Jenny Kern played in every game for the Falcons in 2004 and will be a key player on the blue line this year. She is in her final year of competition after plaing at MSU-Mankato. She played 59 games over two seasons with the Mavs. She sees the ice very well and will add important pieces to the Falcon defensive corps. She played high school hockey at Park Center and earned All-State honors one year. She earned All-State honorable mention two other years. She helped her team win the 2000 Minnesota State Championship. Kern also played on the Minnesota Selects four years. She is the daughter of Brian and Diane and has one sister. She is majoring in health & human performance.

Marlene Yaeger has been one of the most consistent goalies in the nation and enters her final year with the Falcons in 2004. She holds several school goalie records including minutes played (4,196), wins (39) and shutouts (10). In 2004 she was 14th in saves percentage and 19th in goals against average in the NCAA Div. III statistics. She recorded two shutouts, a 9-0 win over Lake Forest on Nov. 22 and a 1-0 win over Lake Forest on Feb. 15. Yaeger was named to the first All-NCHA team for the third straight season. Yaeger and fellow goalie Amber Linder were both named NCHA first-team goalies in 2004. In 2003 she was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and earned AHCA West All-American honors. She was named to the All-NCHA first team and was the NCHA Co-Player of the Year. She was also the NCHA’s Player of the Week twice. She finished with a 1.60 goals against average and a .939 saves percentage. Yaeger finished third in the nation in saves percentage and led all goalies in the west in that category. She broke her own school record by recording five shutouts that year. In her freshman year, she was named the team’s MVP. She also made the All-NCHA first team. She played with the Minnesota Thoroughbreds and helped the team to a second place finish in the US Midget Girl’s National Tournament. In previous seasons she was a member of the UWRF cross country team. She is the daughter of Larry and Lorraine and has one brother. She is majoring in computer science and broad area business.

Leah Baron had another solid season for the Falcons in 2004. She playe din every game and finished with nine goals and 16 points. She scored one power-play goal and had two game winners. She scored game winners in a 4-0 win against St. Benedict on Nov. 14 and in a 5-1 win over St. Catherine on Nov. 12. Baron was named the team’s Player of the Week on Jan. 19. She was named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2004. She uses her superb skating skills to find open ice and pull away from opponents. In 2003, Baron collected 15 points on five goals and 10 assists. In her senior year at Proctor-Hermantown High School, she finished with 44 points and was named to the second All-Area team. She was named a Prep Newsmaker in the Duluth News-Tribune. She set a school record for assists and also played with the Minnesota Selects in 2001. Baron also competes with the Falcon tennis team where she played No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles. She is the daughter of Mark and Laura and has one brother and three sisters. She is majoring in health & human performance.

Lindsay O’Keefe has had two excellent seasons for the Falcons and will be looked upon to be one of the team’s leaders this winter. She finished fourth in scoring for the Falcons with 14 goals and 24 points. She finished fifth with six power-play goals, fourth with two short-handed goals and 13th with four game-winning goals in the NCAA Div. III. She had game-winnings goals in an 8-1 win over Eau Claire in the NCHA Tournament on Feb. 29, in a 5-2 win over UWEC on Jan. 31, in a 3-0 win over St. Thomas on Jan. 13 and in a 3-1 win over Superior on Dec. 12. She earned NCHA honorable mention honors after the 2004 season. She was named the team’s Player of the Week on Feb. 9. She is an excellent student and was named to both the NCHA All-Academic team and to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. In 2003 she was the team’s third-leading scorer. O’Keefe was named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll for her work in the classroom. She scored 16 goals and 17 assists her senior year and was captain at Roseville High School. She helped the 1999 team to the Minnesota State Championship scoring a goal in the title game. O’Keefe played in the Maroon & Gold series and with the Minnesota Selects. She was named to the all-conference team and won the Sportsmanship Award. She is the daughter of Tim and Linda and has one brother. She is majoring in biology (pre-medicine).

Lou Paulson is the team’s top returning scorer and will be one of the top players for the 2005 Falcons. She is the team's captain for the 2004-05 season. She finished third on the team last year in scoring with 14 goals and 30 points. She scored three power-play goals and three game-winners. Her game-winners came in a 3-1 win against St. Olaf on Feb. 18, a 1-0 win over Lake Forest on Feb. 15 and a 9-0 win over Lake Forest on Nov. 22. She was named to the 2004 All-NCHA first team and was named the team’s Player of the Week three times – on Feb. 2, Jan. 26 and Dec. 8. Paulson was named the NCHA Player of the Week on Feb. 2 and Dec. 8. In 2003, Paulson was second on the team in points, first in assists and third in goals (10-14-24). She was named the Falcon Player of the Week on Jan. 21 after recording a natural hat trick in the first period of a 4-2 win over St. Thomas. Before coming to UWRF she played at Proctor-Hermantown High School. She finished with 24 goals and 46 points in 2002. She also competed with the Minnesota Selects. She was named to the second All-Area team and holds school records for season and career points. She is the daughter of Bob and Laurie and has one brother and one sister. She is majoring in business.

