Falcon Sports Archive

David Almquist
F, 5-11, 190, Senior
Duluth, Minn.
North Iowa, USHL

David Almquist returns to the Falcons as a solid two-way player. The hard-nosed forward finished last season with six goals and four assists. He was a valuable member of the team’s penalty kill unit. Almquist added a short-handed goal in the Falcons 12-3 win over St. Scholastica on Dec. 2. The Duluth, Minn., native finished with three goals and seven assists for 10 points in his sophomore season. He had a good freshman season scoring six goals and two assists in 30 games. He had one game-winning goal. Almquist played with the North Iowa Huskies of the USHL before joining the Falcons. He helped Duluth East, Minn., High School to win the 1995 State Championship. He is the son of Reba and Bob and he has one sister. Almquist is majoring in sociology.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	35	6	4	10	0	1	0	0	18-36
2000	29	3	7	10	1	0	0	0	18-36
1999	30	6	2	8	0	0	1	1	11-25
Totals	94	15	13	28	1	1	1	1	47-97

Tim Beres
F, 6-0, 210, Junior
Waukesha, Wis.
Chicago, NAHL

Tim Beres is a physical two-way forward. The Waukesha, Wis., product played in nine games a year ago, scoring one goal in the team’s 7-2 win over UW-Stout on Nov. 3. He played in 19 games as a freshman after missing several games with a broken jaw. He was able to return to the lineup and finished 1-3-4 in his first season with the Falcons. He played at Chicago in the NAHL in 1998-99. He played his high school hockey at Waukesha Catholic Memorial where he was given honorable mention to the all-conference team twice. He has the size to help the Falcons up front. He is the son of Debra and Donald and has one sister. Beres is majoring in marketing communications.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	9	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2-4
2000	19	1	3	4	0	0	0	0	7-14
Total	28	2	3	5	0	0	0	0	9-18

Carl Boben
F, 6-1, 210, Senior
Hibbing, Minn.
Omaha, USHL

Carl Boben is a gritty and physical two-way player, who is coming back from a broken ankle that kept him from the NCAA Frozen Four. The injury was suffered in the third period of the team’s 8-1 NCAA quarterfinal win against New England College. Before the injury, Boben scored two goals and dished out three assists. For the season, Boben played in 31 games with 11 goals and 14 assists and was given honorable mention to the All-WIAC team. He finished with three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 2000-2001. He also scored 11 points as a freshman. He scored four goals in a 5-1 win at St. Scholastica in 1999. Boben was twice named the team’s Player of the Week as a freshman. He has good size and speed. Boben played three seasons in the USHL before attending UWRF including two years with the Rochester Mustangs and one season with the Omaha Lancers. He won his team’s Leadership Award in his second season at Rochester. He helped his high school team to a second place finish in the State Championships. He is the son of Rick Boben and Carol Garrity and he has one sister. Boben is majoring in sociology.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	31	11	14	25	0	1	0	0	7-14
2000	25	3	8	11	0	0	1	0	4-8
1999	31	8	3	11	0	1	0	1	7-14
Totals	87	22	25	47	0	2	1	1	18-36

Rheese Carlson
F, 5-10, 180, Sophomore
Duluth, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

Rheese Carlson joined the Falcons at the semester break last season and made his presence felt immediately. The Duluth, Minn., product has a knack for putting the puck in the net, finishing with six goals and six assists in 16 games. He scored his first goal in his second game with the team, a 7-4 victory over Lake Forest on Jan. 27. One week later, he scored the game-winner in the Falcons 5-2 win against UW-Stevens Point. Carlson played for Rochester of the USHL. He is the son of Rod and Laurie and two brothers. Carlson is majoring in business.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	35	13	25	38	6	0	2	0	18-44

John Conboy
D, 6-1, 195, Sophomore
Silver Bay, Minn.
Tri Cities, USHL

John Conboy will help the Falcons on the blue line as a defenseman. He played at Tri Cities in the USHL. He was named his team’s Most Valuable Player at William Kelley High School where he was named to the all-conference and All-State teams. He was also a runner-up in the Minnesota Mr. Hockey awards program. He is the son of Beverly and Douglas and has two brothers and one sister. Conboy is majoring in business.

