for UW-S at 10:13. With 1:11 left in the game, the Yellowjackets added an empty net goal to win by two.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger saved 30 of the 32 shots she faced in the loss. The Falcons peppered the Yellowjacket goalie with 54 shots, 22 coming in the third period.

UWRF, now 8-6-0 overall and 5-3-0 in the NCHA, will have a long break before its next game. The Falcons' next action will be at Augsburg on Jan. 10.

Falcons Hand UWS First Loss, 3-1

Dec. 12, 2003

Leah Baron had a goal and an assist to help lead the Falcon women's hockey team to a 3-1 win at UW-Superior Friday night. It was the first loss of the season for the Jackets.

The game was tied 1-1 after one and the Falcons led 3-1 after two. UWS started the scoring at 10:16 of the first period when Ashley Jenkins scored. But the Falcons tied the game at 19:35 when Kelly Hurley scored with assists to Baron and Emily Nierenhausen. The Falcons got the lead for good at 17:32 of the second period when Lindsay O'Keefe scored a pwoer-play goal with an assist to Lindsy Carlson. With 44 seconds to play in the second period the Falcons went ahead 3-1 when Baron scored with assists to Jodi Hensch and Nicole Magnuson.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner made 28 saves to get the win. The Falcons had 32 shots on goal. Lindner made 11 saves in the third period when the Falcons were outshot, 11-4.

UWRF, now 8-5-0 overall and 5-2-0 in the NCHA, will play at UW-Superior on Saturday with the puck dropping at 2:05 p.m.

Falcons Lose to GAC, 4-1

Dec. 10, 2003

Gustavus Adolphus picked up a 4-1 win over the Falcon women's hockey team Wednesday night at Hunt Arena.

The game was tied 1-1 after one and GAC led 2-1 after two. The Gusties got on baord first at 10:27 of the first period when Michelle Guimond scored. The Falcons tied the game at 18:14 when Lou Paulson scored a power-play goal. She was assisted by Lindsay O'Keefe. GAC took a 2-1 lead at 2:05 of the third period when Laura Stypulkowski scored. At 5:49 of the third period the Gusties took a 3-1 lead when Ingrid Neve scored. The Gusties got a power-play goal at 11:47 from Jess Brandanger.

UWRF goalie Marlene Yaeger made 30 saves and GAC's Kara Meyer stopped 30 shots.

UWRF, now 7-5-0 overall and 4-2-0 in the NCHA, will play a NCHA weekend series at UW-Superior next. Friday game starts at 7:05 p.m. followed by a 2:05 p.m. start on Saturday.

Falcons Win, 7-2, at UWEC

Dec. 6, 2003

Lindsay O'Keefe scored twice and had two assists to help lead the Falcon women's hockey team to a 7-2 win at UW-Eau Claire Saturday night.

Lou Paulson and Nicole Magnuson each added a goal and two assists. The Falcons led 4-0 after one and 5-1 after two. Lindsy Carlson, Leah Baron and Kelly Hurley also scored for the Falcons. Marlene Yaeger made 23 saves to get the win. The Falcons finished 1-1 on the power play.

UWRF, now 7-4-0 overall and 4-2-0 in the NCHA, will host Gustavus Adolphus on Wednesday at Hunt Arena with action starting at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Get 3-1 Win at UWEC

Dec. 5, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team built up a 3-0 lead and went on to a 3-1 win at UW-Eau Claire Friday night.

UWRF led 2-0 after one period and 3-0 after two. The Falcons got on board at 2:25 of the first period when Kelly Hurley scored a power-play goal with assists to Lou Paulson and Jodi Hensch. At 19:36 the Falcons made it a 2-0 game when Hensch scored with assists to Leah Baron and Lindsay O'Keefe. At 15:30 of the second period the Falcons took a 3-0 lead. Nicole Magnuson scored the goal with assists to Lindsy Carlson and Paulson. UWEC made it a 3-1 game at 12:13 of the final period when Kristi Hawkinson scored.

UWRF goalie Amber Lindner made 12 saves to get the win.

UWRF, now 6-4-0 overall and 3-2-0 in the NCHA, will play at UW-Eau Claire again on Saturday with action starting at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Rip LFC, 9-0

Nov. 22, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team exploded for five second period goals and went on to a 9-0 win over Lake Forest Saturday afternoon at Hunt Arena.

