Nine Join Falcon Women's Hockey Team
March 22, 2007

Nine student-athletes have decided to attend UW-River Falls this fall and compete with the Falcon women's hockey team.

"I am very excited about this recruiting class," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston, who was named the NCHA Coach of the Year in 2007. "We are bringing in two top goalies in Cassi Campbell and Kate Wilson. We added a little scoring punch with the four forwards. I expect all three freshmen defenders to play right away and have an impact."

Campbell is from Anchorage, Alaska and played with the Toronto Rattlers last year. Wilson is from West Vancouver, B.C., and played with the Pacific Storm last season.

The defenders include Kayleigh Bell from Stillwater, Minn. She scored four goals and 22 points for the Ponies last season. Lauren Conrad is from Centerville, Minn., and played at Centennial High School where she scored nine goals and 20 points. Bailie Vikstrom is from Burnsville, Minn., and she scored four goals and 25 points for the Blaze.

Ashly Berner is a forward from Plymouth, Minn. She played at Armstrong High School and scored 15 goals and 34 points in 2006-07. Forward Jamie Briski is from Chisholm, Minn., and at Hibbing/Chisholm High School last year she scored 28 goals and 45 points. Brittany Erickson is from Rochester, Minn. She played at Mayo High School where she scored nine goals and 22 points for the Spartans last year. Jessi Thompson played at Mounds View High School last year and she scored 13 goals and 32 points. She is from Shoreview, Minn.

"Overall we have more depth at every position next year," said Cranston. "With this group of freshmen, added to an excellent group of returnees, I believe we will have a great deal of success not only next year but in the years to come."

The 2006-07 Falcons finished 14-9-4 overall and just one point out of first place in the final NCHA standings. The Falcons finished 9-4-2 in NCHA play.

Joe Cranston

Lindner Named to AHCA-RBK Hockey All-America Team

March 19, 2007

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) has been named to the 2007 RBK Hockey Div. III first West All-America team.

Lindner played the bulk of the minutes in goal for the 2007 Falcons. She played in and started 24 games and finished the regular season with a 1.87 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. She had an 11-8-4 record with three shutouts. She recorded shutouts against Augsburg (3-0), Eau Claire (1-0) and Finlandia (6-0). She led all NCHA goalies with 516 saves and finished second in goals against average. In the NCAA Div. III, she was eighth in goals against average and ninth in save percentage after the regular season.

Lindner, who was named the NCHA Player of the Year in 2007, was named to the All-NCHA team in 2004 and 2007.

The communicative disorders major was named to the NCHA All-Academic teams in 2007, 2006 and 2005. She was one of only three players named to the team for the third time in 2007. To be named to the team a player must have a cumulative 3.00 grade point average, have earned at least 50 semester or 75 quarter hours, and be recommended by her head coach.

AHCA Site

2007 Falcon Statistics

Falcons Finish Fourth in NCHA Tournament

March 3, 2007

The Falcons lose their final game of the season, 5-4 to Lake Forest Sunday afternoon.

Abby Sunderman started off the scoring making her 12 goal of the season at 4:26 of the first period. She was assisted by Jessie Dyslin and Cassie LeBlanc. Katie Snowden of Lake Forest answered back at 17:10 with her ninth goal of the season, she was assisted by Coutrney DeHoey.

Scoring in the second period began with a goal by Lake Forester Maggie Bresser, her fourth goal of the year; with assists from Megan Patrick and Brita Irving at 8:14. LeBlanc tied the game up with her eight goal of the season at 8:27. She was assisted by Kelly Jensen and Sunderman. LeBlanc scored again on a power play to put her team in the lead for the first time of the game. She scored at 10:57 with assists from Jenny Wallace, and Dyslin.

In the third period, LeBlanc lit up the score board for the third and final time making her hat trick goal at 10:57 and her 10 and final goal of the season. She was assisted by Kacie Anderson. Lake Forest then went on a scoring run beginning with a goal from Courtney DeHoey at 11:14; she was assisted by Katie Snowden and Jamie Sauer. Patrick then scored her second goal of the game unassisted at 12:05 to tie up the game. The game winning point came from a short handed goal from DeHoey, her 16 goal of the year, with an assist from Amalia Vriend. The Falcons out-shot the Foresters 67-21

All three Falcon goalies got some time on the ice. Senior Amber Lindner played 40 minutes and made 10 saves and out of 12 shots on goal. Brook Bruggeman played 12:05 of the third period and made six saves out of eight shots on goal. Finally, Mandi Mohwinkel was credited with the loss, making her record 1-1-0, played 7:35 and made no saves out of one shot on goal before leaving an empty net for the final 20 seconds. Lake Forest goalie Sally Bevis ended her season with a record of 4-5-4. She played all 60 minutes and made 63 saves.

The Falcons end their 2006-2007 season with an overall record of 14-9-4 and 9-4-2 in the NCHA. They finished in second in the NCHA Conference and placed fourth in the NCHA Tournament.

Falcons Lose in Overtime of Semifinals

March 2, 2007

The Falcon women’s hockey team lost to Stevens Point in the NCHA Semifinals on Friday, 3-2 in overtime. Their final game will be against the loser of the Lake Forest vs Superior game for third place at 2 p.m.

Stefanie Schmitz was the first to score for the Falcons with a goal at 6:13 of the first period. She was assisted by Cassie Leblanc and Renae Bergh. UWSP's Michelle Sosnowski scored the next to goals. The first one was at 17:55 of the first period with an assist from Tracy Butler and the next at 16:57 of the third period with assists from Chris Hanson and Nicole Grossmann. Schmitz scored again to tie the game up at 18:38 of the third period with an assist from Abby Sunderman and put the game into overtime. UWSP's Kelley nelson scored late in the overtime at 7:01 with an assist from Madison Darud to win the game, 3-1. UWSP will go on to play in the championship game against wither Lake Forest or Superior at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Total shots on goal for the Falcons was 27 to UWSP's 53.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner played the entire game for 67:01 and made 50 saves. UWSP's goalie Amy Statz also played the entire 67:01 and made 25 saves.