Chad Damerow
F, 5-9, 175, Freshman
Albert Lea, Minn.
Dubuque, USHL

Chad Damerow is a first-year forward who played at Dubuque of the USHL. He finished with 26 points last year. At Albert Lea, Minn., High School he was named to the all-conference team and was given honorable mention to the All-State team. He is the sone of Diane and Ken and has one brother. Damerow is majoring in business.

Joe Dustin
D, 6-0, 200, Sophomore
Vadnais Heights, Minn.
Billings, AWHL

Joe Dustin played a valuable role as a physical defensemen last season and is expected to do the same this year. As a freshman, Dustin played in 30 games, scoring three goals and passing out four assists. Included in his three goals was the game-winner in the Falcons 2-1 victory in game one of the NCHA semifinals over St. Norbert. He played the past two years at Billings in the AWHL where he had eight goals and seven assists in his final season. He was named his team's Most Improved Player in 1999 and played in the King of the Hill Tourney in 2000. He helped Billings to the 1999 league playoff championship and a berth in the National Tourney. At White Bear Lake, Minn., High School, he competed in the Minnesota State Tournament in 1996 and 1998. He is the son of Jim and Cindy and has two sisters. Dustin is a health and human performance major.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	30	3	4	7	0	0	1	0	5-10

Matt Elsen
F, 6-0, 205, Sophomore
Richfield, Minn.
Twin Cities, USHL

Matt Elsen is a talented forward who has good skills in all parts of the game. He finished his freshman season with 10 goals and 11 assists. He added four power-play goals and one short-handed goal. Elsen scored his first collegiate goal on Nov. 10 in a 6-1 victory over St. Scholastica. He helped the Twin Cities Vulcans win the National Championship in his last year in juniors by scoring nine goals and 16 assists. He won the team's Ron Woodey Award. At Richfield, Minn., High School, he was named to the all-conference team twice. He is the son of Bob and Elaine and has two brothers and one sister. Elsen is majoring in health and human performance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	35	10	11	21	4	1	0	0	11-22

Justin Ferguson
G, 5-11, 220, Sophomore
Warroad, Minn.
Fargo-Moorhead, USHL

Justin Ferguson is in his second year with the Falcons. He played at Warroad, Minn., High School where he was a four-sport letter winner. In hockey he was named to the Minnesota All-State team as a senior when he helped lead his team to the Minnesota State Championship. In his junior season he was given honorable mention to the All-State team. He was twice named to the all-conference team. He is the son of Kathy and Kevin and he has one brother. Ferguson is majoring in business.

Nick Harahan
F, 5-10, 185, Junior
Sun Prairie, Wis.
Great Falls, AWHL

Nick Hanrahan saw playing time in 13 games as a sophomore. He scored a goal in the team’s 6-1 victory over Gustavus Adolphus on Jan. 5. Hanrahan had a solid rookie season for the Falcons in 2000, finishing with three goals and two assists. He had two game-winning goals. He played two years with Great Falls of the America West Hockey League. He finished 18-32-50 for the first-place Americans in 1998-1999. He played in the King of the Hill Tournament. He helped lead his high school team to the Wisconsin State championship where he played for his father. He is the son of Vickie and Steve and has two brothers and one sister. Hanrahan is majoring in business management.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	13	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	3-6
2000	29	3	2	5	0	0	2	0	11-22
Total	42	4	2	6	0	0	2	0	14-28

Jess Johnson
F, 5-10, 180, Sophomore
Bloomington, Minn.
Great Falls, AWHL

Jess Johnson stepped in immediately as one of the top offensive threats in the conference. Johnson finished second on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points. He was third on the team with six power-play goals and scored two game-winners. As a freshman, Johnson was given honorable mention to the All-NCHA and All-WIAC teams. Johnson showed consistency that is rarely seen in a freshman. He joined the Falcons after playing at Great Falls in the AWHL. The gritty forward finished with 28 goals and 18 assists. He helped Great Falls to the finals of the AWHL playoffs. At Bloomington, Minn., Kennedy High School he was named to the all-conference team and received honorable mention to the All-State squad. He is the son of Bill and Deb and has two sisters. Johnson is majoring in business administration.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	35	13	25	38	6	0	2	0	18-44

