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Falcon Sports Archive |
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Falcons Take Fourth in NCHA Tourney Mar. 2, 2002 After a 3-2 double overtime loss to St. Norbert Friday night, the Falcons struggled Saturday against Stevens Point, losing 2-1 to take fourth in the NCHA playoffs at St. Norbert. Despite taking less than half the shots that the Falcons took, the Pointers set the pace in the first period, taking advantage of their first power play opportunity by scoring at 13:55. Mike Brolsma gave the Pointers the early lead, and they never trailed after that. At 18:49 of the first period, Stevens Point made it 2-0 at the hand of Nick Molski. The Falcons responded early in the second period at 1:09 when Jess Johnson scored even strength from assists by Mike Salmela and Evan Stensrud. After that, however, the Falcons went dry in scoring, even though the Pointers had twice as many penalties by midway through the third period. Jacque Vezina stopped 18 of the Pointers' 20 shots on goal; the Falcons got one by Bob Gould, out of 45. Both teams' records finish at 18-9-2 overall on the season. Falcons Knocked From Title Contention in Double OT Mar. 1, 2002 After almost three and a half hours of intense playoff hockey, the Falcons lost a double overtime thriller, 3-2, to St. Norbert in Friday night's NCHA semifinal game at St. Norbert. The Green Knights won on a blue-line shot from Jason Deitsch at 7:44 into the second overtime period. The Falcons had created a 2-0 lead after two periods, but the Green Knights responded with their first goal only 10 seconds into the third period and the tying goal at 12:14. Evan Stensrud scored the Falcons' first goal at 15:41 of the second period, scratching a delayed penalty. There weren't any penalties called until midway through the third period. Stensrud's goal was assisted by John Conboy. Rheese Carlson put the Falcons at a two-goal advantage a minute after Stensrud, scoring at 16:51 of the second period from Ambrose Tappe. Jacque Vezina stopped 18 shots in regulation while his teammates put up 26 shots on SNC goalie Ryan Gill. In the first overtime, the Green Knights outshot the Falcons 15-9, but Vezina held tough. By the second overtime, though, the 3-1 shot advantage took its toll and Vezina couldn't stop one. Penalties totalled just three by the game's finish, two against SNC in the third period, and one on the Falcons in the first overtime. The loss drops the Falcons to 18-8-2 and into the NCHA third-place game Saturday at St. Norbert, game time 3 p.m. The Falcons will face UW-Stevens Point, who lost to UW-Superior Friday, 4-3, in overtime. Falcons Advance to Semi-final Feb. 16, 2002 A 6-2 Saturday night performance sealed the Falcons' NCHA first round sweep of UW-Eau Claire at Hunt Arena. The Blugolds scored the first goal of the evening at 13:30 of the first period on a power play, but Falcon Josh Schlipp replied 36 seconds later with an answer, a shot that hit Blugold goalie Scott Sutton and trickled in. In the second period, Rob Novak extended the Falcon lead to 2-1 after Marc-Andre Lalande's near blue-liner richoceted off Sutton and Novak backhanded it in at 11:52. The Falcons outshot UWEC 13-3 in each of the first and second periods, but the Blugolds continued to play tough and aggressive hockey. Early in the third period, the Falcons opened up the game. At 3:21 Steve Moe scored his second goal of the season from Lalande and Adam Kragthorpe. Again at 5:44, the Falcons made it 4-1 on a power play when Evan Stensrud rebounded a Kragthorpe shot for the score. Then at 14:12, the Blugolds made it 4-2 on power play when Greg Harris scored his second goal of the game. In the final minute, Sutton came way out of the crease to stop an Ambrose Tappe breakaway, but they both dove, the puck came loose on contact between them, and Jamie Steinert grabbed it and escorted it into the empty net for the 5-2 lead. Nate Kotewa finished the Blugolds off at 19:42 with the 6-2 goal from the right edge of the net, assisted by Nick Hanrahan. Vezina stopped 10 of 12 Blugold shots on goal; the Falcons had 38 shots against Sutton. The Blugolds visited the penalty box seven times; the Falcons were only charged with four. But UWEC was 2-for-4 on the power play; the Falcons 1-for-7. The Falcons, now 18-7-2, advance to the NCHA semifinal game against St. Norbert on March 1. The game will be hosted by St. Norbert at a time yet to be determined.
