Women's Hockey | 11/22/2014 2:02:00 PM
Box Score The sixth nationally ranked UW-River Falls women's hockey team narrowly defeated the winless UW-Eau Claire Blugolds 3-2 on Saturday afternoon thanks to two second period power play goals.
The Falcons led 3-0 heading into the third period but for the first time all weekend the Blugolds showed a little offensive life. UWRF had trouble solving Blugolds junior goaltender Paige Turner (0-6) who made 88 saves on the weekend, but the Falcons eked out the road victory.
Falcons freshman forward
Dani Kocina picked right up where UWRF left off yesterday afternoon with an early first period goal at 1:31 with assists to junior forward
Chloe Kinsel and senior captain center
Alice Cranston. Kocina's team-leading fifth goal of the season beat Turner, who played very strong yesterday with a 42-save effort. Kinsel now has seven assists, three more than any other Falcon. Cranston earned her fourth assist on the weekend and the fifth of the season.
Similar to yesterday afternoon's 7-1 UWRF victory, the Falcons led 1-0 after the first period with a 18-3 shot edge. Turner, a former University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog, once again kept the Blugolds within striking distance. Both teams finished the first period 0-1 on the power play. The Blugolds blocked nine shots in the first period alone. Falcons junior defenseman
Dani Buehrer led UWRF with three shots on goal in the first. Falcons freshman goaltender
Angie Hall (5-2) only needed to make three saves in the first.
Falcons sophomore forward
Brianna Breiland scored her first goal of the season and 12th of her career on a late second period power play at 13:50. Breiland's goal pushed the Falcon lead to 2-0 with assists to senior captain defenseman
Sam Greeley and sophomore forward
Dani Sibley. Sibley upped her assist total to four. The goal was UWRF's sixth power play goal in seven games.
Falcons sophomore defenseman
Paige Johnson popped home her second goal of the weekend and fourth of the season on yet another UWRF power play with 1:57 left in the second period. Johnson is third on the team with those four goals. Greeley, who earned yet another assist, now has four on the season and 27 in her career. Kocina was credited with the second assist, which gives her three career assists in seven games.
Second period shots on goal were 22-1 in favor of UWRF. Turner had 37 saves through two periods, good for a 92.5 save percentage. The Falcons went 2-4 on the power play in the second period. Kinsel led UWRF with seven shots on goal through two periods with freshman forward
Carly Moran adding six.
Eau Claire opened the third period with an unassisted goal from sophomore forward Claudia Gagnon, her team-leading third goal of the season, at 1:33. The goal came on the Blugolds' fifth shot of the game and cut the Falcon lead to two.
The Blugolds made things interesting with a late third period goal from junior forward Ashley Baugher at 16:17 to cut the lead to 3-2. Baugher's first goal the season was assisted by freshman forward Jaedyn Walz and freshman forward Jennifer Thomsen.
Third period shots on goal were 9-9. The Falcons oushot Eau Claire 49-13 on the afternoon. Kinsel led the Falcons with nine shots on goal. Moran and Johnson both finished the evening with six shots. Hall made 11 saves while Turner stopped 46. UWRF finished 2-6 on the power play and Eau Claire went 0-2. The Blugolds finished with 20 shot blocks.
UWRF improves to 5-2 overall, 3-1 in the WIAC, and 1-1 on the road. Eau Claire falls to 0-8 overall, 0-4 in the WIAC, and 0-4 at home. UWRF is now 42-5-8 all-time against the Blugolds.
The Falcons host the St. Olaf College Oles at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25. UWRF is 7-0 all-time against the Oles.
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