Nate Kotewa
F, 5-8, 175, Junior
Fairmont, Minn.
Sioux City, USHL

Nate Kotewa is a fierce competitor whose tenacity is infectious. Last season, Kotewa scored a goal in the team’s national semifinal game against RIT. Kotewa played in 20 games in 1999-2000, missing part of the season with an injury. Before coming to UWRF, he played two years with Sioux City of the USHL where he scored 15 goals and 10 assists in 1999. He was his high school team's Most Valuable Player. He is the son of Marcia and Steve and he has one brother. Kotewa is majoring in health and human performance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	32	1	5	6	0	0	0	0	8-16
2000	20	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	10-20
Total	52	1	6	7	0	0	0	0	18-36

Adam Kragthorpe
D, 5-11, 205, Junior
Plymouth, Minn.
Dubuque, USHL

Adam Kragthorpe had one of the best year’s a college hockey player could hope for last season. He was named to the AHCA West Region All-American first team, the NCHA’s Co-Player of the Year, as well as first team All-NCHA and All-WIAC. The junior will be the team’s defensive leader this season, but the Plymouth, Minn., product can also score. He tallied 10 goals and 18 assists last season. Kragthorpe was named the NCHA’s Player of the Week on Dec. 18 after scoring three goals in two games against Augsburg and UW-Eau Claire. Kragthorpe had a strong freshman year as well. He played in every game and finished with three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He had one power-play goal and one game-winner. He is a talented player who helps the Falcons at both ends of the rink. He impressed the rest of the NCHA coaches by being named to the first All-NCHA team, and he was given honorable mention to the All-WIAC squad. He played with Dubuque of the USHL and was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Week once. In high school, he was named to the all-conference team, was his team’s Most Valuable Player and was named the team’s Best Defenseman. He is the son of Monica and John and has one brother. He is majoring in health and human performance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	35	10	18	28	3	0	1	0	31-62
2000	29	3	7	10	1	0	1	0	23-46
Total	64	13	25	38	4	0	2	0	54-108

Marc-Andre Lalande
D, 5-11, 165, Freshman
Deux-Montagnes, Quebec
Cedar Rapids, USHL

Marc-Andre Lalande joins the Falcons as a defenseman who played at Cedar Rapids in the USHL last year. He also played in a Quebec Junior AAA team where he was second in points among defensemen. He helped his team to the playoff finals. He is the son of Diane and Jacques and has two sisters. Laland is majoring in business.

Josh Magnuson
F, 5-10, 175, Freshman
Chisago City, Minn.
Lincoln, USHL

Josh Magnuson is a first-year forward who played at Lincoln in the USHL. He helped Lincoln win the Anderson Cup two years in a row. At Chisago Lakes, Minn., High School he was twice given honorable mention to the All-State team. He is the son of Kim and Allen and has two sisters. Magnuson is majoring in business.

Dan Miller
F, 6-2, 198, Sophomore
Mahtomedi, Minn.
Twin Cities, USHL

In his first season, Dan Miller contributed right away, dishing out six assists in 31 games. He is a big, talented forward who will help the Falcons play their tradition hard-nosed style. He helped lead the Twin Cities Vulcans to the National Championship two seasons ago when he scored 12 goals and had 14 assists. At Hill-Murray, Minn., High School he was named to the all-conference team twice and received All-State honorable mention honors. He is the son of Robert and Lenore and has two brothers. Miller is majoring in business.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	31	0	6	6	0	0	0	0	4-8

Steve Moe
F, 6-0, 175, Freshman
Coon Rapids, Minn.
Great Falls, AWHL

Steve Moe joins the Falcons as a forward. He played last year at Great Falls in the AWHL where he scored 22 goals and had 38 assists. He helped Great Falls win the league championship and league playoff title. He was named to the league’s All-Star team. At Coon Rapids, Minn., High School he received honorable mention to the all-conference team. He is the son of Mary and Steve and has three brothers and two sisters. Moe is majoring in business.

Jim Murphy
F, 6-1, 185, Sophomore
St. Paul, Minn.
Waterloo, USHL

Jim Murphy is a solid forward who played at Waterloo in the USHL last year. He finished the year with 10 goals and 20 assists. At St. Paul Johnson, Minn., High School he was twice named to the all-conference team and was the conference’s leading scorer twice. He is the son of Jim and Judi and has one brother and one sister. Murphy is majoring in business.