The Falcons have an overall record of 14-8-4 and will play against either Lake Forest or Superior for third place at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Falcons Finish Second; Play Stevens Point in NCHA Semifinals on Friday

Feb. 25, 2007

The Falcon women’s hockey team finished second in the NCHA final standings and will play in the NCHA playoffs this weekend at UW-Superior.

The Falcons started the weekend in first place with a two point lead over Superior in the NCHA standings. The Falcons had completed their season, but Superior had a two-game series against Lake Forest at home. UWS won on Saturday, 2-1, and tied on Sunday, 1-1, to win three of four points and finish one point ahead of UWRF in the final standings. UWS finished 9-3-3 for 21 points and the Falcons finished 9-4-2 for 20 points.

UWS will host the tournament that will be played on Friday and Saturday. On Friday the Falcons will face third seeded Stevens Point at 3 p.m. (Note time change - was 2 p.m.) UWS will play fourth seeded Lake Forest at 7 p.m. There will be a third place game at noon on Saturday and the championship game will be played at 5 p.m. All games will be played at Wessman Arena.

UWRF has participated in every NCHA playoff series. The Falcons won the playoff championship in 2001 and 2003. UWRF finished third in 2006 and second in 2005 and 2002. Stevens Point is the defending champion.

The Falcons are 1-1-1 against Stevens Point this year. The Falcons won, 2-1, on Dec. 2 and tied, 2-2 in overtime on Dec. 3 at Stevens Point. UWSP took a 4-1 win on Jan. 21 in River Falls. UWRF is 2-1 against Lake Forest. The Falcons took a 2-1 overtime win at Hunt Arena on Jan. 20. UWRF lost a 3-0 game on Feb. 9, and won a 4-1 decision on Feb. 10 at Lake Forest. Against Superior, the Falcons finished the year with a 1-1-1 record. The two teams played to a 2-2 overtime tie at Superior on Jan. 27. At Hunt Arena, UWS took 4-3 win on Feb. 17 and the Falcons came back to earn a 4-2 win on Feb. 18.

The Falcons enter the tournament with a 14-7-4 overall record. UWRF has not played a neutral site game this year. They are 6-5-2 at Hunt Arena and an impressive 8-2-2 in road games.

Three Falcons have scored 20 or more points. Freshman forward Stefanie Schmitz (12-9-21) and junior forward Jenna Scanlon (11-10-21) lead the team. Freshman forward Cassie LeBlanc (7-13-20) is third in scoring. LeBlanc leads the team in assists and Schmitz leads the Falcons in goals. Schmitz leads the Falcons with seven power-play goals and she is tied with freshman forward Abby Sunderman (11-4-15) with three game-winning goals. Senior goalie Amber Lindner has played the most between the pipes. She has an 11-7-4 record with a 1.79 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. She has recorded three shutouts, including a 3-0 win at home against Lake Forest on Feb. 9.

The Falcon power play has scored on 25-162 chances (.154) and the UWRF penalty killers have allowed 19 goals in 141 chances (.135). The Falcons average 2.8 goals a game and allow 1.89. The Falcons have scored two short-handed goals – they have been scored been senior defender Jennifer Wallace and junior forward Kristen Juven. The Falcons have allowed two short-handed goals.

Falcons Finish Regular Season with 4-2 Win

Feb. 18, 2007

The Falcons ended their regular season play with a 4-2 win over Superior, Sunday afternoon. The game began with the recognition of parents and the Falcon's two seniors, Amber Lindner and Jennifer Wallace.

Superior had the first goal of the game at 9:20 of the first period, but the Falcons came back and left the first period with a 2-1 lead. Kelly Jensen was the first Falcon to score at 14:48 with an assist from Jenna Scanlon. Cassie LeBlanc added one more goal at 17:26 with assists from Abby Sunderman and Stefanie Schmitz. Schmitz carried on the scoring into the second period with a power play goal at 11:36. She was assisted by Wallace and Scanlon. Superior put the game within one point with a goal at 13:38, but Sunderman pushed the game out of reach with a power play goal at 16:05. She was assisted by Kacie Anderson and LeBlanc. Superior pulled their goalie with a 1:40 remaining on the clock, but neither team scored in the third period. "We played solid defense in the third period," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston. The Falcons were 2-4 on power plays, UWS went 0-4. Shooting was close, but the Falcons out shot the Yellow Jackets 27-24.

Lindner played all 60 minutes in goal and made 25 saves for the night. Her record is now 11-7-4.

The Falcons end their regular season with an overall record of 14-7-4 and 9-4-2 in the NCHA. They are waiting for the pairings for the NCHA Tournament which will be March 2-4.

Falcons Drop 4-3 to Superior

Feb. 17, 2007

The Falcons began the first of two home games against Superior Saturday afternoon and despite a strong rally in the third period the Falcons lost 4-3.