Falcons Beat Eau Claire in Playoffs Feb. 15, 2002 The Falcons held tough with a 3-2 third period lead to take the game 4-2 after an empty net goal Friday night at Hunt Arena against the Blugolds. Despite few opportunities to score in the early half of the first period, the Falcons came back shooting in the ladder half, and Jamie Steinert put the Falcons on the scoreboard first at 12:54, getting the goal from Evan Stensrud and Josh Schlipp. Eau Claire responded at 7:17 of the second period, tying the game with a wrap around the left pole and a shot to the net on the right side by Matt Gehr. Two minutes later, however, the Falcons went back on top when a Blugold defender brought the puck in front of his goalie, where Jim Murphy gave him a hit and sent the puck backwards into the net. Stensrud made it 3-1 later at 12:04 on a spectacular backhander from near the center of the left circle. Assists went to Mike Salmela and John Conboy. On an early third period power play, the Blugolds' Erik Strand cut the game to one goal, 3-2 with a rebound goal. Playing a predominantly defensive final period, the Falcons held the Blugolds from scoring for the remainder of the game, and shortly after Eau Claire pulled their goalie, Conboy scored an empty netter to finish the contest off, at 19:01. Jacque Vezina stopped 27 of the 29 shots against him. The Falcons mustered 27 shots on goal. The Falcons served six penalties for 12 minutes; the Blugolds served nine penalties for 26 minutes. The Falcons, now 17-7-2, play UWEC in the second game of the best two-out-of-three game series on Saturday at Hunt Arena. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
Falcons fall 2-1 to St. Norbert Feb. 8, 2002 The Green Knights took two power play goals within one minute (5-on-3 then 5-on-4) during the second period to beat the Falcons 2-1 Friday night at Hunt Arena. It was a defensive battle throughout, so when the Green Knights got a two-man advantage at 11:18, they didn't hesitate. At 11:28, Maris Ziedins put St. Norbert on the scoreboard on a rebound that came straight off Jacque Vezina and then at 12:25, still with a man advantage, the Green Knights made it 2-0 when Chris Bodnar scored a one-timer from Jason Deitsch's pass from the right side. It wasn't until 17:34 of the final period, again on a Knights power play, that the Falcons scored short-handed. Jim Murphy put it in the net with an assist from John Conboy. Vezina stopped 23 shots in 59:30 of play; Ryan Gill saved 21 shots. Each team tallied six penalties. The loss drops the Falcons to fifth place in the NCHA at 6-5-2. Saturday the Falcons, now 15-7-2 overall, host Lake Forest at Hunt Arena. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.
Falcons Earn 6-2 Win at St. Scholastica Feb. 2, 2002 The Falcon men's hockey team earned a 6-2 win at St. Scholastica on Saturday night. The Falcons led 3-0 after one and 6-1 after two. UWRF scored the first six goals of the game. In the first period, Josh Schlipp scored unassisted at 8:55. At 9:08 Jess Johnson scored with assists to Ambrose Tappe and Rheese Calrson. Johnson netted his second of the game at 11:37 with assists to Adam Kragthorpe and Marc-Andre LeLande. In the second, Rob Novak started the scoring with a goal at 4:43 with Jim Murphy getting the one assist. At 12:51 Jamie Steinert scored with Tappe assisting. Erik Ste. Marie scored the final Falcon goal at 14:46 with assists to Mike Salmela and Nick Hanrahan. CSS scored at 17:30 of the second and at 6:53 of the third period. UWRF goalile Jacque Vezina made 25 saves and the Falcons had 45 shots on goal. Saturday the Falcons, now 15-6-2 overall, host St. Norbert on Friday at Hunt Arena. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. Falcons Win at UWS, 4-3 Feb. 1, 2002 The Falcon men's hockey team came back from a 3-2 third-period deficit
and 40 saves from goalie Jacque Vezina to earn a 4-3 win at UW-Superior
Friday night. UWS tied the game 2-2 in the second period. Tim Schneider scored at 17:59. UWS took a 3-2 lead at :55 of the final period. Kris Wilson got the go-ahead goal. But the Falcons responded with two goals to get the win. Stensrud tied the game at 1:34 with Joe Dustin assisting. Nick Hanrahan picked up the game-winner at 10:40 with John Conboy and Steve Moe assisting. Saturday the Falcons, now 14-6-2 overall, play at St. Scholastica with the puck dropping at 7:30 p.m. Falcons Drop 5-3 Decision at UWEC Jan. 26, 2002 The Falcon men's hockey team lost a 5-3 decision at UW-Eau Claire Saturday night. The game was tied 1-1 after one period and UWRF led 3-2 after two. UWRF's Rheese Carlson opened the scoring with a goal at 9:33 of the first period. UWEC's Rob Ouimette scored a power-play goal at 13:08 to tie the game. The Falcons went ahead at 6:19 of the second period when Carl Boben scored. UWEC tied the game again at 7:35 when Phil Cherneski scored. UWRF took a 3-2 lead at 14:58 when Josh Schlipp scored a power-play goal. It was all UWEC in the final period. Ouimette scored his second at 1:58, Jamie Minor gave the Blugolds the lead for good with a power-play goal at 7:28 and Cherneski scored his second of the game at 8:46. UWRF goalie Jacque Vezina made 28 saves and UWEC's Scott Sutton stopped 29 shots. Friday the Falcons, now 13-6-2 overall, play at Superior. