By Mike Klees
UWRF Sports Information

The six seniors that make up the leadership core of the Falcons have been through a lot together.

They remember the consecutive losses in the playoffs to St. Norbert and missing the NCAA playoffs in 2002. The seniors have also seen moments of jubilation, such as playoff wins against St. John’s in 2003 and St. Thomas in 2004. They also celebrated more recently, knocking UW-Superior from their No. 1 ranking just two weeks ago.

"They are all excellent team guys," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman, "great in the locker room. "They’re guys who like to practice, and that’s always a positive."

The story of the six seniors begins in the 2001-2002 season. The Falcons were coming off a Frozen Four appearance and Freeman welcomed in a freshman class that included Marc-Andre Lalande, Steve Moe, Josh Schlipp and Grant van Wyngeeren. Schlipp was a star for the Falcons right off the bat scoring 17 goals to lead the team as a freshman. He was named All-WIAC and All-NCHA honorable mention. Lalande and Moe got off to more modest starts, but still contributed scoring five and six points, respectfully. As a team the Falcons missed the NCAA playoffs, but finished fourth in the conference with a record of 18-9-2.

At the beginning of the 2002-2003 season Tony Sikich transferred to UW-RF from Stout, giving the Falcons an additional offensive threat. Despite playing in just 20 games his first year, Sikich netted 16 points for the Falcons, who returned to the NCAA playoffs only to lose 5-2 at St. Norbert in the quarterfinals. Schlipp, Moe, and Lalande all increased their point totals from the year before including a 30 point year for Schlipp. The team had obviously improved, with a record of 23-7-1, and seemed ready to make the next step.

The 2003-2004 season was one that a lot of the Falcons thought would be their year. They had been right on the edge of going to the next level, but still had been unable to get over the hump. Lalande began to assert himself as a defensive force and was named to the All-NCHA first team. Moe earned the Most Improved Player award netting nine goals and dishing out seven assists for the team. Sikich and Schlipp also continued their solid play with 21 and 19 points, respectfully. Unfortunately the Falcons lost to St. Norbert in the NCAA quarterfinals, 3-0. They finished the season 21-6-4 and with eight seniors graduating the next season looked bleak.

The current season for the Falcons has been marked with inconsistency. The young team has played phenomenal hockey at times. One thing that has transformed the team has been the play of Garrett Larson. Larson, a senior transfer from Div. I St. Cloud State, has been the most consistent scorer for the Falcons and is a leader by example. Larson is tied for fifth in the nation with 18 goals, and has 18 assists as well. Grant Van Wyngeeren also returned to the Falcons after leaving the team after the 2002 season. The team is currently in fourth place in the NCHA with a record of 14-7-2. Hopefully the seniors will be able to go out on a positive note.

"The thing that jumps out at you is that they’re all really competitive," said Freeman.

The seniors on the team seem to have instilled their brand of hockey in the younger players on this team. They have shown them how it should be done and it will be up to those individuals coming back next year to continue the Falcon tradition of excellence.