Scoring didn't begin till the second period, when Superior swooped in for a short handed goal just 36 seconds into the period. Falcon Jennifer Wallace answered back at 3:27 with an assist from Jenny Schmidt to tie the game up. Superior then went on a three goal run that left the Falcons unable to overcome. Superior scored a few seconds after Wallace at 3:56 then again at 5:15 and finally the last goal of the period was scored at 5:15. The Falcons were two goals behind going into the third period, but it was quickly stretched to four as Superior threw in one final goal at 9:04. Jenna Scanlon brought back some momentum with a goal at 11:44 she was assisted by Kelly Jensen. At 13:38 Cassie LeBlanc had one more goal that brought the Falcons within one. Abby Sunderman had the assist. Both teams called timeouts during the final minutes of the game, but the Falcons weren't able to get one more goal that would have pushed the game into overtime. "That was the best third period we ever played," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston, "That's as good as we could play and tomorrow we'll try to continue from there."

The Falcons were 0-7 in power play attempts, Superior was 0-3. Shooting in the third period was huge for the Falcons as they shot 24 of their total 40 shots on goal. Superior had a total of 30.

Goalie Amber Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 26 saves for the night. Her record is now 10-7-4.

The Falcons now have an overall record of 13-7-4 and 8-4-2 in the NCHA. On Sunday the Falcons will face Superior again for the chance to win their final regular season game. The puck drops at 2:05 p.m. in the Hunt Arena

LeBlanc Named NCHA Player of the Week

Feb. 13, 2007

Falcon hockey player Cassie LeBlanc (Fr., Anoka, Minn.) has been named the NCHA Player of the Week according to league Sports Information Director Layne Pitt.

LeBlanc had a very impressive week as the Falcons won two of three games. The forward dished out her 10th and 11th assists of the season during Wednesday's 4-1 win at St. Thomas. On Saturday she led her team to a 4-1 victory at Lake Forest. She showed an amazing amount of offensive talent scoring the three goal hat trick and getting an assist on the fourth Falcon goal. "Cassie played hard all weekend and it really paid off on Saturday," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston. LeBlanc has scored five goals and has 17 points this year. She is third on the team in scoring.

Falcons Defeat Lake Forest, 4-1

Feb. 10, 2007

The Falcons came back strong on Saturday after dropping their first game against Lake Forest on Friday. Forward Cassie LeBlanc led her team to defeat the Foresters with three goals and one assist.

The Falcons were the first team to score and hold their lead throughout the game. LeBlanc scored her third goal of the season at 14:19 of the first period. She was assisted by Jennifer Wallace. Neither team scored during the second period, but the Falcons really lit up the
scoreboard in the third period scoring three of their four goals. LeBlanc netted her second goal of the game at 6:21 where she received another assist from Wallace and another from Jessie Dyslin. Lake Forest scored their first and only goal, short handed, at 8:15. Kelly Jensen scored the Falcon’s third goal and her fifth goal of the season at 17:29. She was assisted by LeBlanc. LeBlanc wasn’t done scoring yet, she threw in her hat trick goal and the last point of the game at 19:47 on a power play. She was assisted by Renae Bergh.

Goalie Amber Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 22 saves. Her record is now 10-6-4.

The Falcons nearly doubled the Foresters on shots on goal; 43-23. Penalties seemed to plague the Foresters, but the Falcons were unable to capitalize on many opportunities. They were 1-13; the Foresters were 0-8.

The Falcons are currently in first place standing and have an overall record of 13-6-4 and 8-3-2 in the NCHA. On Saturday the Falcons will host UW Superior at 2:05 p.m. for the first of two games that will end the regular season play

Falcons Lose at Lake Forest, 3-0

Feb. 9, 2007

The Falcon women's hockey team was not able to get on the scoreboard in a 3-0 loss at Lake Forest on Friday night.

Katie Snowden scored twice for the Foresters to help lead them to the win. She scored the game's first goal at 3:40 of the first period and added her second goal of the game at 1:11 of the second stanza. Maggie Bresser gave the Foresters a 2-0 lead with a goal at 7:39 of the first period. It was just the second time this season the Falcons have been held scoreless. The loss snapped a three-game Falcon winning streak. The Falcons had beat Lake Forest, 2-1 in overtime, earlier this season.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner made 24 saves and her record is now 9-6-4. LFC goalie Ryann McCarthy stopped all 31 shots she faced.

The Falcons were out shot, 8-5 in the first period. They out shot the Foresters 13-10 in the second period and 13-9 in the third. UWRF was called for seven minor penalties and LFC eight. The Falcons finished 0-6 on the power play and Lake Forest was 1-6.

The Falcons are now at a 12-5-4 overall record and 7-3-2 in the NCHA. On Saturday they play at Lake Forest with the puck dropping at 2 p.m.

Falcons Win 4-1 Against St. Thomas

Feb. 7, 2007

The women's hockey team defeated St. Thomas 4-1 Wednesday night.

The Falcons wasted no time getting the scoring started making two of their four goals during the first period. At 4:16 Stefanie Schmitz made her eleventh goal of the season with assists from Cassie LeBlanc and Renae Bergh. Abby Sunderman was the next to score on a power play at 17:06. She was assisted by LeBlanc and it was her tenth goal of the season. In the second period Kelly Jensen scored her fourth goal of the season at 11:25 with assists from Sunderman and Jessie Dyslin and to finish off the scoring was Jenna Scanlo making her tenth goal of the season with an assist from Jenny Schmidt at 15:20. UST player Jill Kobow scored their only goal late in the third period at 15:37.

Shooting was dead even as both teams had 24 shots on goal. The Falcons were 1/5 on power plays to UST who went 0.6.

Goalie Amber Lindner stopped 20 of 21 shots on goal improving her record to 9-5-4.

The Falcons are now at a 12-5-4 overall record and 7-2-2 in conference. On Friday they play the first of two games at Lake Forest. The puck is set to drop at 7:05 p.m.

Falcons Defeat Blugolds, 4-1

Feb. 3 , 2007

The Falcons defeated UW-Eau Claire 4-1 Saturday afternoon in the Hunt Arena.

