MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The No. 1-ranked UW-River Falls women's hockey team capped its weekend in Vermont with a 3-1 victory over No. 9-ranked Endicott College on Sunday evening to win the Panther/Cardinal Classic, hosted by Middlebury College.
UWRF, now 7-1 overall, defeated No. 6-ranked Plattsburgh State 3-1 yesterday for its first of two wins on the weekend during the tournament that featured four of the top-10 ranked teams in Division III.
The Falcons used a pair of power play goals, including a late power play goal by
Megan Goodreau to help seal the win. The Panther/Cardinal Classic Championship game victory marked the second in program history in UWRF's second consecutive appearance, also winning the title during the 2022-23 season.
Sophia Hess,
Kennedi Bielenberg-Howarth, and
Jordan O'Kane were all named to the All-Tournament Team, while Hess was awarded Tournament MVP after totaling two goals and an assist on the weekend, including the game-winner on Sunday versus Endicott.
UWRF controlled much of the play early, outshooting Endicott 17-4 in the first period. During the Falcons' first power play of the night, Kennedi Bielenberg-Howarth buried her first of the season with a wrist shot from the point at 15:01 to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
The Falcons doubled their lead at 4:57 of the third when Sophia Hess finished a setup from Kylie Jones, scoring what would stand as the game-winning goal. Endicott answered on a power play at 17:25, trimming the margin to 2-=1, but the Falcons responded quickly. Just 72 seconds later, Megan Goodreau converted on the power play at 18:37 to restore the two-goal cushion and close out the scoring.
UWRF finished 2-for-4 on the power play and went 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. Goodreau led all skaters with eight shots on goal, while Hess dominated the faceoff circle with a 22-6 mark. Jordan O'Kane made 19 saves to earn her seventh win of the season.
Up next, UWRF heads back into WIAC play, hosting the first ever matchup against Beloit College on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Hunt Arena.
