RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The No. 5-ranked UW-River Falls women's hockey team is set for a non-conference series against No. 6-ranked Gustavus Adolphus College this week, traveling to Saint Peter, Minn. to face the Gusties on Wednesday before hosting the series finale on Saturday afternoon.
ALL INDIVIDUALS REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAR A FACE COVERING INSIDE THE FALCON CENTER.
UW-RIVER FALLS (8-1, 2-1 WIAC) AT GUSTAVUS (7-0, 6-0 MIAC)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Saint Peter, Minn. // Don Roberts Ice Arena
Live Coverage: Stats //
Video
UW-RIVER FALLS (8-1, 2-1 WIAC) VS. GUSTAVUS (7-0, 6-0 MIAC)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
Time: 2:05 p.m.
Site: River Falls, Wis. // Hunt Arena
Live Coverage: Stats //
Video
THE SERIES
This week's games marks the 42nd and 43rd all-time meetings between the Falcons and Gusties, with Gustavus holding a 24-13-4 series advantage.
The two teams last met during the 2020 NCAA Tournament at Hunt Arena as UWRF posted a 4-1 win over Gustavus during head coach
Joe Cranston's 400th career victory. The Falcons advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, but the remainder of the national tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
Over the last 10 matchups, the Falcons have maintained a 6-4 series lead.
LAST TIME OUT
UWRF most recently hosted a non-conference game against St. Olaf College on Nov. 23 at Hunt Arena, defeating the Oles 3-0.
Erin Olson,
Alyson Niebur, and
Sophia Leong scored goals while Pistol Cowded tallied 12 saves to earn the shutout.
IN THE POLLS
The Falcons were ranked No. 5 for the second consecutive week in the latest release of the USCHO Women's Hockey Division III poll. UWRF debuted at No. 4 in the national poll and were slotted at No. 4 in four consecutive weekly rankings.
WIAC foe UW-Eau Claire, who handed the Falcons their sole loss of the season on Nov. 20, is ranked No. 2. Gustavus, who is undefeated and ranks atop the MIAC standings, is ranked sixth nationally, one spot behind the Falcons.
UWRF and Gustavus share the DIII lead with six shutouts each.
FALCON NOTES
- The Falcons have outscored their six opponents 45-7, averaging a WIAC-best five goals per game.
- UWRF leads the conference on the power play, converting seven of 30 opportunities.
- Callie Hoff and Alex Hantge each have scored two shorthanded goals, while the Falcons' total of five ranks second nationally.
- Senior forwards Callie Hoff, Abigail Stow, and Kora Torkelson each own double figure scoring numbers and have combined for 47 points off 15 goals and 32 assists.
- Callie Hoff is the WIAC leading scorer and ranks fourth nationally with 20 points off six goals and 14 assists in eight games played.
- Hoff's 1.75 assists per game leads the nation while her 2.5 points per game is second-best.
- She ranks fourth all-time on the UWRF all-time scoring list with 150 career points.
- Defensively, UWRF has limited its opponents to a .069 success rate on the power play and has conceded 16.3 shots on goal per game.
- Goaltenders Sami Miller, Jordan O'Connor, and Pistol Cowden each own a save percentage over .900, combining for six shutouts.
- Miller has made five starts in net, logging three shutouts with a .945 save percentage.
