Falcon Sports Archive

Nick Hanrahan
F, 5-10, 190, Senior, #9
Sun Prairie, Wis.
Great Falls, AWHL

Nick Hanrahan claimed the 2002 Don Joseph Most Improved Award for turning a one-goal sophomore season into a seven-goal, four-assist junior year that included a short-handed goal and two game winners, one of which put the Falcons on top of conference rival Superior, 4-3, on Feb. 1. Playing 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 Vicki and Steve and has two brothers and one sister. Hanrahan is majoring in business administration.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	26	7	4	11	0	1	2	0	1-2
2001	13	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	3-6
2000	29	3	2	5	0	0	2	0	11-22
Total	68	11	6	17	0	1	4	0	15-30

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

Nate Kotewa is a fierce competitor whose tenacity is infectious. After his 2002 season, Kotewa earned the prized Jack Norqual, Sr., Memorial Coaches Achievement Award. He was twice named a Falcon Player of the Week: Dec. 17 for his two-assist effort in a big Falcon win over St. John’s, and Feb. 11 for his two-goal (one short-handed) performance in beating Lake Forest. He finished with four goals and 10 assists on the year. In 2001, 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 & human performance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	25	4	10	14	0	1	1	0	3-6
2001	32	1	5	6	0	0	0	0	8-16
2000	20	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	10-20
Total	77	5	16	21	0	1	1	0	21-42

Adam Kragthorpe
D, 6-0, 205, Senior, #33
Plymouth, Minn.
Dubuque, USHL

Adam Kragthorpe is an unparalleled leader for this Falcon squad. He returns for his final season as the league’s premier defenseman. Continuing to pad his resume at the conclusion of 2002, Kragthorpe tallied a second consecutive selection to the AHCA All-American West team as well as first team All-NCHA and All-WIAC honors. He finished with three goals and seven assists. Kragthorpe had one of the best years a college hockey player could hope for in 2001. He was named to the AHCA West Region All-American first team, the NCHA’s Co-Player of the Year, as well as being named to the All-NCHA and All-WIAC first units. He was the team’s defensive leader as a junior, but the Plymouth, Minn., product can also score. He tallied 10 goals and 18 assists in 2001. 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 is a talented player who helps the Falcons at both ends of the rink. He was 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 & human performance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	28	3	7	10	2	0	0	0	24-48
2001	35	10	18	28	3	0	1	0	31-62
2000	29	3	7	10	1	0	1	0	23-46
Total	92	16	32	48	6	0	2	0	78-156

Evan Stensrud
F, 6-1, 180, Senior, #7
Minnetonka, Minn.
Fargo-Moorhead, USHL

Evan Stensrud scored the first Falcon goal of the 2001-02 season and also became the first UWRF Player of the Week on Oct. 29 after a two-goal weekend. He later had two goals and three assists on Nov. 17 at Bethel, and finished the season second in assists with 15 and third in points with 24 despite missing seven games with a broken hand. He put nine pucks in the net. Stensrud was the team’s third leading scorer in 2000-01. The Minnetonka, Minn., native scored 11 goals and dished out 21 assists. He was a key aspect of the Falcon power play in 2001. 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 management.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	22	9	15	24	2	0	2	0	11-36
2001	32	11	21	32	5	0	2	0	13-27
Totals	54	20	36	56	7	0	4	0	24-63

Jacque Vezina
G, 5-10, 190, Senior, #30
Hudson, Wis.
Great Falls, AWHL

This season holds the potential for Jacque Vezina to become UWRF’s career best goalie. Standing at 81 games played, 4,865 minutes played and 2,065 saves, Vezina will set his sights on the record books (84 games, 4,900 minutes and 2,486 saves). In 2002 Vezina posted his best collegiate season after breaking the Falcon shutout record. He improved to a 2.06 goals against average, the best in the NCHA and seventh in the nation, and was voted the UWRF James Ikhaml Most Valuable Player. Vezina added another season of All-WIAC and All-NCHA honorable mention honors, was the NCHA Player of the Week on Feb. 4 and twice named WIAC Player of the Week, not to mention UWRF Player of the Week five times. He followed a successful freshman season with a better sophomore campaign in 2001. 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 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 three seasons with the club, Vezina has 47 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 recorded one shutout that year, 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
2002	27	1660	16-9-2	.629	57	2.06	639	.918	5
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	81	4865	47-27-6	.625	197	2.42	2065	.913	6