Stefanie Schmitz started the scoring with a goal at 13:54, she was assisted by Kristen Juven. Penalties plagued the Falcons in the second period, but strong defense held the Blugolds scoreless through the power play opportunities. "Our penalties killed our offense in the second," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston, "but i think we played really well in the first and third period." The Falcons were one for five in power plays and UWEC were zero for four.

Jenny Schmidt scored at 13:57 of the third period to give the Falcons a comfortable lead, but UWEC kept the game close with a goal at 14:38. Schmidt was assisted by Kelly Jensen and Jenna Scanlon. Schmitz stayed hot scoring for the second time that night and her tenth goal of the season to push the lead out of the Blugolds reach, scoring on a power play at 19:03 with an assist from Schmidt. UWEC pulled their goalie to put one more scorer on the ice, but the empty net resulted in one last Falcon goal at 19:15, securing the win. Abby Sunderman scored the goal with assists from Cassie LeBlanc and Jessie Dyslin.

Goalie Amber Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 19 saves out of 20 shots. Her record is now 8-5-4.

The Falcons improve their record 11-5-4 overall and 7-2-2 in conference. On Wednesday they travel to St. Thomas, the game will begin at 7:05 p.m.

Schmitz Named NCHA Player of the Week

Jan. 30, 2007

Stefanie Schmitz (Fr., Farmington, Minn.) had a record setting weekend for the Falcon women's hockey team and has been named the NCHA Player of the Week according to league Sports Information director, Layne Pitt.

Schmitz was involved in six of the team's seven goals last weekend and helped the Falcons earn three out of a possible four NCHA points. With the three points the Falcons moved into first place in the NCHA standings.

Schmitz, 5-4, set a school record with four goals in the team's 5-3 win at Finlandia on Sunday. She scored four goals and had one assist. In the first period she scored three times and had one assist. Her fourth goal came in the third period. She also tied the school record for points in a game with five. In the team's 2-2 overtime tie at Superior on Saturday she got the lone assist on the game-tying goal that came with 5:52 left in regulation.

She is second on the team with eight goals and is tied for the team lead with 16 points. The Falcons host UW-Eau Claire at 2:05 p.m., on Saturday at Hunt Arena in another NCHA game.

Schmitz Scores Four Goals to Lead Falcons to 5-3 Win

Jan. 28, 2007

The Falcons took a demanding 4-1 lead against Finlandia to secure a 5-3 win Sunday afternoon.

Stefanie Schmitz set the pace for the game when she came out and scored the first goal of the day just 39 seconds into the first period.  That was her fifth goal of the season and she was assisted by Jenny Schmidt and Jenna Scanlon.  Finlandia answered back at 8:41 with a power play goal, but that would be their last goal fo the period.  Schmitz answered back with a power play goal of her own, and her second goal at 9:45 with assists from Jessie Dyslin and another for Scanlon.  Dyslin then scored a goal on a power play at 11:18 with Scanlon giving her third assist for the game and Schmitz also adding in the assist.  Schmitz scored her hat trick and game winning goal of the evening at 19:07 with an assist from Jenny Wallace.

Scoring slowed down in the second period with neither team scoring.  Finlandia ended the dry spell with a goal at 10:17 of the third period, but Schmitz wasn’t done scoring yet, she made her fourth goal of the night and eight of the season at 15:41.  Finlandia made one final goal at 19:15 on a power play, but it was too little too late as the Falcons won 5-3.

Goalie Brook Bruggeman played all 60 minutes and made a total of 23 saves.  Her record is now 2-0-0.

The Falcons have a record of 10-5-4 and 6-2-2 in the NCHA.  Schmitz and Scanlon both played amazing games and it’ll be interesting to see them keep it up in their next game at home against Eau Claire.  The game begins at 2:05 on Saturday.

Falcons Tie Superior, 2-2

Jan. 27, 2007

After 65 minutes of play, the women’s hockey team was still in a 2-2 tie at Superior Saturday afternoon.

In what started out to be a win for UWS ended in a tie after the Falcons came back strong in the third period to tie the Yellowjackets.

UWS was first to score late in the first period at 18:36. Both teams battled out in the second period, but the Falcons came out strong in the third to score their first goal of the game. Abby Sunderman scored her eighth goal of the season with an assist from Jenna Scanlon at 7:28. UWS came back at 10:17 to take the lead. But a power play goal by Jenna Scanlon with an assist from Stefanie Schmitz at 14:08 tied the game at two. That was Scanlon’s ninth goal of the season. Both teams battled out the rest of the period and into overtime, but neither team could take the lead before time ran out. Both teams were close in their shots on goal. The Falcons had 33 to UWS’s 35, but UWS held a 9-0 advantage in the overtime.

Goalie Amber Lindner played all 65 minutes making 33 saves. Her record is now 7-5-4.

The Falcons now have a record of 9-5-4 overall and are 5-2-2 in the NCHA. On Sunday they play at Finlandia, the game starts at 2 p.m.

Falcons Drop 4-1 against Stevens Point

Jan. 21, 2007

The women's hockey team ran out of gas for their second home game against Stevens Point. They lost 4-1 Saturday evening after defeating Lake Forest the previous afternoon, 2-1 in overtime.

The Falcons had a tough beginning when a checking from behind penalty left the team one player short for the first ten minutes of the period, but the Falcons played through it and it had "no impact" on the team according to Falcon Coach Joe Cranston. Both teams battled back and forth, but UWSP scored their first goal short handed at 17:59. With seconds remaining in the period, they snuck in one final goal just four seconds before the end of the period to score on a power play. UWSP scored again in the second period at 10:42 on another play and again at 13:03 of the third period, 4-4. Falcon Kristen Juven retaliated a short time later on a break away goal at 13:30. She put up her short handed goal at 13:30 with an assist from goalie Amber Lindner. That was Lindner's first assist for the season and Juven's second goal.

