Falcon goalie Melissa Deardorff (Anchorage, AK, Anchorage North Stars) made 28 saves and Katie Batters (Champlin, MN, Champlin Park HS) scored twice to help lead the women's hockey team to a 5-0 win over Bethel University on Saturday night at Hunt Arena.

UWRF is now 12-0-2 in the all-time series with Bethel. The Falcons, ranked No. 7 in this week's USCHO.com poll, are now 11-1-1 overall. BU is now 4-5-2 after the loss.

The Falcons scored a single goal in the first period and finished with a flurry with four third period goals.

Alyssa Black (Mankato, MN, West HS) scored at 1:51 of the first period and that goal proved to be the game winner. She was assisted by Alice Cranston (River Falls, WI, St. Croix Valley HS). It was Black's sixth goal of the year. The Falcons had an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal with most of Bethel's shots coming on the one power play they had. 

"We played real well for the first half of the first period," said Falcon Coach Joe Cranston after the game.

The Falcons struggled in the second period and BU held an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal. There was no scoring thanks to the play of Deardorff. "We were flat in the second period and give Bethel credit. Melissa was fantastic in goal for us," said Cranston.

The Falcons woke up in the third period to score four times in about a three minute span early in the stanza.

Just 31 seconds into the third Alyssa Jackson (Cambridge, MN, Cambridge-Isanti HS) scored her third of the year with an assist to Judy Daleiden (Blaine, MN, Blaine HS). Later the Falcons went on the power play and Katie Flanagan (Roseville, MN, Roseville HS) took advantage of the situation to score her fourth goal of the season with assists to Emma Nordness (Excelsior, MN, Benilde-St. Margaret's HS) and Amanda Ryder (Menomonie, WI, Minnesota Thoroughbreds).

Batters then scored the final two goals of the game. The first came at 3:32 with an assist to Kait Mason (Eagan, MN, Eagan HS) and the second at 4:10, unassisted. The goals were Batters' seventh and eighth of the year. Batters has scored four goals in the last three games and has scored a goal in eight of the team's 14 contests this year. Mason has a point in three of the team's last four games.

"We caught fire in the third and played well," said Cranston. "We rolled four lines and kept the pressure on."

The shutout is Deardorff's first of the season and eighth of her career.

BU finished with a 28-18 advantage in shots. The Falcons were 1-3 on the power play and held the Royals scoreless on five chances.

The Falcons have a big NCHA series at Lake Forest next Friday and Saturday. UWRF is in first place in the NCHA with a 9-1 record and 18 points. LFC is in second place with an 8-2 record and 16 points.

Box Score