UW-RF led 1-0 after one and 6-0 after two. Lou Paulson scored the first goal of the game at 19:05 of the first period with Nicole Magnuson and Lindsy Carlson assisting. The Falcons scored three goals in just under three minutes of the second period. Lindsay O'Keefe blocked a shot at the blue line and picked up the loose puck and scored on a breakaway at 7:57 while the Falcons were skating short handed. At 9:32 Kelly Hurley scored with an assist to Leah Baron. At 10:23 Magnuson scored with assists to Paulson and Carlson. The Falcons added two more goals in about a minute later in the period. At 17:35 Magnuson scored again with an assist to Carlson and Carlson scored at 18:56 with assists to Magnuson and Paulson.

The Falcons added three goals in under a three minute span in the third. Paulson scored her second of the game at 3:13 with the Falcons on a power-play. Jodi Hensch and Kristen Hurley assisted. At 3:56 O'Keefe scored her second of the game with assists to Kelly Hurley and Hensch. Rachel Goodwin ended the scoring with an unassisted power-play goal at 5:55.

The Falcons finished 2-4 on the power play and held the Foresters scoreless on four power play chances.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger made 20 saves to get the win and her first shutout of the season. The Falcons had a season high 52 shots on goal.

UWRF, now 5-4-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the NCHA, will next play at UW-Eau Claire on Dec. 5 with action starting at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Overpower Foresters, 5-1

Nov. 21, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team netted five goals and held Lake Forest to only one at Hunt Arena Friday night. Nicole Magnuson had two goals while Lindsy Carlson scored one and tallied three assists.

The Falcons led 3-0 after the first period and 5-1 after two. UWRF scored the first two goals of the contest within 1:20 of each other in the first period. Rachel Goodman shot the puck past the Forester goalie at 5:25 with assists going to Emily Nierenhauser and Allison Schaber. At 6:45, Nicole Magnuson scored off assists from Lindsy Carlson and Lou Paulson. Magnuson scored again off a slap shot with just three seconds left in the first. Carlson got her second assist of the game on the play. In the second period, Lindsay O'Keefe tallied another Falcon goal at 5:16, with another assist going to Carlson. Carlson put the fifth Falcon goal in the net at 9:34 with assists going to Leah Baron and O'Keefe. Lake Forest put their only goal past Falcon freshman goalie Amber Lindner.

Lindner stopped 14 of 15 Forester shots while the Falcons peppered the net with 35 shots.

UWRF, now 4-4-0 overall and 1-2-0 in the NCHA, will host Lake Forest again on Saturday at Hunt Arena. Action starts at 2:05 p.m.

Falcons Lose at UST, 2-1, in OT

Nov. 15, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team lost a tight 2-1 decision in overtime at St. Thomas Saturday night.

UST's Andrea Schilling scored the game winner at 3:06 of the extra session to lift her team to the win.

There was no scoring in the first period and the Falcons had a 1-0 lead after two. In the second, Nicole Magnuson scored at 11:08 with an assist to Lindsy Carlson. UST tied the game at 5:29 of the third period when Tomery Stolz scored. That set up Schilling's winner in overtime.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger, who ran in the NCAA Div. III Midwest Regional cross country meet earlier in the day, stopped 38 shots. The Falcons had 28 shots. The Falcons had a 3-1 advantage in shots in the overtime period.

UWRF, now 3-4-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the NCHA, will host Lake Forest on Friday at Hunt Arena in a NCHA game. Action starts at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Win at SB, 4-0

Nov. 14, 2003

Freshman goalie Amber Lindner made 19 saves to record her first collegiate shutout and Lindsy Carlson had three assists to help lead the Falcons to a 4-0 win at St. Benedict on Friday night.

The Falcons scored three first period goals to get an early lead. Leah Baron started the scoring with a goal at 4:34 with assists to Nicole Magnuson and Carlson. It was Baron's second goal of the season. Magnuson gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead at 17:53 when she scored her team leading fourth goal of the year. She was assisted by Kristen Hurley and Carlson. The Falcons went ahead 3-0 at 19:48 when Jodi Hensch scored a power-play goal - her second goal of the season. She was assisted by Lindsay O'Keefe and Carlson. The Falcons added their fourth goal at 9:26 of the second period when Lou Paulson scored with assists to O'Keefe and Kelly Hurley. It was Paulson's first goal of the season. The Falcons had 36 shots on goal.

UWRF, now 3-3-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the NCHA, will play at St. Thomas on Saturday with the puck dropping at 7 p.m.

Falcons Beat St. Kates, 5-1

Nov. 12, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team picked up its second win of the season, 5-1, over St. Catherine on Wednesday night at Hunt Arena.