Lindner made 28 saves out of 32 shots and played 59:50. Her record is now7-5-3.

"We ran out of gas," said Cranston, "everyone played hard and I can't ask anything more from my team."

Both teams came into the game with records of 9-4-3 overall, but the Falcons had a stronger conference record of 5-1-1, to the Pointers 2-3-1. The Falcons are now 9-5-3 overall and 5-2-1 in NCHA. Their next game is Saturday at Superior, the puck drops at 2 p.m.

Falcons Defeat Forester 2-1 in Overtime

Jan. 20, 2007

The women's hockey team came back from a slow beginning to defeat the Foresters 2-1 in over time.

The Foresters were the first team to a goal in the net. They scored on a 5-4 power play at 16:44 of the second period. Power plays played a big role in the game. The Foresters made 12 out of the total 17 penalties, but the Falcons had a hard time capitalizing on their power play opportunities, they were 1-12. "We had a lot of scoring chances that we didn't come through on, but I'm really happy with how we played. I think we out played them all three periods," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston. Lake Forest was 1-4 in power plays. Falcon Abby Sunderman scored her seventh goal of the year and tied the game at 7:21 on a 5-4 power play of the third period with an assist by Kelly Jensen, her eighth assist for the season. The intensity picked up as neither team wanted to go into overtime, but both teams played strong and the game went the extra period. Jenna Scanlon ended overtime making her eighth goal of the season at 3:04, unassisted.

Goalie Amber Lindner played 63:04 and made 19 saves out of 20 shots, her record is now 7-4-3.

Overall Cranston is very pleased with his team's efforts. "When you consider we have two lines and four defense and we came back to tie it in the third period and win in overtime says a lot about the heart on our team," said Cranston.

The Falcons are now 8-4-3 overall and 4-1-1 in NCHA. Their next game is Sunday at 4:05 p.m. against Stevens Point at the Hunt Arena.

Falcons Lose 5-1 to Amherst

Jan. 13, 2007

The women's hockey team suffered a tough defeat from Amherst, 5-1.

"It was a weird game," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston, "I don't think we played bad, but we never got a bounce. Once in awhile you have games like that, lets hope we go t that out of the way."

The Falcons started off strong holding Amherst scoreless until late in the first period when Tarasai Karega scored on a power play with assists from Kate Dennett and Kirsten Dier at 19:36. Karega would go on to have an impressive night ending in a hat trick. In the second period Amherst pushed their lead to 3-0 when they scored when Megan Quinn scored at 6:25 and Area had a goal at 8:09 with an assist from Rachel Simon on a power play. Amherst played strong into the third period as they scored back to back goals. Kate Dennet scored at 4:31 on another power play with an assist from Alyssa Chwick and Area scored her hat trick goal and the final one for Amherst a few seconds after at 4:47, she was assisted by Michelle McGann and Dennett. The Falcons didn't leave the ice scoreless, a goal by Stefanie Schmitz, her fourth of the season, with an assist from Renae Bergh, her second, at 17:34 ended the scoring.

The Falcons were out shot 27-23 and were 0-6 in power plays, Amherst was 3-6.

Goalie Amber Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 22 saves out of 27 shots. Her record is now 6-4-3.

The Falcons are now 8-4-3 overall and 4-1-1 in NCHA. Their next game is against Lake Forest at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday at the Hunt Arena.

Falcons Drop 3-2 to St. Thomas

Jan. 9, 2007

The women's hockey team had a tough 3-2 loss to St. Thomas Tuesday night at the Hunt Arena.

The Falcons controlled the game during the first period thanks to an unassisted goal by Jenny Schmidt at 14:53, while also keeping the Thommies scoreless. STU wasn't down long and they came out in the second period with a lot of momentum. They scored first just 32 seconds into the period on a power play and again just a few seconds later at :54. Falcon Jenna Scanlon tied the game up at 3:26 with an assist from Stefanie Schmitz. The Falcons began to lose steam in the third period as UST held the pace. A UST goal at 5:18 ended the scoring and the Falcons were unable to put the game into overtime despite a power play and a pulled goalie at the end of the period. "I'm pretty happy with our efforts," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston, "We played hard and physical and the fact that we out shot them 27-15 in the third period says a lot about our character."

The Falcons are now 8-3-3 overall and 4-1-1 in NCHA. Their next game is against Amherst at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday at the Hunt Arena.

Falcons Win First Game of the New Year

Jan. 6, 2007

The women's hockey team began their first game of the season with a 3-2 win against Bethel Saturday afternoon in the Hunt Arena.

Forward Jenna Scanlon dominated the first period as she went solo for the first goal of the game three minutes into the period. She also went on to lend her talent in the second goal assisting Jenny Schmidt with what Falcon Coach Joe Cranston called the,"nicest pass ever set up by a player wearing a women's hockey uniform." Schmidt scored at 9:55 of the first period and was also assisted by Stefanie Schmitz. The Falcons gave Bethel three power play opportunities, but remained scoreless in the first period. It looked like the Falcons were going to run away with the lead after Schmitz scored at 7:16 on a power play with an assist from Schmidt, but Bethel turned up the intensity after they scored a power play of their own at 16:43. They kept their momentum going and scored again at 19:16 and put some pressure on the Falcons going into the third period. The third period was a real battle as both teams got scrappy. Neither teamed scored, but penalties were higher in the third period and shooting was low. The Falcons had ten shots on goal in the third period and they held Bethel to five. Overall the Falcons out shot Bethel 42-22.