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. Falcons Lose 4-2 Decision at UWSP Jan. 25, 2002 The Falcon men's hockey team dropped a 4-2 NCHA decision at UW-Stevens Point Friday night. The game was tied 1-1 after one period and UWSP led 2-1 after two. UWRF tied the game in the third period but then UWSP scored two goals, the last into an empty-net, to get the win. UWSP's Zenon Kochan scored a short-handed goal at 5:42 of the first period. UWRF's Jess Johnson tied the game at 11:17 of the first with a power-play goal. Kochan scored the only goal of the second period to give UWSP a 2-1 lead at 1:28. In the third, Evan Stensrud scored at 12:27 to tie the game at 2-2. But UWSP's Nick Glander scored at 14:00 and Bryan Fricke added an empty-net goal at 19:53. UWRF goalie Jacque Vezina made 21 saves. UWSP's Bob Gould made 29 saves. Saturday the Falcons play at UW-Eau Claire with game time set for 7:05 p.m. Falcons Falter to St. Olaf Jan. 22, 2002 Despite a two-goal third period comeback attempt as well as outshooting the Oles 49-20, the Falcons couldn't put the puck in the net as St. Olaf topped the Falcons 4-3 Tuesday night at Hunt Arena. The Oles turned a 1-0 Falcon lead around with four straight goals and then suppressed the UW-RF comeback from tying the game. Taking the first penalty at 1:36 in the contest didn't deter the Falcons and they made it a quick 1-0 lead at 3:33 when Carl Boben's unassisted shot glanced off Ole goalie Garret Hasti's leg pad and slipped through his legs into the net. The Falcons continued to pelt Hasti for the remainder of the first period, outshooting the Oles 15-2. But in the second period, St. Olaf flipped the game on its head. The Falcons still outshot the Oles 18-12, but Jacque Vezina couldn't contain three of those 12. The Oles tied the game at 5:50 on a twice rebounded power play goal. A little later at 10:24, the Oles struck again off a two-on-one when Dan Norsten's pass set up Nick Hanson's one-timer and the Ole lead. The third goal of the period came with just three seconds to go when Brandon Smieja tipped in a Justin Bronce shot. Early in the third, the Oles continued their streak with a fourth goal at 4:56 from point blank. Down 4-1, the Falcons continued to hustle, and they finally got two breaks around mid-period. At 11:26, Nate Kotewa scored on a Falcon second-effort from just outside the crease after Hasti saved Rheese Carlson's put-back. Boben also assisted on the goal. Shortly after, at 14:29, it was Jamie Steinert who got a quick breakaway from Mike Salmela and put away the one-on-one just to the right side of Hasti. Looking for the tying goal late in the period, the Falcons pulled Vezina at 18:45, but the man-advantage wasn't enough. The Oles held on for the upset. The Falcons again outshot St. Olaf 16-6 in the third period for a game total of 49-20. Only six penalties were called: three for each squad. The loss drops the Falcons to 13-4-2 overall and boosts the Oles over .500 to 8-7-2. This weekend the Falcons embark on their first of four straight NCHA road games. They visit Stevens Point Friday for a 7:30 contest and Eau Claire Saturday for a 7:05 game.
Falcons Shut Down Blue Devils, 5-0; Freeman breaks record and Vezina ties record Jan. 19, 2002 After being upset by the UW-Stout Blue Devils Friday night, head coach Steve Freeman and the Falcons came back with a physical 5-0 shut-out over the Blue Devils Saturday night in Hunt Arena. The victory raised Freeman to 117 career wins, making him UW-RF's all-time winningest coach. The shut-out bumped goalie Jacque Vezina up to four on the year, which ties a Falcon single-season record. Two others have also captured four shut-outs: Paul Mitchell in the Falcons' 1973-74 season and Jeff Heil in 1996-97. Jamie Steinert put the Falcons on the scoreboard at the end of the first period after Mike Salmela shot from the point and Rob Novak scrambled for the rebound. He got it to Steinert at the left edge of the net, and after playing with it for a few short seconds, Steinert drew goalie Ben Plester out and slipped it in behind him for the goal. The Blue Devils switched up the goalie spot from Friday night despite Jeff Dotson's stellar performance in the 2-1 Stout win. The second period came and went without a score, but then the Falcons exploded in the third. At 5:07, Carl Boben added the second score after both Steinert and Novak tried to rebound it in. Two minutes later, at 7:10, Adam Kragthorpe rocketed a shot past Plester from between the circles. Rheese Carlson and Nate Kotewa assisted on the goal. Moments later, at 8:52, the Falcons added No. 4 during a Blue Devil power play when Nick Hanrahan took the puck all the way down the ice from the right side and in across, all the while fighting off a Blue Devil defender. He then cut across Plester's face and nailed the open top left corner for the Falcon short-handed goal. Boben finished the Blue Devils off at 13:45 with his second goal of the night when Steinert dished it to him for a breakaway run and he blew another shot by Plester top shelf, left side. In the first and third periods, the Falcons outshot the Blue Devils 13-7 and 15-4. Overall, they shot 36 against Plester. Vezina repelled all 17 of Stout's shots on goal. The Falcons were 0-for-2 on the power play while the Blue Devils were 0-for-6. More than twice as many penalties were called against the Falcons: seven to three. Tuesday night the Falcons host St. Olaf at 7:05 in a make-up game before going on the road next weekend to Stevens Point Friday for a 7:30 contest and Eau Claire Saturday for a 7:05 game.
