Women's Hockey Picks Up Road Win Over Dubuque

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Concordia women's hockey team tallied its sixth win of the season on Saturday night, ousting the Dubuque Spartans in the first contest of a three-game series between the two squads. The 2-0 victory marked the Falcons' first shutout performance of the season.

Concordia opened up the contest with two first-period goals, which proved to be the only scores of the game. Sophomore Makayla Spejcher (Green Bay, Wis.) found the back of the net on the power play just four minutes into the contest, representing her fifth goal of the season. Freshman Naomi Black (Ottawa, Ont.) picked up the primary assist while also leading Falcons' skaters with seven shots.

Freshman Ella Tuccitto (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) doubled the Concordia lead just over the halfway mark of the opening frame, burying a rebound that was set in front of an open net. The goal came just seconds after a key save by senior goalie Annalina Van Hercke (Castle Rock, Colo.).

Freshman Mackaylan McGown (Inver Grove, Minn.) collected an assist on the play, her second of the game after recording the secondary helper on Concordia's opening goal. The performance marked her second career multi-point game.

Neither team found the scoreboard for the remainder of the game, as penalty kills and strong defensive presences prevented further scoring. The Falcons' kill nullified all four Spartans power plays, including two notable stops in the third period.

Van Hercke's 23 saves on 23 Dubuque shots marked her 10th career shutout in a Concordia uniform to set a program record.

The Falcons will compete in the second of three games against the Spartans on Sunday, January 14, in search of a four-game winning streak.