Rob Novak
F, 5-7, 160, Sophomore
Hayward, Wis.
Des Moines, USHL

Rob Novak adds speed and quickness to the Falcon offensive attack. Novak also boasts of good skills with the puck. In 2000-2001, the Hayward, Wis., product scored 10 goals and 18 assists, tied for fourth on the team in scoring. Novak scored two goals in the team’s home-opener, a 10-1 victory over UM-Crookston. He also added a pair of goals in a 5-4 win against St. Thomas on Nov. 18 and two more on Feb. 9 against UW-Stevens Point. He joined the Falcons after playing at Des Moines in the USHL. He helped the Bucs win the Clark Cup and Anderson Cup in his first year there. Novak was a team leader at Hayward High School and was considered one of the top players in the state. He is the son of William and Georgia and has one sister. Novak is majoring in elementary education.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	34	10	18	28	2	0	2	0	0-0

Michael Plante
G, 5-9, 160, Freshman
Owatonna, Minn.
Owatonna High School

Mike Plante comes to the Falcons out of Owatonna, Minn., High School. He had a .915 saves percentage and a 2.00 goals against average last year when he was named his team’s Most Valuable Player. He was named to the all-conference team and holds the school record for saves in a game (50) and career shutouts. He is the son of Linda and Don and has one brother and one sister. Plante is majoring in pre-law.

Mike Salmela
D, 6-3, 205, Freshman
Duluth, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

Mike Samela is a first-year defenseman who joins the Falcons after playing at Rochester in the USHL. He also played at Waterloo where he was his team’s plus-minus leader and led all defensemen in goals. He helped lead Duluth East, Minn., High School to the State Championship in 1998. He is the son of Karen and Bruce and has one brother and one sister. Samela is majoring in biology.

Tyler Sawchyn
D, 5-10, 170, Sophomore
Superior, Wis.
Green Bay, USHL

Last season, Tyler Sawchyn played in all 35 games for the Falcons, scoring 14 points (three goals and 11 assists). Included in his three goals was the game-winner in the team’s 8-1 victory over New England College in game one of the NCAA quarterfinals. Sawchyn is one of the best young defensemen in the NCHA. He played three seasons with Green Bay of the USHL where he helped the Gamblers win a playoff championship. At Superior High School, he was his team's captain and was named to the All-State team. He is the son of Rendell Sawchyn and Linda Antonich and has one sister. Sawchyn is majoring in marketing communications.

 

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	35	3	11	14	0	0	1	0	10-20

Josh Schlipp
F, 5-11, 170, Freshman
Chisago Lakes, Minn.
Fargo-Moorhead, USHL

Josh Schlipp joins the Falcons for the first time after playing with Fargo-Moorhead of the USHL. The forward played high school hockey at both Forest Lake and Chisago Lakes, Minn., schools. He was three times named to the all-conference team. Schlipp twice received honorable mention to the All-State team. He competed in the Chicago Showcase tournament and was his team’s Most Valuable Player three times. He is the son of Lynn and Kerry and has three brothers and two sisters. Schlipp is undecided on a major field of study.

Jamie Steinert
F, 6-1, 205, Sophomore
Maple Grove, Minn.
Twin Cities, USHL

Jamie Steinert finished his first year in the Falcon program by chipping in 11 goals and 12 assists. The sophomore’s tenacious style of play resulted in two short-handed goals, tops on the team, as well as three game-winners. He ended Lake Forest’s season on Feb. 17 when he scored with 3:23 left in the third period to break a 1-1 tie in game two of the NCHA quarterfinals. He played in 33 of the team’s 35 games. Steinert is a solid, hard-working two-way forward who helped the Twin Cities Vulcans win the National Championship in 2000. He scored nine goals and 17 assists. He won the team's Ron Woodey Award. At Osseo High School, he was named to the all-conference team twice and was twice named the team's Most Valuable Player. He is the son of Ron and Peggy and has two brothers. Steinert is majoring in business.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	33	11	12	23	1	2	3	0	7-22

Erik Ste. Marie
D, 5-8, 180, Freshman
Bloomington, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

After redshirting last season, Erik Ste. Marie will bolster the Falcon defensive corps in the upcoming season. He is a physical, stay-at-home defenseman who will help the Falcons on the blue line. He played with Rochester of the USHL where he had 14 assists in his last year in juniors. He led the Mustangs in blocked shots. He played at Bloomington, Minn., Jefferson High School where he was named his team's Most Improved Player twice. He is the son of Stephen and Karan and has one brother and one sister. Ste. Marie is undecided on a major field of study.

