RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls women's hockey team used a fast start and strong special teams play to earn a 3-1 victory over Amherst College Friday evening at Hunt Arena in the 2026 NCAA Division III Tournament Semifinals, advancing to the national championship for the third season in a row.
The Falcons improved to 29-1-0 on the season, capitalizing on early power play opportunities and controlling play through much of the opening 40 minutes.
UWRF opened the scoring midway through the first period while on the power play, as Alexa Niccum netted her 10th goal of the season, finishing a great setup by Megan Goodreau to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
The Falcons extended their advantage early in the second period, again on the power play. Megan Goodreau finished off a passing sequence from Sophia Hess and MaKenna Aure at 2:24, netting what proved to be the game-winning goal to make it 2-0.
The goal was Goodreau's 18th power play goal of the season, setting a new NCAA Division III single-season record and surpassing Cassidy Delainey's mark of 17, set at Elmira in 2015. It also marked the 35th power play goal of her career, establishing another NCAA Division III record and eclipsing Tori Charron's previous total of 34, recorded from 2011–14 at Elmira/Norwich.
Later in the period, UWRF added an even-strength tally as Madison Kadrlik found the back of the net on a rebound attempt after Amherst goaltender Natalie Stott stopped Kadrlik's initial attempt on a clear breakaway.
Down 3-0, Amherst broke through late in the third period on a power play goal from Maeve Reynolds, but the Falcons' defense held firm the rest of the way to secure the 3-1 victory.
The Falcons outshot Amherst 33-31 in the contest. In goal, Jordan O'Kane earned the win with 30 saves, matching Amherst's Natalie Stott, who also stopped 30 shots in the loss.
Goodreau led the Falcons with a goal and an assist, while Hess added two assists in the victory.
On Sunday, March, 29, the Falcons will face Nazareth University in the national championship game, in search of their third consecutive national title. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Hunt Arena. As of Saturday evening, tickets to the general public are SOLD OUT.