Freshman goalie Brook Bruggeman got her first taste on the ice as she played 59:55 and marked her first win. She saved seven goals in the first period, eight out of ten shots in the second and five in the third.

Cranston and Bethel Coach Charlie Burggraf have some history. Burggraf used to be Cranston's coach when he played hockey and when asked if it was nice to beat your old coach, Cranston said it was. "Bethel is always a good team and one of the hardest working teams we've played against. He (Burggraf) does a good job of keeping the team motivated and working hard."

The Falcons are now 8-2-4 overall and 4-1-1 in NCHA. They continue their string of home games when the host St. Thomas at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday at the Hunt Arena.

Falcons Lose Close Game at Gustavus Adolphus

Dec. 13, 2006

The women's hockey team suffered a tough loss at Gustavus Adolphus Wednesday night, 1-0.

Gustavus Adolphus played tough and out shot the Falcons 38-15. The Falcons had four shots in the first period, three in the second, and eight in the third. Gustavus was consistent with 12 in the first period 14 in the second, but Falcon defense slowed down the Gusties to just eight shots in the third. The Falcons played hard all three periods, but a power-play goal by the Gusties at 11:22 of the second period by Andrea Peterson was the difference. The Falcons were 0-3 on the power play and Gustavus was 1-3.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner played 59:49, before leaving an empty net late in the third period. She made a total of 37 saves. Her record is now 6-2-3.

The Falcons are now 7-2-4 overall and 4-1-1 in NCHA. Their next game is a home game against Bethel on Jan. 6 at 2:05 p.m.

Snedeker Named NCHA Player of the Week

Dec. 12, 2006

Forward Kelly Snedeker (Jr., Maple Grove, Minn.) played a key role in the team's 7-2 and 6-0 sweep over Finlandia at Hunt Arena last weekend and she has been named the NCHA Player of the Week according to league Sports Information Director Layne Pitt.

"Kelly played really well and was quick getting down the ice," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston. In Saturday's game Snedeker was one goal shy of a hat trick and had one assist. Her first goal was at 5:52 of the second period. Her next goal was at 17:53 of the third period. She also had her first assist of the year at 9:28 of the second period. During Sunday's game, Snedeker was the first to score at 5:35 of the first period and that proved to be the game-winner. It was her fourth goal of the season and she now has five points.

Falcons Shutout Finlandia, 6-0

Dec. 10, 2006

The Falcons closed out their weekend against Finlandia with another big win Sunday afternoon. The Falcons shut out Finlandia 6-0, after beating them 7-2 the previous day.

In the first period, the Falcon Kelly Snedeker started off the scoring with a goal at 5:35, she was assisted by Kacie Anderson. Six minutes later, Jenna Scanlon took advantage of a power play and scored at 11:33 with an assist from Jessie Dyslin. By the end of the first period the Finlandia had only three shots on goal to the Falcons ten. At 10:05 of the second period the Falcons scored their third goal of the night. Abby Sunderman scored with an assist from Kelly Jensen. After the goal Finlandia switched goalies and went with Annika Danielson who was the starting goalie in the previous night. The switch didn't change anything for the Falcons as they scored two more times in the second period. One goal from Jennifer Wallace at 16:00 on a power play. She was assisted by Cassie LeBlanc and Jensen. Jenny Schmidt then scored just 28 seconds after Wallace at 16:28. She was unassisted. The Falcons outshot Finlandia again with 19 shots to their nine. Scanlon wasted no time in the third period scoring just 37 seconds into the period. She was assisted by Stephanie Schmidt. After that neither team scored, but tensions ran high as Finlandia got more aggressive as the clock wore down. With less then a minute remaining in the game Finlandia had four players in the penalty box and the Falcons had two for either elbowing or roughing. "We really stepped up this weekend," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston, " we really opened up our offense."

This is goalie Amber Lindner's third shutout of the year. She played all 60 minutes and made a total of 17 saves. Her record is now 6-1-3.

The Falcons are now 7-1-3 overall and 4-1-1 in NCHA. Their final game of the year is at Gustavus Adolphus on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Second Period Run Leads to 7-2 Falcon Victory Over Finlandia

Dec. 9, 2006

In what started out to be a close game between the women's hockey team and Finlandia ended after the Falcons scored four straight goals in the second period Saturday night at the Hunt Arena.

In the first period, neither team scored and Finlandia out shot the Falcons 9-7, but it wasn't because the Falcons didn't have the opportunity. "We played strong all three periods," said Falcons Coach Joe Cranston "we could of scored five goals in the first period too, we just missed several break away opportunities." During the second period the scoreboard really lit up as the Falcons took charge. Jennifer Wallace started of the scoring with an unassisted goal at 1:53. Finlandia answered back shortly after with a goal of their own at 3:09, but it was all Falcons after that as they steadily put up points for the rest of the period. Kelly Snedeker scored at 5:52 with an assist from Raissa Carpenter and Jessie Dyslin scored the next goal at 9:28 with an assist from Snedeker. At 10:42 Kelly Jenesen scored on a power play with an assist from Cassie LeBlanc, then it was Wallace's turn to score on a power play as she nailed a long range shot, making her second goal for the night at 17:53 with assists from Jensen and Dyslin. The Falcons more then doubled Finlandia's shots on goal as they had 19 to Finlandia's eight. Renae Bergh started of the scoring for the third period with an unassisted goal at 3:41. After the goal Finlandia changed their defensive tactics by swapping out goalies right after the goal. It gave the team a quick boost as they scored their second and final goal for the night at 8:04. It was Snedeker who had the final say of the night with an unassisted goal at 17:53. Overall, the Falcons out shot Finlandia 52-25. The Falcons were 2-8 in power plays to Finlandia's 0-5.