Evan Stensrud
F, 6-1, 180, Junior
Minnetonka, Minn.
Fargo-Moorhead, USHL

As a sophomore, Evan Stensrud was the team’s third leading scorer in 2000-2001. This season, even bigger things are expected of the Minnetonka, Minn. native. Stensrud scored 11 goals and dished out 21 assists. He was a key aspect of the Falcon power play a year ago. Playing the point, Stensrud was able to use his vision to set up numerous Falcon goals. For his efforts, Stensrud was given honorable mention to the All-NCHA and All-WIAC teams. Stensrud joined the Falcons after playing at the University of Connecticut during the 1999-2000 season. He was Connecticut's Rookie of the Year. Before that, he played with both Dubuque and Fargo-Moorhead of the USHL. He was named his team's Rookie of the Year in 1998 and was named to the USHL All-Star team in 1999. At Minnetonka, Minn., High School, he was given All-State honorable mention honors. He set a single-season points record (66). He was named the team's Most Valuable Player and was named to the all-conference team. He is the son of Barry and Nancy and has one brother and two sisters. Stensrud is majoring in business.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	32	11	21	32	5	0	2	0	13-27

Grant VanWyngeeren
G, 6-2, 200, Freshman
Brainerd, Minn.
Brainerd High School

Grant Van Wyngeeren joins the Falcons as a first-year goalie. He played last year at Brainerd, Minn., High School where he had a 2.97 goals against average. He helped lead Brainerd to the conference championship. He is the son of Marsha and Dutch and he has one sister. Van Wyngeeren is majoring in business.

Jacque Vezina
G, 5-10, 195, Junior
Hudson, Wis.
Great Falls, AWHL

Jacque Vezina followed a successful freshman season with a better sophomore campaign. Vezina started 31 games for the Falcons in 2000-01, going 19-10-2. He was ninth in the nation with a 2.40 goals against average and tied for 20th in the NCAA with a .906 save percentage. For his efforts, Vezina was named to the NCHA and WIAC first teams. He was also named WIAC Player of the Week on Feb. 5, 2001 after a pair of victories over UW-Eau Claire (7-1) and UW-Stevens Point (5-2). In two seasons with the club, Vezina has 31 wins. The Hudson, Wis., product was named the team’s starter midway through his freshman season. He started the last 15 games of the year, going 9-6-1 in that stretch. Vezina has recorded one shutout in his career, a 3-0 win over Gustavus Adolphus on Jan. 7, 2000. He was named honorable mention All-NCHA and All-WIAC after his freshman season. He played two years at Great Falls of the America West Hockey league where he helped lead the Americans to the league championship in 1999. He was named the AWHL’s Most Valuable Player when he had a 32-13-3 record, a 2.81 goals against average and a .910 saves percentage. Vezina set a league record for most wins and minutes played in 1999. He played in the 1998 King of the Hill tournament and was an AWHL first-team All-Star. In high school, he was named to the All-State and All-Conference teams twice. He is the son of Mary and Doug. Doug played football for the Falcons from 1971-73. He is not related to Georges Vezina, the Montreal Canadiens goaltender who the NHL's Vezina Trophy is named after. Vezina is majoring in psychology.

Year	GP	MP	W-L-T	Pct	GA	GAA	S	Pct	SO
2001	32	1878	19-10-2	.645	75	2.40	716	.905	0
2000	22	1337	12-8-2	.590	65	2.92	710	.916	1
Totals	54	3215	31-18-4	.622	140	2.61	1426	.910	1

Ryan Vieau
D, 5-10, 170, Junior
Duluth, Minn.
Fernie, AWHL

Ryan Vieau played in 33 of the team’s 35 games in 2001. He scored three goals, including the game winner in the Falcons 4-3 NCHA quarterfinal win against Lake Forest on Feb. 16. He also dished out seven assists. Vieau is a tremendous skater with outstanding passing skills and will help the Falcons on the blue line. He helped lead Fernie of the AWHL to the league's regular-season and playoff championships. Vieau scored nine goals and had 31 assists in his last year in juniors. He was Fernie's Defenseman of the Year and a team captain. He was named to the AWHL's All-Star team and played in the King of the Hill Tourney. He is the son of Mark and Sheryl and has one brother and one sister. Vieau is majoring in business.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2001	33	3	7	10	0	0	1	0	28-56