Sticha, Mizanskey power Women's Hockey to shutout win over Finlandia

MEQUON, Wis. – Coming off a difficult Friday night road contest in which the second period proved to be the difference, the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Hockey team used a strong second frame to down Finlandia University, 4-0, Saturday at the Ozaukee Ice Center.

Sophomore Brittany Sticha and senior Andrea Mizanskey played key roles in the Falcons win, which saw all four goals scored during the second stanza. Sticha (Lonsdale, Minn.) scored two of those goals, including one on the power play, while Mizanskey (Palos Heights, Ill.) recorded a shutout by stopping all 31 shots she faced.

The shutout was the third of the season for the Falcons, all coming on Saturday home games. CUW also improved to 4-0-0 on its home ice this season, three of those wins coming against the Lions. It was also the second shutout of Mizanskey's career, the first coming during her freshman season against the Lions.

Following a scoreless first period the Falcons came out rolling in the second. Junior Katherine Pauletti (Roseville, Minn.) put her team up 1-0 with an unassisted goal scored at the 5:59 mark of the second. Pauletti then assisted on the first of two Sticha goals, sending a beautiful pass up ice leading to the breakaway for Sticha.

The third goal was scored on the power play as Sticha scored off assists from junior Hannah Zobel (Reedsburg, Wis.) and sophomore Baylee Draling (Holmen, Wis.). Sticha now has six goals this season, leading all Falcons.

Junior Nina Puch (Des Plaines, Ill.) capped off the impressive second frame with a rebound goal off a shot from freshman Lexi Holman (Cold Spring, Minn.). The dominant second period was one where CUW outshot the Lions by an 18-7 count. For the game the Falcons finished with 38 shots compared to 31 for Finlandia.

The CUW penalty kill was another positive Saturday, killing off all three of its opponent's opportunities. The Falcons converted on 1-of-4 power play chances as that unit has come on stronger over the past couple of games following a slow start this season.

Outside of the strong second period, Mizanskey was the story the rest of the way. She recorded 13 saves in the first period to keep the game scoreless and added 11 over the final frame. She now has an impressive 1.74 goals against average in 276-plus minutes this season.

Despite being a matchup between two Northern Collegiate Hockey Association teams, Saturday's tilt did not count towards the conference standings. These two teams will meet one more time in an NCHA matchup later on in the season.

CUW (5-2-1) will be off for two weeks before returning to the ice for an NCHA road weekend series at St. Norbert College. The opening game of that series is set for Friday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m.