Feb. 20, 2006

Goalie AJ Bucchino (So., Bow, N.H.) put up a great effort for the Falcons in goal despite an early playoff exit against Stout. In the opening game of their NCHA Playoff series, the Falcons were blanked by UW-Stout, 1-0.   In the loss, Bucchino made 39 impressive saves but didn't receive any help from the River Falls offense. In game two Bucchino made another start and allowed two goals in the 3-2 overtime loss. Bucchino made 45 saves and repeatedly halted Stout's power play opportunities. The game-winning goal came when Bucchino was pulled with 1:05 left in overtime as the Falcons were desperate for the win. "AJ has been great for us all year," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman.   "We were shorthanded so often in both games and he did a great job limiting the damage."

AJ
Bucchino

Feb. 13, 2006

Forward Derek Hansberry (Fr., Arvada, Col.) scored three goals over the weekend in a split against UW-Stout. Hansberry's first two goals came in Friday' s win against the Blue Devils, 4-2. The first score came 33 seconds into the first period and the second came at 18:46 of the first.   The first goal came with the Falcons on the power play, and the second goal tied the game, 2-2. Hansberry also scored a goal in a 3-1 loss against Stout on Saturday coming late into the second period.   That came with the Falcons skating short-handed and cut the Stout lead to 2-1. Hansberry leads the team in goals for the season with 18 and he also leads in points with 32.   "Derek has done a tremendous job all year and we expect that to continue into the playoffs," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman about the 6-0, 190 pounder.

Derek
Hansberry

Feb. 6, 2006

Goalie AJ Bucchino (So., Bow, N.H.) helped the Falcons to a sweep in two NCHA road games last weekend. He played key roles in the team's 5-3 win at St. Scholastica and a 1-0 win at UW-Superior. On Friday at St. Scholastica he made a season and career high 46 saves to get the win. He stopped 23 of 24 shots in the third period when UWRF was out shot, 24-9. On Saturday at UW-Superior he stopped all 23 shots he faced and that proved to be the difference in the 1-0 game. It was his second shutout of the season. He has a 9-2-3 record with a .934 saves percentage and a 2.11 goals against average this year. He has been consistently ranked in the top 10 in both categories in the NCAA Div. III.

AJ
Bucchino

Jan. 30, 2006

Forward Jared Sailer (Jr., Fernie, B.C.) helped the Falcons to a split in two games last weekend at Hunt Arena. In Saturday's 4-3 win over Lake Forest the 6-3, 220 pounder scored a goal and had an assist. He scored the team's third goal of the contest at 2:39 of the third period. His assist came on the game-winning goal at 18:06 of the third stanza. "Jared was coming off an injury and it was great for him to be able to get back into the groove of things right away. All his effort in the recovery process paid off," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman. He has four goals and nine points for the Falcons this season.

Jared
Sailer

Jan. 23 , 2006

Forward Pat Borgestad (So., St. Paul, Minn.) helped the Falcons to two NCHA and WIAC wins last weekend at Eau Claire (5-1) and Stevens Point (4-1). He recorded two goals in the 4-1 win at Stevens Point. Borgestad's first score came 2:55 into the second period. His second goal came just under two minutes later.   Both were power-play goals. Borgestad has recorded 10 goals on the season that is second on the team. He has 21 points, third on the team. "Pat plays well game in and game out. He's an asset to our team and a great two-way player," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman about the 6-3, 200 pounder.

Pat
Borgestad

Jan. 16, 2006

Goalie AJ Bucchino (So., Bow, N.H.) recorded his first collegiate shutout in a 3-0 win against St. Thomas on Saturday night at Hunt Arena. Going along with the shutout, Bucchino made 33 saves and improved his season record to 6-1-3. Bucchino has played a solid role for the Falcons this season and is a great presence between the pipes. He leads the Falcon goalies in appearances with 10. In those 10 appearances Bucchino has made 289 saves, has a .938 save percentage, and has a team low 1.86 goals against average. "Anytime you can get a shutout it is a great accomplishment," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman.

AJ
Bucchino

Jan. 9, 2006

Forward Dustin Norman (Fr., South Delta, B.C.) had five total points in the team's 6-2 win over Marian on Friday and s 3-2 win at Bethel on Saturday.  In the first game against Marian, Norman recorded four assists. It was Norman's first multiple point game of his career. The first assist came in the first period on a goal by Joe Adams. The other three took place in the third period on goals from Derek Hansberry, Nate Hansen, and Hansberry again.  Norman did not let up going into the Bethel game on Saturday where he recorded another assist on TJ Dahl's third period power-play, game-winning goal. "Dustin always gives a strong effort and always looks to make the team better," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman of the 6-2, 175 pounder. He is fourth on the team in scoring with four goals and 14 points.