Ryan Vieau
D, 5-10, 175, Senior, #24
Duluth, Minn.
Fernie, AWHL

Ryan Vieau joins five other seniors to form the backbone of this year’s Falcon squad. He helped UWRF rise to No. 5 in the nation in team defense and added six assists to the team as well. 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 helps 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 marketing communications.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	27	0	6	6	0	0	0	0	10-31
2001	33	3	7	10	0	0	1	0	28-56
Totals	60	3	13	16	0	0	1	0	38-87

Rheese Carlson
F, 5-10, 180, Junior, #27
Duluth, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

Rheese Carlson showed himself to be a key contributor for the Falcons in 2001-02 through his 11 assists. He was among the team’s top five. Carlson joined the Falcons at the semester break in 2000-01 and made his presence felt immediately. The Duluth, Minn., product finished his debut Falcon season 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 has one brother. Carlson is majoring in marketing communications.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	26	3	11	14	0	0	0	0	6-12
2001	16	6	6	12	1	0	2	0	7-14
Totals	42	9	17	26	1	0	2	0	13-26

John Conboy
D, 6-1, 200, Junior, #4
Silver Bay, Minn.
Tri Cities, USHL

John Conboy quickly became the Falcons second-best defenseman last season in only his first year with the team. Besides All-American Adam Kragthorpe, Conboy was the only Falcon defenseman to receive All-NCHA honors. He was selected as honorable mention to both All-NCHA and All-WIAC teams, and he led all UWRF defensemen in assists with 14. Conboy played his juniors career 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 administration.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	28	2	14	16	0	0	0	0	14-37

Joe Dustin
D, 6-0, 205, Junior, #5
Vadnais Heights, Minn.
Billings, AWHL

Joe Dustin continued to play a valuable role as a physical defenseman last season, assisting on three goals and scoring one. 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 previous 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 & human performance major.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	29	1	3	4	0	0	1	0	2-4
2001	30	3	4	7	0	0	1	0	5-10
Totals	59	4	7	11	0	0	2	0	7-14

Matt Elsen
F, 6-0, 205, Junior, #12
Richfield, Minn.
Twin Cities, USHL

Matt Elsen is a talented forward who has good skills in all parts of the game. Three of his seven goals in 2001-02 came on the power play, which tied for the most on the squad. One of his other four goals was the 4-3 overtime game-winner against Gustavus Adolphus Jan. 5. He finished his freshman season with 10 goals and 11 assists. Elsen added four power-play goals and one short-handed goal that year. 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 & human performance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	29	7	7	14	3	0	1	0	8-16
2001	35	10	11	21	4	1	0	0	11-22
Totals	64	17	18	35	7	1	1	0	19-38

Jess Johnson
F, 5-11, 185, Junior, #20
Bloomington, Minn.
Great Falls, AWHL

After immediately stepping in as one of the top offensive threats in the conference as a freshman, Jess Johnson proved he was for real with a great sophomore effort. Johnson repeated as second in scoring on the team with 11 goals as well as earning first team All-WIAC and All-NCHA honorable mention honors. He also tied for the most game-winning goals in the conference. Johnson finished second on the team in scoring in 2001 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 the team MVP and 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
2002	29	11	10	21	3	0	4	0	12-24
2001	35	13	25	38	6	0	2	0	18-44
Totals	64	24	35	59	9	0	6	0	30-60

Jim Murphy
F, 6-1, 185, Junior, #10
St. Paul, Minn.
Waterloo, USHL

In his first year with the team, the aggressive Jim Murphy burst onto the Falcon offensive scene and led the squad with 18 assists. With seven goals in addition, Murphy was second in points and an honorable mention to the All-WIAC team, not to mention his team-leading 25 penalties. He spent 27 more minutes in the penalty box than any other Falcon and still had a profound impact on the squad. Before coming to UWRF, Murphy played at Waterloo in the USHL. 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.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	28	7	18	25	1	1	2	0	25-75

Rob Novak
F, 5-7, 170, Junior, #21
Hayward, Wis.
Des Moines, USHL

Rob Novak is a Falcon leader on and off the ice. He earned the Oostendorp Student-Athlete Award at UWRF for his classroom success in 2001-02. On the ice, he adds speed and quickness to the Falcon offensive attack, for which he made honorable mention for both the All-NCHA and All-WIAC teams. Novak also boasts of good skills with the puck. He was tied for third in goals for the 2002 season with 10, including a pair of two-goal efforts on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17. In addition, Novak was selected UWRF Player of the Week Nov. 12 after he scored to help the Falcons tie Superior 3-3. In 2000-2001, the Hayward, Wis., product scored 10 goals and 18 assists, and 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
2002	29	10	7	17	1	0	0	0	5-10
2001	34	10	18	28	2	0	2	0	0-0
Totals	63	20	25	45	3	0	2	0	5-10

