RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The UW-River Falls women's hockey team opens NCAA Tournament action this Wednesday, March 9, hosting a first-round matchup against Aurora University at Hunt Arena.
ALL INDIVIDUALS REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAR A FACE COVERING INSIDE THE FALCON CENTER.
UW-RIVER FALLS FALCONS (26-1, 8-1 WIAC) VS. AURORA SPARTANS (22-6, 10-6 NCHA)
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Site: River Falls, Wis. // Hunt Arena
Live Coverage: Stats //
Video
TICKETS
- $8.00 Adult
- $4.00 Senior Citizen/Student/Youth
- UWRF student tickets are FREE, thanks to the UWRF Student Government Association
- *Ticket sales at Hunt Arena will open 1.5 hours prior to the start of the game for spectators.
THE SERIES
- Wednesday's game marks the first ever meeting between UW-River Falls and Aurora University.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- The Falcons are making their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, earning an at-large bid after winning both the 2021-22 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) regular season and tournament titles.
UWRF has reached the 'Frozen Four' five times (2003, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016), including a pair of third-place finishes and a national runner-up finish in 2016.
- Most recently in the NCAA postseason, the Falcons defeated Gustavus Adolphus College 4-1 in the first round on March 11, 2020, before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. The 2021 tournament was also canceled due to COVID-19.
FALCON NOTES
- UWRF is coming off a 6-3 win over No. 5-ranked UW-Eau Claire last Saturday at Hunt Arena, earning the program's seventh WIAC O'Brien Cup since 2014.
- The 26th win of the season tied a program record, matching win totals from the 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons.
- UWRF was consistently ranked in the USCHO.com Division III Women's Poll throughout the season and is currently ranked second in the PairWise Rankings.
- This season, UWRF has broken single-season records in goals (155), assists (242), points (397), shorthanded goals (13), and shutouts (12).
- The Falcons currently lead the nation with 13 shorthanded goals, are tied for second with 155 goals, and own the second-best power play percentage (.352).
- Callie Hoff is the national leading scorer with 61 points off 24 goals and 37 assists.
- Senior goaltender Sami Miller has started in eight of the nine last games, and during that stretch she owns an 8-0 record with four shutouts, a .962 save percentage and a 0.75 goals against average.
AURORA NOTES
- Aurora earned an automatic bid and the program's first NCAA Tournament berth after defeating St. Norbert College 5-1 in the NCHA Tournament Championship.
- The Spartans are in just their fifth season as a varsity program, starting in 2017-18.
- The Spartans are riding a four-game winning streak, including a win over the NCHA top-seeded and No. 10-ranked Adrian College on March 4 in the tournament semifinals.
- Aurora is led by sisters Darci and Olivia Matson, who have combined for 75 points.
- Freshman forward Darci Matson leads the team with 40 points off 23 goals (T-4th/NCAA DIII) and 17 assists.
- As a team, the Spartans rank among the nation's best in goals (111 - 7th), power play goals (27 - 7th), and shutouts (9 - T-4th).