UW-RF led 1-0 after one and 4-1 after two. Lindsay O'Keefe gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead at 17:48 of the first period with an unassisted goal. The Falcons went ahead, 2-0, at 2:45 of the second period when Leah Baron scored with an assist from Emily Nierenhausen. SC made it a 2-1 game at 10:09 when Laurel Volenec scored an unassisted goal. The Falcons made it 3-1 at 11:48 when Nicole Magnuson scored with an assist to Nierenhausen. At 18:18 the Falcons scored again, just one second after a SC penalty expired. Allison Schaber scored with assists to Lindsy Carlson and Kristen Hurley. The Falcons scored the only goal of the third period at 8:00 when Amy Gilbertson scored with an assist to Jenny Wallace.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner made her first collegiate start a success picking up the win. She made 16 saves. SC goalie Marie Benesh stopped 29 shots.

UWRF, now 2-3-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the NCHA, will play at St. Benedict on Friday with action starting at 7:30 p.m.

Falcons Get First Win, 3-1, Over Augsburg

Nov. 8, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team won for the first time this year, 3-1 over Augsburg, Saturday night at Hunt Arena.

The Falcons opened the scoring at 10:17 of the first period when Amy Gilbertson scored her first collegiate goal. She was assisted by Nicole Magnuson and Lindsy Carlson. Augsburg tied the game at 16:31 when Lauren Chezick scored a power-play goal. The Falcons got the lead for good at 14:37 of the second period when Carlson scored a power-play goal assited by Kelly Hurley. In the third, Jodi Hensch scored a power-play goal at 5:15 to put the Falcons ahead, 3-1. UWRF goalie Marlene Yaeger made 21 saves to get the win. The Falcons had 33 shots on goal.

UWRF, now 1-3-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the NCHA, will host St. Catherine on Wednesday at Hunt Arena. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Outgunned by Gustavus-Adolphus, 3-1

Nov. 7, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team dropped its third game of the season in a 3-1 loss at Gustavus-Adolphus Friday night.

The score was 1-1 until Gustavus-Adolphus scored two third-period goals. Lindsay O'Keefe scored the Falcons' goal at 18:00 off an assist from Lou Paulson.

Falcon goalie Marlene Yaeger collected 32 saves on 35 shots on goal. UWRF had 19 shots.

UWRF, now 0-3-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the NCHA, will host Augsburg at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Hunt Arena.

Falcons Drop Second Game to UWSP

Nov. 1, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team lost for the second straight day to UW-Stevens Point, 3-2, Saturday afternoon at Hunt Arena.

The game was close throughout. The Pointers got the game-winner at 4:16 of the third period when Ann Ninneman scored with assists to Hilary Bulger and Kim Lunneborg.

The game was tied 1-1 after one and 2-2 after two. UWSP started the scoring at 4:59 of the first period when Emily Teachout scored with an assist to Jana Jurkovich. The Falcons tied the game at 12:13 when Kelly Hurley scored a power-play goal with assists to Jodi Hensch and Lindsy Carlson. In the second, the Falcons took a 2-1 lead at 3:50 when Nicole Magnuson scored another power-play goal with Carlson and Lou Paulson assisting. But the Pointers tied the game at 5:11 when Tracy Truckey scored a short-handed goal with an assist to Bulger.

UWRF goalie Marlene Yaeger, who ran in the WIAC cross country meet this morning, made 30 saves. UWSP's Amy Statz stopped 36 shots.

UWRF, now 0-2-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the NCHA, will play at Gustavus Adolphus on Friday. Action starts at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Drop Opener to UWSP, 4-1

Oct. 31, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team opened its 2003-04 season losing a 4-1 decision to UW-Stevens Point on Friday night at Hunt Arena.

After a scoreless first period, UWSP led 2-0 after two. UWSP scored two power-play goals in the second. Jackie Schmitt scored at 7:54 and Liz Goergen the second at 19:26. UWSP opened a 3-0 lead at 1:13 of the third period when Hayli Hupp scored. The Falcons got back to within 3-1 at 2:58 when Nicole Magnuson scored with assists to Jodi Hensch and Kristen Hurley. But UWSP closed the scoring at 4:18 when Ann Ninnemann scored.

UWRF goalie Marlene Yaeger made 37 saves while UWSP's Amy Statz stopped 19 shots.

UWRF will host UWSP again on Saturday with action starting at 2:05 p.m. at Hunt Arena.