Jamie Steinert
F, 6-2, 205, Junior, #19
Maple Grove, Minn.
Twin Cities, USHL

Jamie Steinert repeated his solid freshman performance with a 10-goal, 8-assist second-year effort that ranked No. 4 on the team in goals and No. 5 in points after playing in six fewer games. Steinert was picked as an honorable mention for both the All-NCHA and All-WIAC teams, and he also earned a UWRF Player of the Week selection Feb. 18 when he scored two goals in the late-season Falcon sweep of Eau Claire. He finished his first year in the Falcon program by chipping in 11 goals and 12 assists. His 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 t he 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 finance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	27	10	8	18	0	0	2	0	3-6
2001	33	11	12	23	1	2	3	0	7-22
Totals	60	21	20	41	1	2	5	0	10-28

Ambrose Tappe
F, 6-1, 170, Junior, #22
Maple Grove, Minn.
Danville, NAHL

Joining the Falcons at the semester break of the 2001-02 season, Ambrose Tappe showed potential to be a real contributor to the future of the Falcon program as he scored once and added four assists. Tappe transferred to UWRF from Northern Michigan University and had an outstanding Juniors career in the NAHL, where he helped Danville win the 2000 Robertson Cup. Tappe was a two-time all-conference player at Osseo, Minn., High School. He is the son of David and Pamela and has one brother and one sister. Tappe is majoring in finance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	11	1	4	5	0	0	0	0	7-14

Marc-Andre Lalande
D, 5-11, 170, Sophomore, #2
Deux-Montagnes, Que.
Cedar Rapids, USHL

Marc-Andre Lalande missed action in only three games all year in 2002. He returns as a solid defenseman for the Falcons, having scored the first of four goals in the Falcons’ victory over Augsburg Dec. 14. Lalande also contributed four assists in his debut season. He joined the Falcons from Cedar Rapids in the USHL. 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. Lalande is majoring in business administration.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	26	1	4	5	0	0	0	0	4-8

Josh Magnuson
F, 5-10, 180, Sophomore, #17
Chisago City, Minn.
Lincoln, USHL

Josh Magnuson stepped onto the ice for the Falcons nine times last season as a first-year forward. One of his two assists helped the Falcons to a 4-3 win over Gustavus in January. Magnuson previously 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 finance.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	9	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	3-6

Steve Moe
F, 6-0, 185, Sophomore, #15
Coon Rapids, Minn.
Great Falls, AWHL

Steve Moe saw plenty of playing time in his rookie season, and he also saw a little of the back of the net. His two goals were both game winners for the Falcons, and he added four assists. Moe came to the Falcons after a 2001 season 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 management.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	25	2	4	6	0	0	2	0	7-14

Mike Salmela
D, 6-3, 200, Sophomore, #6
Duluth, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

Mike Salmela gives the Falcons a lot of size and great reach at the blue line. Very good at making the first pass, Salmela accumulated seven assists last season. After trying out, Salmela left the roster for a brief time before returning for 25 games, where he really progressed in development. He came to the Falcons from Rochester of the USHL. He also saw success with the Waterloo Black Hawks, leading the team in plus/minus and the team’s defensemen in scoring during the 1998-99 season. Salmela was also aboard the Duluth East High School team that won the Minnesota State Tournament. He is the son of Bruce and Karen and has one brother and one sister. Salmela is majoring in biology.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	25	1	7	8	0	0	0	0	8-16

Josh Schlipp
F, 5-11, 180, Sophomore, #11
Chisago Lakes, Minn.
Fargo-Moorhead, USHL

Josh Schlipp became an immediate star for the Falcons as a freshman in 2002. He scored 13 goals by the semester break and went on to lead the team and rank fourth in the conference with 17 goals. Schlipp scored two goals in his first collegiate game and had two other two-goal contests - one of which earned him UWRF Player of the Week honors on Dec. 10. He was also commended as an All-WIAC first team and All-NCHA honorable mention selection and led the team in points with 29. Prior to the Falcons, Schlipp played with Fargo-Moorhead of the USHL. The forward played high school hockey at both Forest Lake and Chisago Lakes, Minn., schools and amassed 47 goals and 32 assists in one season. 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 majoring in political science.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	29	17	12	29	3	0	1	0	9-18

Tony Sikich
F, 5-11, 190, Sophomore, #18
Apple Valley, Minn.
Topeka, USHL

An extremely gifted skater with explosive speed, Tony Sikich joins the Falcons this season and has shown a nice offensive flare. Out of Apple Valley, Minn., High School, he played a year for UW-Stout before catching up with Topeka of the USHL, where he was a starter in the league’s all-star game and a player of the month. He is the son of Chris and Patsy and has three brothers and one sister. Sikich is majoring in accounting.