Dustin
Norman

Dec. 19, 2005

Forward Pat Borgestad (So., St. Paul, Minn.) recorded two goals in a home 4-2 win over Hamline on Wednesday night. His first goal was scored late in the first period and that gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead. Borgestad's second goal, which proved to be the game winner, was scored early in the second period. Borgestad now has six goals on the season and a total of 15 points. "He's a great player," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman. "He always makes the big play when we need it."

Pat
Borgestad

Dec. 12, 2005

Goalie AJ Bucchino (So., Bow, N.H.) helped the Falcons to a win and a tie last weekend in games at Hunt Arena. The Falcons tied with UW-Superior, 1-1, and beat St. Scholastica, 3-2. He made 31 saves in the tie with UWS and stopped 31 shots in the win over St. Scholastica. He had a .953 saves percentage for the weekend. Saturday's game was Bucchino's seventh appearance in goal for the Falcons and he leads all River Falls goalies in that category. For the season, Bucchino has tallied 202 saves and has a .931 save percentage with a 2.07 goals against average. Coach Steve Freeman said of the sophomore transfer, "AJ is very solid in the net and keeps us in every game."

AJ
Bucchino

Dec. 5, 2005

Forward Derek Hansberry (Fr., Arvada, Col.) knotted two goals over the weekend in losses at Lake Forest (3-2) and St. Nobert (5-2). Hansberry's first goal came Friday at Lake Forest where he gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead halfway through the first period. His second score of the weekend was a power play goal against St. Norbert in the third period. Hansberry's two goals give him six on the season that is second on the team. He is third in scoring with 11 points. "Derek is definitely a spark on our team. He has surprised us this year and has become a major contributor," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman about the 6-0 190 pounder.

Derek
Hansberry

Nov. 21, 2005

Forward TJ Dahl (So., Burnsville, Minn.) scored four goals in this past weekend's games to help the Falcons beat UW-Stevens Point (3-1) and UW-Eau Claire (7-3) at Hunt Arena. In River Falls first conference game of the season on Friday against Stevens Point, Dahl was able to put the Falcons on the board first with a goal 9:31 into the first period. In Saturday's 7-3 win over Eau Claire, Dahl had a career best three goals to record his first career hat trick. Dahl scored two goals in the second period at 9:33 and 16:50. His third goal came midway through the third that bumped the Falcons lead to 4-0. Dahl, 6-1, 195 pounds, now has seven goals on the season and leads the team in goals and points (13). "TJ had an outstanding two-way game and is always in a good position," Falcon Coach Steve Freeman said of the sophomore standout.

TJ
Dahl

Nov. 14, 2005

Forward TJ Dahl (So., Burnsville, Minn.) scored one goal and three assists and helped the Falcons to a road tie and a home win last week. During Thursday's 2-2 tie at St. John's, Dahl tallied an assist on the team's first goal 3:46 into the first period. In the Falcons 7-4 Saturday win at home against Augsburg Dahl totaled three points. He scored the team's second goal of the game at 7:39 into the second period. He added an assist on the team's third goal, and on the game-winning goal in the third period. Dahl's four points this week bump his season point total up to nine which leads the team. "TJ is an excellent two-way player and always gives his best effort," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman and the 6-1, 195 pounder.

TJ
Dahl

Nov. 7, 2005

Forward Pat Borgestad (So., St. Paul, Minn.) recorded two goals and two assists over the weekend to lead the Falcons. In Friday's 5-5 tie at St. Olaf, Borgestad scored one goal and added two assists. He scored the team's first goal at 12:23 to cut St. Olaf's lead to 2-1. He picked up two assists on Falcon third period goals. He assisted on two power-play goals at 1:47 and 7:43. Borgestad's strong effort throughout the game along with the goal prevented the Falcons from losing for the first time. "He really stepped it up and went to the net hard," Falcon Coach Steve Freeman said.  In Saturday's 4-3 home loss to Gustavus Adolphus, the 6-3, 200 pounder scored the team's third goal at 3:56 of the third period. He currently leads the Falcons with six points and he is tied for the team lead with four assists.

Pat
Borgestad

Oct. 31, 2005

Forward Joe Adams (So., Roseau, Minn.) completed a hat trick on Saturday night against the Lawrence Vikings and has been named the team's Player of the Week. Adams scored two goals in the first period, back-t0-back at 10:46 and 15:01, and then added another in the third at 10:17. The Falcons won the game, 8-0, and completed their opening weekend with a perfect 2-0 record. All three goals came with the teams skating even strength. Adams, 5-10, 180 pounds, is becoming a solid force up front for the Falcons. Coach Steve Freeman believes Adams' ability can be linked to him, "staying on the move all the time with his quickness and speed." Adams cracked the Falcon lineup late last season and has been in high gear ever since.

Joe
Adams