Falcons Upset by Stout, 2-1, in OT Jan. 18, 2002 With the winning goal in overtime, UW-Stout beat the Falcons for the first time since 1978, 2-1, in overtime at the Dunn County Ice Arena Friday night. After a nearly two-period stalemate, the Blue Devils got on the scoreboard when Matt Olson captured a power play goal at 18:02. Then with seven minutes left in the third period, the Falcons evened the score when Rob Novak scored from a Jamie Steinert assist. The Falcons overwhelmed Blue Devil goalie Jeff Dotson with shots, but he saved 57 of them to keep his teammates in the contest. Jacque Vezina stopped 33 Stout shots on goal. In overtime, each team got two shots on goal in 2:47 time, but it was Stout that put it through. Cale Finseth beat Vezina top shelf for the game winner. Six penalties were called: four on Stout, two on the Falcons. The Falcons fall to 12-3-2 on the year and 3-2-2 in NCHA play. The Blue Devils come to Hunt Arena for a rematch Saturday night. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.
Falcons Shut Out Cobbers; Freeman Ties Record Jan. 9, 2002 A pair of first period goals proved to be enough cushion to best Concordia-Moorhead as the Falcons won 2-0 Wednesday night at Hunt Arena, giving head coach Steve Freeman his 116th career win. One more win will give Freeman sole possession of the title All-Time Winningest Coach at UW-RF. The Falcons let only 30 seconds slip through their grasp on their opening power play before forward Jess Johnson got a dish-off from Josh Schlipp and Jim Murphy just inside the right circle and banged it in at 3:35 in the first period. Ten minutes later, at 13:32, Jamie Steinert flew toward the goal but held onto the puck. Swinging around the back of the net, he slung the puck around the corner and scored the Falcons' second goal of the night. Rheese Carlson got credit for an assist. After that period, where the Falcons took their 2-0 lead with a 16-3 shots-on-goal advantage, the Cobbers stepped up. In both the second and third periods, Concordia-Moorhead matched the Falcons' shots on goal (8 and 7) but couldn't beat Jacque Vezina. Vezina came away with 18 saves; his teammates mustered 31 shots against Cobber goalie Jason Gregoire. The Falcons were 1-for-4 on the power play, the Cobbers 0-for-6. But the Falcons took two five-minute major penalties, the latter also a game disqualification on John Conboy with 53 seconds left in the contest. The Falcons will next play at UW-Stout on Jan. 18. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Falcons Beat Gusties in Overtime Jan. 4, 2002 Forward Matt Elsen scored at the 1:21 mark of overtime to lift the Falcon men's hockey team to a 4-3 victory over Gustavus Adolphus Saturday night at Hunt Arena. Elsen just crossed the blue line when he sent a half-hearted wrister toward Gusty goaltender Jared Phillips. The puck trickled through Philips legs and gave the Falcons a hard fought victory. River Falls (11-2-2) could not shake the pesky Gusties (8-7). After taking the lead at the 1:54 mark of the first period on Nick Hanrahan's one-timer, Gustavus scored 3:20 later on Aaron Allars wrister from the left face-off dot. The Falcons had a 2-1 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes after Carl Boben scored at the 10:56 mark of the first period. The two teams played a scoreless, lackluster second period before the Gusties tied the score at 2-2 on Sam Johnson's goal. The back-and-forth game again belonged to the Falcons after Jess Johnson scored at the 10:19 mark of the period. Taking a pass from Jim Murphy, Johnson whiffed on a one-timer, which cause Phillips to stumble to the ice. He was able to regain control with his skate and fire a wrister past the sprawling netminder. But Gustavus answered back again, sending the game into the extra session when Jerod Klava scored an unassisted tally with 2:13 left in the game. The Falcons outshot the Gusties, 34-24, in the contest. Netminder Jacque Vezina made 21 saves in the victory. Phillips made stopped 30 shots in a losing effort. The Gusties committed just one penalty on the night while the Falcons were whistled for four. Gustavus went 0-for-3 on the power play. The Falcons did not have a one-man advantage in the contest. The Falcons will next play Concordia-Moorhead Wednesday Jan. 9 at Hunt Arena. The puck is set to drop at 7:05 p.m. Falcons defeat St. John's, 6-1 Dec. 15, 2001 With four goals in the first half of the second period, the Falcons were easy winners Saturday night at Hunt Arena over the St. John's Johnnies, a 6-1 final. Josh Schlipp started up the scoring column, but not until 17:31 of the first period when a Ryan Vieau bounced over to him left of the net. A quick flick into the right top corner of the net put the Falcons up 1-0. Jess Johnson also assisted. Then, right away in the second period, the Falcons rattled off four goals in less than seven minutes — the first three on only four shots on goal, and the first one the period's first shot on goal. Jim Murphy took the puck up the right side of the ice, stopped to shake off a defender, and looked to pass. Finding nothing, he kept it and skated across the front of the net, shooting for the score at 2:36. Johnson assisted. Then at 5:07, Matt Elsen muscled his way through a Johnny behind the net, dished the puck to Nate Kotewa, came across the front where Kotewa gave it back, and then shot it past goalie Rick Gregory as he (Elsen) was getting knocked down. At that point, with the Falcons up 3-0, Johnny coach John Harrington retired Gregory for the night. Aaron