Erik Ste. Marie
D, 5-8, 180, Sophomore, #3
Bloomington, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

Erik Ste. Marie suited up for the first time last season and in eight games of action, scored his only goal to finish off St. Scholastica in February. After red shirting in 2001, Ste. Marie bolstered the Falcon defensive corps in 2002. He is a physical, stay-at-home defenseman who helps 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 majoring in marketing communications.

Year	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	HT	P-M
2002	8	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	2-4

Steve Witkowski
G, 5-10, 180, Sophomore, #35
Blaine, Minn.
Waterloo, USHL

After a year in the MIAC and a year in the USHL, Steve Witkowski joins the Falcons goaltending corps for the 2002-03 season. He had an exceptional MIAC first year and displayed spectacular play at times. With the USHL Waterloo Black Hawks, Witkowski posted a .910 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average. At Blaine, Minn., High School, he was an all-state honorable mention, Great 8 all-star, and member of the Minnesota State Championship team. He is the son of Sheryl and has two brothers. Witkowski is majoring in health & human performance.

Aaron Degerness
F, 5-10, 185, Freshman, #14
Roseau, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

Aaron Degerness begins his Falcon career on the ice this season. He is a gritty two-way forward with the capability to score goals. In addition, he is a team player and coaches like his leadership qualities; he is a hustler and always working. Degerness captained the USHL’s Rochester Mustangs, scoring 16 goals and 12 assists, and helped his teammates at Roseau, Minn., High School to a Minnesota State Class AA championship. He was also an all-conference selection in high school. He is the son of Tim and Sharlene and has one brother. Degerness is undecided on a major field of study.

Jesse Modahl
F, 5-9, 170, Freshman, #8
Roseau, Minn.
Sioux City, USHL

Jesse Modahl is expected to step in and add to the front line offensively for the Falcons in his debut season. He is a skilled player who handles the puck very well. His Sioux City Muskateers captured the 2002 USHL Clark Cup. At Roseau, Minn., High School, Modahl helped his team win the 1999 Minnesota State Championship, and he was part of the all-tournament team. He was also an all-conference player and all-state honorable mention player. He is the son of Terry and Ida. Modahl is majoring in business administration.

Nate Hansen
F/D, 6-0, 180, Freshman, #13
Austin, Minn.
Des Moines, USHL

With strong athleticism, good size and excellent skating ability, Nate Hansen comes to UWRF with the capability to play either forward or defense. He will likely have a decent amount of playing time to settle into one of those positions. Hansen had eight goals and 16 assists for the Des Moines Bucs of the USHL. At Austin, Minn., High School, he once scored six goals in a game and was an all-conference and all-state honorable mention selection. He is the son of Lee and Joni and has three brothers. Hansen is undecided on a major field of study.

Daniel Meneghin
G, 5-10, 165, Freshman, #1
Surrey, B.C.
Victoria, BCHL

Though a Falcon freshman, Daniel Meneghin boasts a lot of experience in juniors action with the Victoria Salsa of the British Columbia Hockey League. After three years in the league, he started in the league’s all-star game. While playing with the Barnaby Bulldogs he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. His stability in the net offers the Falcons a lot of positives. He’ll battle with two others to replace Jacque Vezina after this season. Meneghin had an .897 save percentage and a 3.60 goals against average in his final year with the Salsa. He went to high school at Holy Cross. He is the son of Emilio and Eva and has three brothers. Meneghin is majoring in business.

Aaron Quigley
F, 5-10, 165, Freshman, #22
North St. Paul, Minn.
Rochester, USHL

Aaron Quigley joined the Falcons over Christmas break last season but only practiced with the team for the remainder of the year. Quigley has established himself pretty well as an offensive player through his juniors stint at Rochester in the USHL as well as an outstanding high school career at North St. Paul, Minn. There he was twice named all-conference and added the honors of all-metro and all-state as well. He is the son of Larry and Ann and has one brother and one sister. Quigley is majoring in health & human performance.