This past week on the western front of women’s D-III hockey we saw the state of Wisconsin offer us a solid week! It started with an upset in De Pere, then a top-10 matchup in Eau Claire between the top-two WIAC rivals. We also look at Minnesota, as a surprising team is brewing! Finally, if that wasn’t enough, over in Michigan, we saw Adrian sweep their NCHA rival. Here’s your weekly west recap from this past week & a brief Thanksgiving tournament preview!
The Pointers of Stevens Point pull off the upset in Norbert
Going all the way back to last Tuesday (11/14/23), UW-Stevens Point entered the game with a record of 2-4-0, while #15 St. Norbert entered at 6-1-0. UWSP hasn’t exactly lit the WIAC up as of late, nor has it had a lot of success in non-conference against ranked opponents, but on Tuesday they pulled it off.
The surprising part of this game, besides the scoreboard, was that UWSP held Norbert to a mere 18 shots, while firing 29 of their own. The penalties in this game were even, both sides had four each for eight minutes. The scoring began early in the opening frame, Natalie Hogan gave Norbert the early 1-0 lead a quick 1:20 into the contest, assisted by her sister Courtnie Hogan. The Pointers would answer exactly seven minutes later (8:20), Courtney Leising tied it up.
Both teams added a goal in the 2nd period, Sara Aadalen for UWSP & Courtnie Hogan (pp) for Norbert. The 3rd period arrived and it was all Stevens Point, scoring a trio of goals to seal the upset victory. Lauren Wincentsen scored on the powerplay at the 12:00 mark, Sara Aadalen scored another a rapid 42 seconds later to put the Pointers up 4-2 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. Courtney Leising then added her 2nd goal of the game, sealing it at the 19:43 mark of the 3rd to finalize the 5-2 upset victory for the Pointers on a Tuesday night in De Pere, WI.
#4 UW-River Falls defeats WIAC rival #8 UW-Eau Claire
In their first meeting this season, #4 UW-River Falls entered the game a perfect 6-0-0, while UW-Eau Claire held a slightly blemished record of 6-1-0. The Blugolds have been the team to give the Falcons the most problems as of the past few years, granted, they play them 3-4 times per season (three regular-season + WIAC playoffs), so it’s expected, but this weekend, River Falls got it done.
UWRF star forward Maddie McCollins got things started with a goal at the 5:51 mark of the 1st period to put the Falcons up 1-0, this would be the first of her three goals. The star for Eau Claire answered a quick two minutes later, Sophie Rausch tied it up at 1. Then McCollins would add one at the 12:07 mark to send UWRF to the locker room up 2-1 at the end of the 1st.
In the 2nd, River Falls took over the game, Madison Lavergne at 11:39, Megan Goodreau (pp) at 12:54, then McCollins secured her hat trick exactly two minutes later at 14:24 to give River Falls a commanding 5-1 lead after 2.
Sam Bandholz would score midway through the 3rd for Eau Claire on the powerplay, but that was all, ending the game with a score of 5-2 and a huge victory for UWRF. Maddie McCollins led the way with four points (3G & 1A).
The shots in the game were 33-29 in favor of UWRF, penalties were common, UWRF with 7 for 14 minutes, UWEC with 7 for 14 as well. Jordan O’Connor was credited with the 27-save victory for the Falcons.
Games like this in the WIAC are huge due to the no auto-bid (min. 6 teams req.) in the WIAC, so UWRF getting this win helps them get a jump in pairwise, while UWEC will need to take a game or two from them the rest of the way, while also performing well at Middlebury this weekend in the Panther/Cardinal Classic.
Saint Mary’s is… back?
We discussed this a few weeks back after Saint Mary’s was off to a hot start including a victory over a ranked UW-Eau Claire, but the streak seems to be continuing. The Cardinals are 7-2-0, most recently sweeping MIAC opponent Augsburg & defeating UW-Stevens Point, winning 3-2, 2-1, & 5-2. Seeing the sweep of Augsburg raises a lot of positive questions, such as, how far can this team go? It’ll be fun on 12/1 (Fri.) & 12/2 (Sat.) when we get #1 Gustavus vs Saint Mary’s in a home/away series beginning in Winona, Minn. (SMU).
Chad Davis, former Adrian College head coach from 2011-2018, took over a program that hadn’t had loads of success, but has turned things around quickly. He’s already one win away from tying last year’s win total (8-15-2) & has won more games this season than SMU won in numerous seasons prior.
I asked Coach Davis how’s he been able to turnaround a program in a way where they’re already competing/beating high caliber-ranked opponents, he said this:
“In terms of the team’s current results, we’re seeing some of our freshmen class adapting to the tough competition quickly. The staff is really pushing the development side of the game, and they’ve been putting in the work. We believe this will help players with confidence and self-belief. We’ve implemented a system we feel our team has embraced. On the ice, our performance is characterized by a team first approach, which we feel gives us the best opportunity on a daily basis. We’re playing very tight games and have been focusing on being opportunistic when we’re able to generate scoring chances and emphasizing defensive zone play. Being in a highly competitive conference, we focus on being consistent with our overall competing level.”
I was also curious how the team vibes were with the program and some of the standout players thus far, Davis said: “The team’s general vibe has been grounded, humble, and positive energy. We’re aware of the sample size we’ve played and are just looking at the season one day at a time. Our notable performers have been Allie Urlaub (F – 4G & 7A), Reese Heitzman (F – 10G & 4A), Celia Midtbo (D – 2G & 3A), Celeste Rimstad (G – 7-2 record, .952 save %, 1.23 gaa)”.
Keep an eye on the Cardinals as the season goes on, lots to be intrigued about with this team going forward.
Adrian sweeps NCHA rival Aurora
#10 Adrian entered the weekend with a record of 3-1-0, while Aurora came in with 5-2-0. Adrian won game one 4-1 & game two 5-0.
In game one, shots were near even, 34-33 Adrian, penalties were high, 4 for 8 minutes from Adrian, 6 for 12 for Aurora. AU’s lone goal was scored by Stephanie Schmunk late in the 1st at 18:17. AC then scored a trio in the 2nd, a two-minute flurry, Courtney Ben (4:09), Hunter Reardon (5:29), & Aileena Dopheide (5:58) to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead after 2.
Nichole Pietrucha added on an empty-net shorthanded goal at 19:53.5 to seal it 4-1 for Adrian.
In game two, Adrian dominated, outshooting Aurora 43-25, penalties high once again, AC with 8 for 16 & AU with 4 for 8 minutes. Tia Liscelle scored a pair, (10:19 of the 1st & 19:42.4 of the 2nd). Her teammate Sydnie Crockett also scored a pair, (10:33 of the 1st & 5:31 of the 2nd). Jocelin Hundanish added a powerplay goal early in the 3rd to cap it off at a 5-0 victory.
Adrian goaltender Annie Gilbert was credited with the 25-save shutout victory in game two. She also had 32 saves in the game one victory on Friday.
Thanksgiving East/West Tournament Preview!
Here’s the brief news regarding the holiday tournament this weekend in Middlebury, VT. It’s the Panther/Cardinal Classic, which always has arguably the best tournament field in the country year after year. Last year, UW-River Falls headed East to Plattsburgh, taking home the title back to the west.
This year, UW-Eau Claire looks to do the same. The Blugolds will face #4 Plattsburgh at 6pm EST this Saturday and will face either #5 Middlebury or Endicott depending on the results of both games. Should be a good one and it’s worth tuning in this weekend!
