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| UW-River Falls athletics photo by Pat Deninger |
The UW-River Falls women's hockey team etched its name in history, winning its second consecutive NCAA Division III National Championship today at Hunt Arena. The Falcons defeated Amherst 3-1, capitalizing off a huge second period, to win the 2024-25 national championship on their home ice.
The victory marked the first time a Division III women's hockey program has won back-to-back national titles since Plattsburgh State did so in 2016 and 2017. Across the two-year run, the Falcons have accumulated a total record of 57-3-2. Falcons coach Joe Cranston, one of just four head coaches in D-III history to eclipse 500 career wins, notched another national championship on his impressive career resume.
In the first period the Falcons avoided trouble early by killing a penalty drawn at the 1:47 mark — Amherst did just the same only minutes later. Another penalty kill by the Falcons saw both squads remain scoreless through the first 10 minutes, with shots on goal dead even at five per team. The Falcons saw several solid shots on goal late in the first period, but neither team found the back of the net through the first 20 minutes — River Falls held a 20-14 advantage in total shots and 10-5 edge in shots on goal.
The second period saw an influx of goals, as just 40 seconds into the period, MaKenna Aure scored the opening goal of the game off an assist from Bailey Olson, giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the 15th of the year for Aure and Olson picked up her 32nd assist of the season.
At the 12:52 mark of the game, a pivotal review took place over a potential 2-0 goal for the Falcons scored by Madison Kadrlik and assisted by Olson and Allisen Carothers. After a challenge by UWRF, the goal stood, giving the Falcons a two-goal advantage.
The Mammoths cut into UWRF's lead at the 8:06 mark of the second, as Bea Flynn scored off assists from Annabel Raffin and Ayla Abban to bring the game to 2-1 in favor of the Falcons. UWRF extended the lead back to two goals at the three-minute mark, as Olson found the back of the net off assists from Cahlilah Lindquist and Alexa Niccum — the Falcons' 3-1 advantage held through the remainder of the period, as UWRF inched one period closer to a national championship. Amherst outshot River Falls 21-20 in total shots in the second, but the Falcons held a 10-6 advantage in shots on goal.
Amherst tallied four shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the third period, but junior goaltender Jordan O'Kane made saves on each attempt to keep the score at 3-1. O'Kane made two more saves throughout the remainder of the game, as the Falcons held the Mammoths off the board, even with Amherst pulling its goalkeeper for the final two minutes. River Falls totaled 19 shots and eight shots on goal in the third period, holding onto the team's 3-1 advantage through the final buzzer, securing the NCAA Division III Championship for UW-River Falls in front of the Hunt Arena home crowd.
Olson led the way for UWRF with three points off one goal and two assists, as well as a game-high six shots on goal. Kadrlik and Aure each totaled four shots on goal. In the net, O'Kane finished with 16 saves — she recorded five saves in each of the first two periods and six in the third.
At the conclusion of the Division III NCAA Tournament, UWRF's Bailey Olson, Madison Kadrlik, and MaKenna Aure earned spots on the all-tournament team. Olson was named most outstanding player of the tournament.