RIVER FALLS, Wis. — In the WIAC O'Brien Cup Championship game, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (20-8-0) fell to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (27-1-0) with a final score of 4-0 on Saturday, ending the team's chase for the cup. The Blugolds managed 20 shots on goal, with their goalie making 32 saves against the Falcons' 36 shots.
The game opened with UW-River Falls winning the initial faceoff and quickly setting the pace. Despite the Blugolds' defensive efforts, including blocks and saves by
Kambelle Freije, the Falcons maintained offensive pressure. At 12:18, Kylie Jones scored the period's only goal for the Falcons with an assist from Addie Seleski, marking her 10th goal of the season. The period concluded with UW-River Falls leading 1–0, as both teams traded shots but failed to convert further opportunities.
In the second period, the Falcons expanded their lead over the Blugolds with two goals. Katherine Bell scored at 17:55, assisted by Madison Kadrlik and Kailey Niccum, marking her ninth goal of the season. Megan Goodreau then added a power-play goal at 13:10, with assists from MaKenna Aure and Alexa Niccum, increasing the lead to 3–0. UWEC struggled to capitalize on their opportunities, with
Adrienne Hansen's penalty at 14:28 leading to the power-play goal for the Falcons. Freije made several saves to keep the deficit from growing further.
UW-River Falls maintained control throughout the third period, successfully defending against UWEC's offensive efforts. The Blugolds had several attempts to score, notably with
Madisyn Krumholz taking multiple shots during a power play, but they were unable to capitalize. UW-River Falls' Bell sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 19:07, marking her 10th goal of the season. This late tally secured a 4-0 victory for the Falcons.
Lauren Ballinger led the faceoff circle with a 60 percent success rate, winning 9 of 15 draws. Freije, in goal, recorded 32 saves in a challenging outing.
Sam Moehle contributed defensively with three blocked shots.
Jordan Hancock also supported the defense, matching Moehle with three blocked shots.
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