Bulman came in relief, but he held out only a minute and a half. A Johnson pass found Schlipp on a breakaway. He faked Bulman out front then pulled off to the left and lifted the puck in for the score at 6:49. Erik St. Marie also got credit for an assist. The final goal of the period came at 9:17 after Mike Salmela's shot, caught up in front of the net, was rebounded after a moment by Nick Hanrahan for the 5-0 goal. Josh Magnuson helped out as well. The Johnnies lone goal came at 4:53 in the third period on a long shot through open ice — not really crowded — and by Jacque Vezina. Elsen added his second goal of the evening at 12:50 of the third. Vieau took a shot out top, Kotewa rebounded it to Bulman's pads, and then Elsen finished with the one that got by, merely five seconds after one of the Falcons' five power plays expired. The Johnnies were 0-for-4 with the extra man, and both teams had seven penalties for 14 minutes each. Vezina stopped 12 shots on goal, and the Falcons shot a total of 35 against the duo of Gregory and Bulman. The win boosts the Falcons to 9-2-2 and drops St. John's to 5-6-0. The Falcons are now off on holiday break until the first weekend of January. They first travel to St. Olaf Jan. 4 for a 7 p.m. game, and then host the Jan. 5 contest with Gustavus Adolphus at 7:05 p.m. in Hunt Arena.
Men's Hockey Defeats Augsburg Dec. 14, 2001 The UW-River Falls men's hockey team scored four unanswered goals, including three in the final stanza, en route to a 4-2 victory over Augsburg College Friday night at the Augsburg Ice Arena. The Falcons (9-2-2) fell behind early in the second period, but rattled off four straight tallies for the team's second straight victory. Defenseman Marc-Andre Lalande's first collegiate goal tied the score at 1-1 with 6:46 elapsed in the second period. The score remained tied until the third period when Josh Schlipp's 11th goal of the year gave the Falcons a lead they would not relinquish. The power-play goal came at 3:51 of the period. Just seconds later, Joe Dustin scored the game-winner at 3:34. Each team tacked on another goal for the final tally. The Falcons outshot the Auggies 9-8 in the final period, but 35-28 for the entire game. Falcon netminder Jacque Vezina stopped 26 shots of the win. Peter Samargia made 31 saves in a losing effort. With the loss, Augsburg fell to 5-6-1. The Falcons will next play St. John's Saturday night at Hunt Arena. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. Falcons Shut Out St. Mary's Dec. 8, 2001 Holding St. Mary's scoreless on 19 shots on goal, Jacque Vezina and the Falcons beat the Cardinals 4-0 Saturday night at Hunt Arena. In a scramble in front of the net, Jess Johnson and Jim Murphy both took shots at the goal, but it wasn't until Johnson's second try that the puck went in to start the Falcons at 14:51 in the first period. Josh Schlipp also got credit for an assist. Early in the second, right after a face-off, the Falcons kicked it out to Mike Salmela and he fired a shot through from downtown. The assist went to Nate Kotewa. Meanwhile, the Cardinals couldn't manage to get a shot to Vezina in the second period until 10 minutes in, and they ended up with only two. Later in the second, Jamie Steinert added his number to scoring column on a quick lift shot from a pass by Matt Elsen and assisted by Rob Novak. Finally in the third period, Schlipp found Johnson to bring the puck up the ice and he passed to Murphy at the corner of the goal for the finisher at 8:30 during a power play. The Falcons had 37 shots on goal and four penalties. The Cardinals had seven penalties and were 0-for-3 on the power play. The Falcons were 1-for-6. Next weekend the Falcons continue their battle with the MIAC. Friday night they travel to Augsburg for a 7 p.m. game, and Saturday the Falcons host St. John's at 7:05 p.m. St. Thomas Upsets Falcons in OT Dec. 7, 2001 St. Thomas took their only lead of the game at 3:56 in overtime to defeat the Falcons 5-4 at Hunt Arena Friday night. Despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Falcons couldn't hold the Tommies back in the next two. Midway through the third period, St. Thomas scored on a long shot from the left side to tie the contest, 3-3. Almost three minutes later, Adam Kragthorpe propelled the Falcons back ahead when he took a Josh Schlipp shot stopped by the defense and rebounded it right into the back of the net. Two minutes after that, though, the Tommies replied with another goal from behind the circles. Then in overtime, the Tommies continued to out-shoot the Falcons — they held a 38-24 shot on goal advantage through three periods — until Dax Leepart busted out on a breakaway and beat Jacque Vezina in the corner of the net. Overall shots were 45-27 in favor of the Tommies. Penalties were once again a big factor as both teams contributed for 50 penalty minutes. The Falcons had 11 for 30 minutes; the Tommies had 10 for 20 minutes. Vezina took the loss, while Bob Tallarico netted in the Tommy win. First period Falcon goals came at the hands of David Almquist (assisted by Rheese Carlson and Carl Boben) and Schlipp (assisted by Jim Murphy). Schlipp scored his second goal of the night in the second period, unassisted on a 1-on-2 where he sprinted down the left side, curved around through the circle and beat Tallarico with an angle just sharp enough to make it in. The loss drops the Falcons to 7-2-2 on the year; the Tommies are now 7-2-0. Saturday night the Falcons will go after another MIAC team, St. Mary's, at 7:05 p.m. in Hunt Arena.