Goalie Amber Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 23 saves out of 25 shots on goal. Her record is now 5-1-3.

The Falcons are now 6-1-3 overall and 3-1-1 in NCHA. They play Finlandia for the second tomorrow Sunday at 2:30 at the Hunt Arena.

Lindner Named NCHA Player of the Week

Dec. 5, 2006

Goalie Amber Lindner (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) has been named the NCHA Player of the Week after helping the Falcons picked up three of a possible four points at No. 3 ranked Stevens Point last weekend.

"Amber played great and gave us a chance in both games," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston. On Saturday Lindner played the full 60 minutes and made 27 saves in a 2-1 Falcon win. On Sunday she protected the goal into overtime and made 33 saves in a 2-2 overtime tie. She has a 1.22 goals against average and a .945 save percentage this year. Her record is 4-1-3.

Falcons Tie Stevens Point, 2-2

Dec. 3, 2006

Two goals by Jenna Scanlon late in the third period pushed the Falcons into overtime, but the game ended in a 2-2- tie with Stevens Point Sunday evening.

UWSP came out strong in the first two periods scoring their goals late in the first period, at on a power play opportunity at 15:10 and again just 28 seconds into the second period. The third period was all Falcon thanks to the scoring effort by Scanlon who put the Falcons on the scoreboard 12:32 into the third period. She was assisted by Kristen Juven. Scanlon scored again a few minutes later at 16:27 on a power play that tied the game up and sent it into overtime. That was Scanlon’s third goal of the season; she was assisted by Stefanie Schmitz and Kacie Anderson. Neither team scored in overtime despite time outs taken by both teams and UWSP having a power play opportunity at 3:52. The Falcons had one shot on goal in the overtime and UWSP had three.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner played all 65 minutes and made a total of 33 saves. Her record is now 4-1-3. UWSP goalie Amy Statz also played a full 65 minutes and made 19 saves and is 6-2-1, UWSP out shot the Falcons 35-21.

The Falcons are now 5-1-3 in overall and 2-1-1 in conference. The Falcons play their next two games at home. On Saturday at 7:05 against Finlandia at the Hunt Arena.

Falcons Defeat Stevens Point, 2-1

Dec. 2 , 2006

Kacie Anderson and Cassie LeBlanc were the two Falcons scorers that helped defeat Stevens Point 2-1 Saturday evening.

Anderson was the first to score on a power play at 6:51 of the second period. It was her second goal of the season and she was assisted by LeBlanc. UWSP tied the game up at 9:22 of the second period with a power play goal of their own. LeBlanc scored the game winning goal at 14:35 of the third period. That was her second goal of the season and she was assisted by Abby Sunderman and Kristen and Juven. In the third period UWSP pulled their goalie with a minute remaining in the game, but they were unable to score. The Falcons were 1-7 in power plays to UWSP 1-8.

For the first time this season the Falcons were out shot. UWSP had a total of 26 shots on goal to the Falcons 13. Tough defense and strong goal tending by Amber Lindner helped keep the Falcons in the game. Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 25 saves. Her record is now 4-1-2.

UWSP's goalie Amy Statz played 59:00 minutes and made 11 saves, her record is now 6-2.

The Falcons are now 5-1-2 on the season and 2-1 in NCHA games. The Falcons play Stevens Point again Sunday at 4 p.m.

Sunderman, Schmitz Lead Falcons to Win at St. Kates

Nov. 21, 2006

Abby Sunderman and Stefanie Schmitz each scored two goals to help lead the Falcon women's hockey team to an 8-2 win at St. Catherine on Tuesday night.

The Falcons led 5-0 after one period and 6-0 after two. Sunderman started the scoring at 1:17 of the first period with an assist to Kelly Jensen. Schmitz then scored a power-play goal at 11:38 to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead. Jenna Scanlon and Megan Sandell got the assists. Kristen Juven scored an unassisted goal just 18 seconds later to put UWRF ahead, 3-0. Raissa Carpenter then scored at 13:02 with Jessie Dyslin assisting. Sunderman finished the scoring in the period with a goal at 19:33. She was assisted by Cassie LeBlanc and Jensen.

Scmitz scored her second of the game at 16:39 of the middle period.

Jenny Schmidt scored a power-play goal at 2:08 of the third period to put UWRF ahead, 7-0. She was assisted by Schmitz. Jenny Wallace then scored a short-handed goal to end the scoring for the Falcons. St. Kate didn't end the game scoreless as they scored two goals of their own to finished out the period scoring at 11:35 and again at 12:28 on a power play.

The Falcons improved on their power plays making 2 out of four opportunities and their shooting was on target as they had 55 shots on goal to St. Kate's 21.

Goalie Mandi Mohwinkel played her first game of the season making a total of 19 saves in her 60 minutes of play. Her record is now 1-0-0.

The Falcons are now 4-1-2 on the season and 1-1 in NCHA games. The Falcons play again Saturday at 4 p.m. at Stevens Point

Falcons Defeat Eau Claire

Nov. 18, 2006

Abby Sunderman scored the only goal of the game and it was enough to help lead the Falcon women's hockey team to a 1-0 win at UW-Eau Claire on Saturday night.

Sunderman scored what proved to be the game winner, with the Falcons on the power play, at 6:12 of the first period. It was her third goal of the season. Jessie Dyslin and Kelly Jensen got the assists.

The Falcons out shot UWEC 12-11. The Falcons went 1-3 on the power play, while the Blugolds were 0-4.

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 11 saves. Her record is now 3-1-2. It was her second shut out of the season and her second shut out in the last three games. She now has six career shut outs.

