#2 Falcons defeat #1 Gusties, start season 10-0
December 11, 2023
On Dec. 5, UW-River Falls women's hockey faced their most anticipated opponent yet, the reigning national champion and #1 ranked Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties.
Last season, the Falcons finished as the #1 seed in the WIAC. In early March, they won the WIAC tournament, beating UW-Eau Claire in the championship game 5-1.
For women’s hockey, winning the WIAC tournament does not guarantee a team moves on. However, the 24-3-1 Falcons were selected to play in the NCAA D3 tournament. They would face the Gusties on the road in the quarterfinals. The game featured only three goals that all came in the first period. The Gusties moved on, beating River Falls 2-1.
From there, Gustavus beat Plattsburg St. 3-2 and advanced to the finals. In the championship, Gustavus and Amherst combined for only two goals at the end of regulation. In a true nail-biter, the match went into triple-overtime, where the Gusties would soon hoist the trophy, beating Amherst 2-1.
River Falls is no stranger to the NCAA D3 tournament, but the program has yet to win the championship. Since establishing the program, UWRF has made five Frozen Four appearances, including a runner-up title in 2016.
In this year’s matchup against Gustavus, both clubs came in with undefeated records. The Gusties owned a perfect 7-0, and the Falcons 9-0. The 2010 season was the last time UWRF was 9-0, where Gustavus eventually eliminated them in the NCAA tournament.
A season-high 711 fans sat in attendance to watch a battle for supremacy between the #2 and #1 ranked squadrons.
Coming in, River Falls was 12-of-31 on power play opportunities. With 11:17 remaining in the first period, Gusty forward Avery Braunshausen was called for hooking. The Falcons responded feebly, putting only one shot on goal during the power play.
At the first intermission, the score remained 0-0. The defensive tone heavily rivaled last year's matchups, as in three regular season games, the Falcons and Gusties combined for only one first-period goal.
River Falls heavily pressured Gustavus to open the second period but committed two penalties within minutes of each other. With 14:53 remaining, Madison Lavergne was called for hooking, but the Falcons soon stuffed the Gusties’ power play.
Less than two minutes later, Holly Eckers was called for tripping. Goalie Jordan O’Connor held firm, and the Falcons had a breakaway at the end of the Gusties' power play. Alex Hantge soared to her eighth goal of the season, and with an assist from Aubrey Nelvin, the Falcons were up 1-0.
River Falls had another power play opportunity late in the period but saw little success against the Gustavus resistance.
In the third period, the Falcon defense held strong. With 1:45 remaining, down by one, the Gusties pulled goalie Katie McCoy. Aubrey Nelvin put in an insurance score for the Falcons, and UWRF hoisted the victory at the buzzer, 2-0.
River Falls will play Gustavus Adolphus twice more in the regular season, on Dec. 13 and Jan. 30. Both matchups will be at the Gusties' home ice in St. Peter, Minnesota.