River Falls, Wisconsin (Blugolds.com) – The No. 6 ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's hockey team returned to its eighth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament championship on Saturday. For the eighth year in a row, the University of California-Eau Claire will face River Falls University, ranked No. 1 in the university rankings, with both teams aiming to take home the O'Brien Cup trophy. The championship continued in the afternoon, with both teams tied at the end of regulation as overtime would be needed to decide the winner. Despite playing solid defense throughout the game, a ricocheted puck bounced into the Blue Golds' net as UWEC lost 2-1.
It was a defensive battle from the beginning, with neither team having much of a chance to take the lead.senior netminder josie mathison (Sr. – Toma, Wis.) set the tone early, making 22 of his 36 total saves in the first two periods to keep the top-ranked Falcons from finding the back of the net. The Blue Golds also stood strong in front of their goalie, blocking just over 35% of UWRF's shots. In terms of attack, quinn hartmets (Junior – Phoenixville, PA/Gilmore Academy) Sadie Long (Junior – Farmington, MN) The Blue Golds took the lead with shots on goal in the first two frames and kept chasing the Falcons.
Both teams combined for 29 shots in the first two periods, but neither team was able to score as they entered the second intermission tied 0-0.
In the third, Eau Claire took the lead just over three minutes into the frame. Ellie Andersen (Junior – Fergus Falls, MN) took a pass from Sam Bandholz (Junior – Litchfield, WI/Slinger) and then fired a shot on target to give UWEC a 1-0 lead. Rachel Marwald (So. Verona, Wis.) also got an assist on Andersen's score, giving momentum to the Blue Golds. The battle between the top two teams continued in the third period, but River Falls eventually found itself in a stalemate on the scoreboard once again by poking at a loose puck in front of the crease. Both teams remained tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, with neither team able to gain an advantage for the rest of the third frame.
In overtime, the Blue Golds attacked the Falcons quickly, finding opportunities in front of the River Falls net, but could not find the back of the net. Just past the 6 minute mark, UW-River Falls found its way into the zone and fired the puck over the net. The rebound missed the forward scrum and was eventually hit by UWRF, resulting in UWEC losing 2-1 in overtime.
josie mathison (Sr. – Tomah, Wis.) stopped 34 of 36 shots in his third loss of the season. Matheson finished the season with a record of 9-3-0.
The Blue Gold finished the regular season and WIAC postseason with a 21-7-0 record and a 9-3-0 record in conference play. UWEC will wait to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.Selection is scheduled for March 3rd (Sunday)rd It will be broadcast on ncaa.com starting at 7:30 p.m.
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