The Falcons are now 3-1-2 on the season and 1-1 in NCHA games. The Falcons play again Tuesday at 7 p.m. at St. Catherine.

Falcons Lose First Conference Game

Nov. 17, 2006

In the first conference match of the season, the Falcons lost to Eau Claire 3-1. The game started out with a special congratulations to Falcon Coach Joe Cranston for his 100th career win, which happened last Friday against Bethel.

After the first period it was easy to see that this was going to be a close match neither team had scored, both had one penalty and one power play attempt and were close in shooting with the falcons having ten shots on goal and UWEC had nine. That trend continued in the second period as each team scored one goal. UWEC was the first to score at 8:51. The Falcons made their goal at 12:26 on a power play scored by Kelly Jensen who was assisted by Cassie LeBlanc. Shooting was low for both teams as UWEC had four to the Falcons six. The Falcons were one player short for five minutes of the second period, but their tough defense held strong. "It was a defensive battle," said Cranston, "It wasn't our best hockey, we didn't handle the puck well." In the second period UWEC wasted no time and scored just 14 seconds into the period. The Falcons played tough for the rest of period battling back with many close attempts and even pulling their goalie with 1:28 left on the clock. The empty net left the Falcons vulnerable and allowed for a cross-rink shot at 19:53.

Falcon Goalie Amber Lindner played 58:39 and was 20-23. Her record is now 2-1-2.

The Falcons are now 2-1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference, they'll have their second chance against the Blugolds tomorrow night at Eau Claire at 7 p.m..

Falcons Leave Augsburg Scoreless

Nov. 11, 2006

The Falcons defeated Augsburg with a 3-0 shutout.

First to score for the Falcons was Kelly Jensen who came out very early in the second period to score at 0:37 with an assist from Cassie LeBlanc. The next to score was Megan Sandell who scored her first goal of the season on a power play at 10:03 of the second period; she was assisted by Jessie Dyslin and Jenna Scanlon. Finally, Kacie Anderson scored at 14:25 of the third period with an assist from Jensen. The Falcons continued their high shooting numbers and out shot the Auggies 43-17 and the Falcons were 1-8 in power plays and the Auggies were 0-6

Falcon goalie Amber Lindner played all 60 minutes and made 17 saves, her record is now 2-0-2.

The Falcons are now 2-0-2 overall. They will play Eau Claire in their first conference match of the season Friday at 7:05 p.m. at the Hunt Arena.

Falcons Defeats Bethel 2-1

Nov. 10, 2006

The women's hockey team defeated Bethel University with two goals, one in the first period and one in the second that Bethel couldn't come back from.

The first Falcon goal came in the first period as Falcon Renae Bergh scored on a power play goal at 9:26 of the first period. She was assisted by Stefanie Schmitz. The next Falcon goal came in the second period at 13:28, the goal was scored by Abby Sunderman and she was assisted by Cassie LeBlanc. These two goals and a tough Falcon defense made it impossible for Bethel to come back despite a third period goal by Bethel's Anna Baumgarten which was scored at 3:02 on a power play.

The Falcons out shot Bethel 43-23 and were 1-3 on power plays as Bethel was 1-5.

The Falcons are now 1-0-2 overall and play again Saturday at 2:15 p.m. at Augsburg.

Falcons, Hamline Play to 2-2 Tie

Nov. 4, 2006

Two late third period goals by Hamline, with no scoring in overtime, gave the Falcon women's hockey team a second straight 2-2 overtime tie on Saturday afternoon at Hunt Arena.

The Falcons scored their first goal at 17:57 of the first period. Jenna Scanlon made the 4-3 power play goal with assists by Jennifer Wallace and Jessie Dyslin. The Falcons grabbed a 2-0 lead when Kelly Snedeker scored at 12:35 with Dyslin getting the assist.

With the third period winding down it looked like the Falcons had this game won, but Hamline wasn't giving up as they set up a game plan during a time out at 17:30. The combined pressure of two Falcons in the penalty box and the pulled Hamline goalie, gave Hamline the push they needed to score at 18:22. Hamline's Melanie Leveille got the goal They kept their momentum going and with only 18 seconds remaining HU's Emily Dusold scored to send the game into overtime.

"We should have buried them by the end of the second period," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston."When you let a team hang around long enough, something bad is going to happen." Like Friday's game against St. Mary's, the Falcons outshot their opponent 53-28 and had trouble taking advantage of power play opportunities. The Falcons were 1-9. Hamline was 1-7.

The Falcons are now 0-0-2 and have their next two games on the road. On Friday the Falcons will play at Bethel at 7 p.m.

Falcons Tie First Game of Season

Nov. 3, 2006

The Falcon women's hockey team tied their first match of the season against St. Mary's on their home rink, 2-2.

During the first two periods, there was little scoring action. Both team's played tough offense and defense, but it was SMU who got the first goal of the night at 1:04 of the third period. It was a power play goal and a tremendous effort by SMU's Melissa Mondo who dove in at the last moment to nudge the puck just inside the pipe. The second goal of the game came from Falcon freshmen Cassie LeBlanc. She was assisted by Jennifer Wallace at 10:30. SMU came back on a 4-4 goal at 18:11. With little time remaining on the clock, the Falcons needed a goal quick and freshmen Abby Sunderman scored a goal with just a little over a minute remaining in the period. She was assisted by Renae Bergh. The Falcons outshot SMU every period, but where unable to take advantage of their power-play opportunities. The Falcons had a total of 52 shots on goal to SMU's 21, but the Falcons were only 1-12 in power plays. SMU was 1-6. "We outplayed them and out shot them," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston, "they just had a good goalie."

The Falcons start of the season with a record of 0-0-1 and play against Hamline on Saturday at 2:05 in the Hunt Arena.