Falcons Tase Trine in NCHA Opener Shutout

ANGOLA, Ind. – The Falcons soared in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) opener on Friday night. The Falcons kept the Thunder off the scoresheet with a 3-0 victory to improve to 3-1-1 and open the NCHA season.

The Falcons scored first on a two-on-one advantage where sophomore Natalie Mackrell (Stuttgart, Germany) held onto the puck and lit the lamp with assists to freshman Jillian Tabaka (Maplewood, Minn.) and junior Amanda Carney (Aurora, Ont.).

CUW struck again in the second period on the power play when freshman Makayla Spejcher (Green Bay, Wis.) tossed the puck on net that bounced off the Trine goalie and trickled into the net with senior Ali Eiden (Rosemount, Minn.) and sophomore Amanda Bauer (Waunakee, Wis.) adding the assists.

Amanda Bauer closed the door on Trine after Makayla Spejcher wrapped around the back of the net and found Bauer open at the doorstep.

Senior Annalina Van Hercke (Castle Rock, Colo.) had 16 saves in the shutout victory. It is the first shutout of the season and the sixth in her career.

CUW finished with 32 shots, with freshman Charlotte Toor (Hartland, Mich.) taking five.

The Falcons also won a majority of the faceoffs on Friday with sophomore Brooke Gibson (LaSalle, Ont.) and Jillian Tabaka both winning 12.

The birds look to bring out the brooms on Saturday afternoon.