RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The No. 1-ranked UW-River Falls women's hockey team shut out No. 10-ranked UW-Eau Claire 5-0 Saturday afternoon at Hunt Arena.
The Falcons, now 5-0-2 overall and 2-0-1 during WIAC competition, extend their NCAA Division III record for overall unbeaten streak to 38 games. The shutout victory was UWRF's first over the Blugolds since a 2-0 win on Feb. 19, 2022, in Eau Claire, Wis.
Before a scoreless first 20 minutes, the Falcon offense broke out for three goals in the second period and a couple more in the third.
UWRF got on the board just 43 seconds into the second period with
Madison Kadrlik finishing a nice passing play from line-mates
Bailey Olson and
Alexa Niccum off an odd-man rush. Another rush near the midway point of the period resulted in
Kylie Jones' second goal of the season off a pass from
Megan Goodreau. Late in the period, the Falcons took a three-goal lead after an
Allisen Carothers shot from the point found its way through traffic in front of Blugold goaltender Alexa Backmann.
It didn't take long for the Falcons to add more in the final frame as
Ellie Brice and
Alexa Niccum both scored in under three minutes to extend UWRF's lead to 5-0, where it stood for the rest of regulation.
Junior goaltender
Jordan O'Kane made a career-high 27 saves to earn her first shutout of the season and the fourth of her career.
Megan Goodreau led the Falcons with three assists while
Bailey Olson had a pair.
Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play while UWEC led 27-26 in shots on goal. UWRF held a 26-21 lead in faceoffs.
The Falcons are set to close out the calendar year with four non-conference games, starting next Tuesday, Nov. 26 at St. Olaf College.