Men's Skaters Suffer First Loss of the Season Dec. 1, 2001 The UW-River Falls men's hockey team lost for the first time in 10 contests as they dropped a 5-2 decision at St. Norbert Saturday night in De Pere. After a scoreless first period, the Green Knights took a 2-0 advantage when Andy Trann and Jason Deitsch scored in the first 4:36 of the second period. Falcon junior Nick Hanrahan cut the lead in half when he scored his third goal of the season at the 10:20 mark of the period. St. Norbert answered with a pair of power-play goals to put the game away. Kyle Peterson's sixth goal of the season and Brant Kersey's second tally of the year gave the Green Knights a 4-1 lead with 16:16 left in the game. Falcon Matt Elsen's power-play goal, his fourth of the year, at the 8:53 reduced the deficit to 4-2, but Faron Duthie slammed the door with his 11th goal of the season at 12:17. The game was marred by 89 penalty minutes. The Falcons compiled 16 penalties for 46 minutes while the Green Knights had 16 penalties for 43 minutes. The Green Knights capitalized on their power plays, going 3-of-11 on the evening. The Falcons went 1-of-9 with the man advantage. Green Knight goaltender Ryan Gill stopped 18 shots for the victory. Jacque Vezina made 23 saves in a losing effort. The Falcons drop to 7-1-2 on the year, 3-1-2 in the NCHA. The Green Knights improve to 9-2, 5-0 in conference. The Falcons will next face St. Thomas on Dec. 7 at Hunt Arena. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. Falcons Win at Lake Forest, 7-1 Nov. 30, 2001 The Falcons got goals from seven players en route to a 7-1 win at Lake Forest Friday night. After a scoreless first period the Falcons led 4-1 after two. UWRF got on the board first at :54 of the second period when Matt Elsen scored a power-play goal. LFC tied the game with a power-play goal at 3:16. UWRF scored three more times before the period was over. Jim Murphy scored at 6:30, Josh Schlipp scored a power-play goal at 11:57 and Nick Hanrahan scored at 14:38. The Falcons added three more in the third - Jess Johnson scored at 8:24, Adam Kragthorpe scored a power-play goal at 16:02 and Carl Boben added a short-handed goal at 17:51. Falcon goalie Jacque Vezina made 18 saves to get the win and the Falcons had 52 shots on goal. Saturday the Falcons play at St. Norbert College with action starting at 7:05 p.m. UWRF and SNC were tied for first place in the NCHA when the weekend began.
