The sixth nationally ranked UW-River Falls women's hockey team defeated the Concordia-Moorhead College Cobbers 2-1 on Saturday afternoon to wrap up a weekend sweep over the visiting Cobbers.
The Falcons opened the game with a 8-0 shot edge as the Cobbers didn't officially get a shot on goal until almost 15 minutes into the first period. Cobbers sophomore goaltender Andrea Klug (2-6) stood tall, however, stopping two partial breakaways from sophomore forward
Brianna Breiland and junior forward
Chloe Kinsel. The first period was a sloppy one as both teams attempted to settle in after competing in a highly contested one-goal game approximately 17 hours ago.
The first period ended scoreless as UWRF outshot Concordia-Moorhead 10-4. Kinsel led the Falcons with two shots through one. Falcons freshman goaltender
Kylie Hommerding (2-0) made four saves, looking confident in her second career start. UWRF had the only power play of the period, with sophomore defenseman
Paige Johnson firing the only shot on goal.
Falcons freshman forward
Carly Moran scored the game's first goal just 41 seconds into the second period after a strong cycle by her and her linemates. Moran battled through two defenders in front of Klug and smacked the puck by Klug's left pad. Sophomore forward
Dani Sibley fed Moran in front of the net for her 10th assist of the season. Moran's tally was her 10th goal of the season.
Second period shots on goal were 12-4 in favor of UWRF. Kinsel, senior captain forward
Alice Cranston and freshman forward
Amy Auran all had three shots through two periods. UWRF went 0-1 on the power play in the period. Concordia-Moorhead opened the second period on a 5-on-3 power play for 41 seconds, but were completely shutdown.
The Falcons doubled its lead after a Johnson slap shot from the right point was redirected in the slot and slipped between Klug's legs and into the back of the net. The shot appeared to go off Cranston's backside. The goal was eventually credited to Cranston, her 10th of the season. Johnson's assist was her ninth. Senior defenseman
Kendal Evenson was credited with the secondary assist, her seventh. The goal was scored at 3:58 of the third period.
Klug robbed Auran and sophomore forward
Emily Stark on back-to-back point blank opportunities in the slot midway through the third period. Auran had a glorious chance all alone in the slot that was kicked away by Klug's left pad. Stark found the rebound and pounded the puck towards the empty net, but Klug's left pad somehow made the sliding stop.
Hommerding made a key stop with just over two minutes left in the contest as Cobbers sophomore forward Jessica Kongelf was fed in the slot. Kongelf got a strong shot away but Hommerding made the shoulder save and held onto the rebound.
Moments later, the Cobbers scored to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Cobbers pulled the goaltender and sophomore forward Amber Schaack skated down the right boards and wristed a shot that beat Hommerding five-hole. Schaack fooled Hommerding, as she scored from a difficult angle. Shaack's team-leading fifth goal of the season was scored at 18:15.
Both teams traded penalties in the last two minutes and the Cobbers once again pulled Klug, this time with 55 seconds left in the third, but the relentless Falcons defense held the Cobbers at bay. UWRF outshot Concordia-Moorhead 30-12. The Cobbers went 0-4 on the power play, while UWRF finished 0-2. Cranston led UWRF with five shots. Hommerding made 12 saves, while Klug stopped 28 in the loss.
UWRF improves to 11-3 overall and 8-2 at home. Concordia-Moorhead falls to 3-10 overall and 1-7 on the road. UWRF is now 5-2 all-time against the Cobbers.
Next weekend the Falcons travel to Duluth, Minnesota, to battle the College of St. Scholastica Saints in a two-game series. The puck drops at 4 p.m. Friday, January 16, at Mars Lakeview Arena. UWRF is 8-0 all-time against the Saints.
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