Falcons Host UW-SP in Season Opener

Oct. 28, 2003

The Falcon women's hockey team will be out for even more success than last year when the Falcons won the NCHA regular season and playoff titles and advanced to the NCAA Div. III Frozen Four.

The Falcons start their season this weekend against another of the top teams in the nation - UW-Stevens Point.
The Falcons host the Pointers at Hunt Arena on Friday starting at 7:05 p.m. and again on Saturday for a 2:05 p.m. face off.

In the annual NCHA Coaches Poll, the Pointers were the pick to win the 2004 conference title. UW-SP picked up 23 votes and the Falcons finished a close second with 22 votes. This early season match up could have deep meaning as the season progresses.

Seven players are back from last year's team that finished 20-6-4 overall and 12-1-3 in NCHA play. There are 11 new faces in the lineup and several of those players will play key roles for the Falcons in 2003-04.

The backbone of every hockey team is goaltending and the Falcons have a talented duo at that key position. Marlene Yaeger is the returning starter and she had a banner filled season last year. She was named a JOFA All-American West first team All-American. That came after she was named to the first All-NCHA team for the second straight year and was named the Co-Player of the Year in the NCHA. She finished with an 18-6-4 record with a 1.60 goals against average and a .930 saves percentage. She finished fourth in the nation in saves percentage and 10th in goals against average. She was the highest ranked player in both categories in the West region. Amber Lindner gives the Falcons another talented player in goal. She prepped at Moorhead, Minn., High School.

"Yaeger looks very good right now, and she is always up for the Point games," Falcon Coach Joe Cranston said. "Lindner has been injured, but is starting to come around. I think our two goalies play very different styles and will compliment each other."

The Falcons are also a talented team on the blue line. "I think we probably have the best six defensemen in the country," boasted Cranston. The top two back are seniors Lindsy Carlson and Jodi Hensch. Both were named to the first All-NCHA team last year. Carlson was named to the JOFA All-American West first team for the second straight season. Carlson had eight goals and 18 points last year while Hensch finished with six goals and 18 points. Carlson's six power-play goals led the team and she was the top power play goal scorer among defensemen in the nation.

"Last year Carlson and Hensch only played together on power plays, but this year they are a pair. They are an offensive threat anytime they are on the ice together," said Cranston.

Juniors Nicole Magnuson and Jenny Kern, both transfers from MSU-Mankato, join the Falcons. Kristen Hurley and Jenny Wallace, two freshmen, will also contribute. "Magnuson and Kern and Hurley and Wallace are the other two pairs, and they are looking very impressive as well," said Cranston.

"Our biggest strength is our goaltending and defense," said Cranston, who was named the NCHA Coach of the Year in 2003. "In the past we have been a very tough team defensively. This year we are trying to be a good defensive team, but at the same time we are going to try to create a little more offense than we have in the past. Another strength is that we have a lot of good shooters. Last year we only had about five good shooters, and this year we probably have 13."

At forward the Falcons return only three forwards which could be a cause for concern as the season starts.
Back are two of the team's top three scorers - Lou Paulson and Lindsay O'Keefe. Paulson was second in scoring last year with 10 goals and 24 points and O'Keefe was third with 11 goals and 21 points. Leah Baron also returns after scoring five goals and 15 points. Rachel Goodwin, who played defense for the Falcons each of the past three seasons, will be moved up front this year. She finished with three goals and five points from the blue line last year. Injuries, graduation and players not returning account for 51 of the team's 94 goals not back this year.

"With some major losses at this position, I don't know what to expect. I think we have some potential to be very good, but with only three forwards returning, we will have to count on our younger players to step up right away," said Cranston.

Among the new forwards are sophomore Kelly Doran and freshmen Molly Buehner, Amy Gilbertson, Allison Schaber, Kelly Hurley (twin sister of Kristen) and Emily Nierenhausen.

"I think our biggest weakness will be depth and maturity," said Cranston. "We are a very young team, and we will be playing against teams like Steven's Point who are returning 17 veterans."

The NCHA is recognized as an outstanding women's hockey conference. Every team has improved since the women started play in the 2000-01 season. UW-RF has played in the NCHA playoff championship game in every season and has won two playoff titles (2001, 2003). UW-SP won the regular season and playoff titles in 2002 and finished second to the Falcons last year.

"I don't think it is going to be a two team race this year," said Cranston. "I think that any team can beat any other team on any given day. Eau Claire and Superior have two very good recruiting classes coming in, and Point and Lake Forest will be much improved. As a league, I think we will be much stronger this season."