Falcons Win at Bethel, 6-1 Nov. 19, 2001 The Falcons got two goals from Rob Novak and Evan Stensrud to win a 6-1 decision at Bethel College Saturday night. Novak scored the game's first goal at 11:23 of the first period. Bethel tied the game about two minutes later and that's how the first period ended. UWRF scored twice in the second. Stensrud scored at 5:20 and Josh Schlipp scored at 16:10 to give the Falcons a 3-1 lead after two. In the third, Matt Elsen scored a power-play goal at 3:55, Stensrud got his second at 7:01 and Novak got his second, a power-play goal, at 18:21. UWRF goalie Jacque Vezina made 17 saves and the Falcons had 54 shots on goal. The Falcons, now 6-0-2 overall, play again on Nov. 30 at Lake Forest. Action starts at 7:30 p.m. Falcons Top Pipers, 4-1 Nov. 16, 2001 The Falcons picked up a 4-1 win over Hamline Friday night at the Fairgrounds
Coliseum UWRF goalie Jacque Vezina made 32 saves while the Falcons had 23 shots
on the Hamline goal. Falcons deadlock with Superior, 3-3 Nov. 10, 2001 The Falcons and Yellowjackets both recorded exactly 30 shots on goal as they tied Saturday night, 3-3 in overtime, at Hunt Arena. After the Falcons took a 2-1 lead at the end of two periods, the Yellowjackets responded early in the third when a pass from behind the net set up a one-timer for the tying goal. And at 8:04 in the third, despite being outshot by the Falcons for the first time all game, the Jackets added another, a low-percentage goal that made it by Jacque Vezina for the 3-2 Superior lead. The goal knocked the wind out of the Falcon offensive effort momentarily, but they recovered, and by the 14th minute, they were back strong. After a John Conboy shot was saved by Nathan Ziemski and Jim Murphy's rebound was similarly stopped, Josh Schlipp stuck with it and flipped it through for the tie. Then both Vezina and Ziemski felt the last-minute heat, but the game remained tied for overtime. In the overtime period, the Falcons dominated, holding the Jackets without a shot on goal as they threatened Ziemski with three. But it wasn't enough, and the two NCHA rivals came out deadlocked, 3-3. The two early goals were scored by Rob Novak, with a Joe Dustin assist, and Jess Johnson, with Schlipp and Murphy assists. Novak's in particular was a shot from just inside the right circle that richoceted off the left pipe and in. Vezina weathered all 30 shots on goal with 27 saves: 10, 13, 4 and 0 by period. Meanwhile the Falcons shot 5, 7, 15 and 3 shots on goal. There were six penalties, four on the Falcons. Neither team scored on power play; the Falcons were 0-for-1 and the Jackets 0-for-3. The Falcons are now 4-0-2 (2-0-2 in the NCHA) while the Jackets are 1-2-1 (1-1-1 in the NCHA). Next weekend the Falcons hit the road against Hamline on Friday at 7 p.m. and Bethel on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Falcons hand St. Scholastica 5-1 loss Nov. 9, 2001 Five different Falcons contributed goals as UW-RF beat St. Scholastica in NCHA play, 5-1, Friday night at Hunt Arena. As Falcon goalie Justin Ferguson repelled seven shots on goal the entire contest, the Falcon offense pummeled the Saints with 39 shots on goal. Josh Schlipp started the scoring for the Falcons at 8:59 in the first period when he knocked in a shot from a one-handed Jim Murphy pass from the corner. The play was also assisted by John Conboy. St. Scholastica responded later in the first, though, when Phil McDonald's power play shot from the point got tipped in by Jason Brabec just in front of Ferguson. In the second period, the Falcons pulled away with the lead as Jess Johnson broke in front of the net and faked the goalie, scoring on a soft push into the net, at 1:55. Murphy and Jamie Steinert both contributed assists on the Falcons' first power play goal of the season. Just over three minutes after that, Murphy raced across the face of the goalie and got him to go down, leaving the right side of the net open for the goal at 5:17, assists by Schlipp and Conboy. A period later, after the Saints went without a shot on goal in the second period, Carl Boben made it 4-1. He shot a one-timer off the post that fooled a lot of people into thinking it was a goal, but then came back seconds later from the other side for good. Conboy had an assist. The Falcons finished the scoring off at 13:12 with another power play goal by Matt Elsen, after Adam Kragthorpe had his long-range shot saved and Evan Stensrud's rebound shot went off the post. The Falcons had six of the 17 penalties during the game and went 2-for-8 on the power play. UW-RF moves to 4-0-1 (2-0-1 in the NCHA) and St. Scholastica drops to 0-3-0 overall and in the NCHA. The Falcons return to Hunt Arena Saturday night when they host the UW-Superior Yellowjackets at 7:05 p.m.
Falcons blank UW-Stevens Point, 4-0 Nov. 3, 2001 Jacque Vezina was unbeatable Saturday night at Hunt Arena as the Falcons shut out the Pointers, 4-0, in NCHA play. The Falcons started early when Carl Boben threw the puck toward goal from the left sideboard and Jamie Steinert re-directed it into the right corner of the net. The goal, one the Falcons' very first shots on goal, came at 5:28. At 2:09 in the second period, the Falcons made it 2-0 with another pass from the corner. This time Evan Stensrud set up Rob Novak in the left circle for a one-timer that blew by Pointer goalie Ryan Scott. Later, at 14:33, the Pointers made a stab at getting on the scoreboard with a rebound into the net, but the referee called it off, saying it was kicked in. After that, the Pointers struggled to muster any offense at all. With Vezina having held his own despite 15 saves in the period, the Falcons turned their attention to Scott, and Novak beat him again, teaming up with Stensrud. Stensrud, turning around back near the blue line, flung the puck on goal, and Novak tipped it through the goalie's legs for the 3-0 Falcon lead at 18:49. Keeping the Pointers to just six shots on goal in the final period, the Falcons added a finishing touch at 18:30 with Carl Boben and Rheese Carlson both in one-on-ones across the blue line. Boben couldn't go all the way, but Carlson picked it up in the left circle and sent it to the back of the net. Vezina captured all 27 Pointer shots, while Scott stopped 21 of the Falcons' 25. Of the nine penalties in the game, the Falcons served five. Now 3-0-1, next weekend holds two more home games, St. Scholastica on Friday night and UW-Superior on Saturday. Both are NCHA contests and start at 7:05 p.m. at Hunt Arena. The loss drops the Pointers to 2-2-0.