Molly Buehner played in every game for the Falcons at forward in 2004 and will be a solid player in the lineup this winter. In 2003 she played with the Cedar Falls High School boys team. She also played in the Chicago Showcase. She has a solid all-around game, but especially plays well in the defensive zone. Buehner showcases her skills with her play on the penalty kill. She is an outstanding student and was named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2004. She is the daughter of Jim and Catherine and has one brother and one sister. She is majoring in accounting.

Kelly Hurley returns for her second season with the Falcons after playing in every game in 2004. She had a strong first year with 10 goals and 19 points. She scored four power-play goals and two game winners. Her game winners came in a 3-1 win over Lake Forest on Feb. 14 and a 5-1 win over Superior on Feb. 6. She showed that her outstanding offensive skills throughout the season. Hurley was named to he WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2004. In 2003 she served as captain for the Lakeville High School team. She was named the team’s best offensive player and made the all-conference team three times. Hurley also named All-State honorable mention her junior year and earned All-State Academic honors her senior year. The highlight of her high school career was scoring an overtime game winner in the sectional finals her junior year. She is the daughter of Ken and Tracie and has one brother and one sister. Her twin sister, Kristen, also plays for the Falcons. She is majoring in biology.

Kristen Hurley played an important role for the Falcons with her skills on defense. She played in every game and finished with four assists. Hurley was named to he WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2004. She plays an aggressive style and will be one of the veterans on the blue line. She played at Lakeville High School and earned all-conference honors for four seasons, was named her team’s best defensive player four times and was the team Most Valuable Player once. Hurley also earned All-State honorable mention honors her junior year. Hurley was her team’s captain for two seasons. She is the daughter of Ken and Tracie and has one brother and one sister. Her twin sister, Kelly, also plays for the Falcons. She is majoring in biology.

Amber Lindner had a great first year for the Falcons and gave UWRF one of the top goaltending tandems in the country. She played in 11 games and finished with a 9-1 record with a 1.26 goals against average and a .939 saves percentage. She was fourth in winning percentage, sixth in goals against average and seventh in saves percentage in the NCAA final statistics. She had two shutouts – a 4-0 win over St. Benedict on Nov. 14 and a 3-0 win over St. Thomas on Jan. 13. Lindner was named to he WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2004. She joined teammate Marlene Yaeger as the two first All-NCHA team goalies. In her career at Moorhead, Minn., High School, she earned All-State honorable mention honors in 2001. Linder also participated in Minnesota Selects for three years. She was her school’s Most Valuable Player in 2000. She is the daughter of Jim and Becky and has four brothers and two sisters. She is majoring in pre-medicine (biology).

Emily Nierenhausen had a solid first year for the Falcons on the blue line. She will be one of the veteran defensemen returning for the team. In 2004 she finished with nine assists and played in every game. She has great stick handling skills. Her size and work ethic will make her a valuable player to the Falcons. Nierenhausen was named to her all-conference team, the Minnesota Selects and the Junior Stars. She played at North St. Paul, Minn., High School. She is the daughter of Mark and Ev and has one brother. She is undecided on a major field of study.

Jenny Wallace was a regular in the Falcon lineup in 2004 playing in 26 games. She had one goal and one assist for two points. She scored her goal in an 8-1 win over Eau Claire in the NCHA Tournament. She adds great stick handling and ice vision to the Falcon blue line unit. She played high school hockey at Buffalo, Minn., and made the all-conference team for three years. Wallace also played for the Minnesota Selects for seven years, yet she says the highlight of her career is winning the conference championship three consecutive years. She is the daughter of Richard and Nancy and has one brother and one sister. She is majoring in business management.

Kacie Anderson begins her freshman year with the Falcons in 2004-05. During her senior year at Shattuck-St.Mary's, Minn., Prep School, she had eight points with one goal and seven assists. She helped her team win the State AAA Tournament to advance to Nationals. She is the daughter of Dane and Donna and has one brother and one sister. She is undecided on a major field of study.

Ranae Bergh joins the Falcons as a first year player and is an important addition to the Falcon blue line corps. She played the past two years at Shattuck-St. Mary's and helped the team to the National Tournament in 2003 and 2004. She is the daughter of Randy and Carol and has three sisters. She is majoring in animal science.

Amy Brueggeman is a first year Falcon from Moorhead, Minn. High School. She will bring a strong work ethic to the team as she earned the Hardest Worker award all four years of her high school career. She was named to the all-conference team twice. During her senior year she had 16 points with eight goals and eight assists. She participated in the Junior Fest and the Senior Classic. She is the daughter of Mike and Deb and she has one brother and one sister. She is undecided on a major field of study.

Kelly Jensen begins her freshman year with the Falcons in 2004-05. She attended Eden Prairie, Minn., High School where she earned all-conference and the team Most Valuable Player award in 2004. During her senior year she had 41 points with 18 goals and 23 assists. She was named the team's Most Improved in 2002 and 2003. She participated in the Junior Fest, the Senior Classic, and The Chicago Showcase tournaments. She is the daughter of Larry and Ann and she has three sisters. She is majoring in elementary education.