Eau Claire Scores Two in Third to Tie, 2-2 Nov. 2, 2001 Two Blugold goals in the latter half of the third period put UW-Eau Claire back in the game and gave them the eventual 2-2 tie after a scoreless overtime period. The Blugolds first game of the season started off slowly as the first period went by scoreless and penalty-less. Early in the second period, though, the Falcons broke onto the scoreboard when Josh Schlipp got a breakaway pass from Jess Johnson, deaced from the right side of the net to the left, and flipped the puck by Blugold goalie Scott Sutton, at 3:19. In the third period, the Falcons struck again when Carl Boben hit Jamie Steinert on a pass from the corner, and Steinert flipped it in from point blank. The goal came at 6:14 in the third period. Six minutes later, the Blugolds breathed new life into their offense. They took more shots in the third period than in the first two combined, and at 12:28, Rob Quimette grabbed a rebound and put it back for the goal. And at 17:44, during a scramble at the net, the Blugolds came away with another goal, this time via Greg Harris. Tied 2-2, the Blugolds sent the game into overtime, but neither team could muster another goal. Jacque Vezina anchored the net for the Falcons all 65 minutes, coming up with 24 saves. Sutton came away with 30 saves. There were only five penalties the entire game, three on the Falcons. The tie puts the Falcons at 2-0-1 and the Blugolds at 0-0-1. Next up for the Falcons is UW-Stevens Point Saturday, 7:05 p.m. at Hunt Arena.
Hanrahan's Goal Lifts Falcons to Sweep Oct. 27, 2001 Junior forward Nick Hanrahan's breakaway goal at the 6:41 mark of the third period broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Falcons to a 4-2 victory over Marian College Saturday night at Hunt Arena. Defenseman Ryan Vieau threaded a two-line pass to Hanrahan at the blue line. The junior then flicked the puck between the legs of Sabre goaltender Terry Dunbar. The Sabres took an early 1-0 lead at 1:02 of the first period when Ken McKay's slapshot from the point, ricocheted off Falcon goalie Justin Ferguson into the goal. The shot was the first of the game by either team. The score remained 1-0 until 1:04 of the second period when the Falcons answered. On a 2-on-1 break, forward Rob Novak faked a pass and fired a wrister to beat Dunbar topshelf gloveside. The Sabres reclaimed the lead on Tommy Kotsopoulos' first goal of the season with 4:03 elapsed in the second period. Evan Stensrud would later tie the game with the Falcons' first power-play goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the final stanza. Forward Matt Elsen added the Falcons' final tally with an empty net goal at the 19:46 mark of the third. Ferguson, making his first ever start for the Falcons, stopped 17 of the Sabres 19 shots on goal to earn the victory. Dunbar made 27 saves in defeat. The Falcons are now 2-0 on the season and will start NCHA play next weekend when they welcome UW-Eau Claire and UW- Stevens Point to Hunt Arena. Game times for the Friday and Saturday games are 7:05 p.m. Men's Hockey Wins Home Opener, 5-3 Oct. 26, 2001 Freshman Josh Schlipp scored a pair of goals to lead the Falcons to a 5-3 victory over Marian College Friday night at Hunt Arena. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder from Chisago Lakes, Minn. scored his first goal as a Falcon at the 7:20 mark of the third period to give River Falls a comfortable 4-1 lead. He later added an empty net goal to ice the game. But the Sabres bounced back, tallying twice in a minute and a half to cut the lead to 4-3. Ian Carroll found an open net at the 15:04 mark the period when John McKey connescted on a cross-ice pass, finding Carroll on the left side of the crease. Dan Odegard's wrister from the slot cut the lead to single goal. The Falcons took a 2-0 lead heading into the final stanza after scoring lone goals in the first and second period. Sophomore Evan Stensrud opened the scoring at 18:59 of the first period when he banged home his own rebound on Sabre goaltender Terry Dunbar. Senior Carl Boben scored 1:15 into the second period to give the Falcons a two-goal advantage. Marian cut the lead in half 52 seconds into the third when Brad Hawkins beat Falcon goaltender Jacque Vezina. Freshman Jim Murphy tallied his first collegiate goal at 7:01 of the third period. The Falcons outshot the Falcons 40-23 in the contest. Vezina made 20 saves for the victory. Dunbar stopped 35 shots in a losing effort. The Falcons are now 1-0 on the year and will face Marian Saturday at Hunt Arena. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. |