MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin women's hockey team made history in their Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) opener with a dramatic 5-4 comeback victory over Trine University. The win marked the first time in program history that the Falcons triumphed after trailing by three goals, improving their overall record to 2-1-0.
The opening period was dominated by the Thunder, who built a 3-0 lead despite CUW outshooting them 17-11.
However, the Falcons came roaring back in the second period, scoring twice to trim Trine's lead to just one goal.
The first goal came at 15:51 on a power play. Junior Makayla Spejcher (Green Bay, Wis.) fired a shot from the left circle that was saved by the Thunder goaltender, but sophomore Mackaylan McGown (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) was in position to pounce on the rebound, tipping it into the net.
Then, with just 1:29 left in the second period, senior captain Brooke Gibson (LaSalle, Ont.) brought the Falcons to within one. The play began with Spejcher feeding freshman Brenna-Grace Dittmer (Chatham-Kent, Ont.), who then passed to Gibson. Gibson weaved through a couple of Trine defenders and lifted a shot over the goalie's shoulder to cut the Thunder lead to just one.
Defensively, the Falcons were equally impressive, killing off two penalties in the second period to prevent Trine from extending their lead.
The third period saw Trine regain their two-goal advantage when they scored at the 8:01 mark to go up 4-2.
But CUW responded immediately, cutting the deficit to one just 17 seconds later. Freshman Scout Stromberg (Tomahawk, Wis.) fired a shot that was blocked by the Thunder goalie, and the loose puck eventually found Brenna-Grace Dittmer, who capitalized on the opportunity and scored her first collegiate goal to again move CUW within one goal. With the assist, Scout Stromberg also recorded her first collegiate point.
The Falcons continued their push and tied the game at 4-4 with 4:05 left. Once again it was Brooke Gibson, this time redirecting a saved shot that come off the stick of Spejcher into the net.
With the game heading toward overtime, the Falcons continued to press. With 55 seconds left, Brooke Gibson won a critical faceoff in the neutral zone following an offsides call. Senior Natalie Mackrell (Florissant, Colo.) quickly scooped up the puck, charging toward the net and cutting across the crease. She made a couple of moves before beating the Trine goalie to the back post to give CUW the lead with 49.7 seconds remaining.
The Falcons locked down defensively in the final moments, preventing any serious chances from Trine to hold on for the 5-4 victory.
In the historic win, Gibson led the Falcons with three points, scoring twice and adding an assist. She also won 8 of 15 faceoffs. Mackaylan McGown led the team in faceoff wins, going 13-for-20. Makayla Spejcher led the charge offensively with 10 shots, while senior Amanda Bauer (Waunakee, Wis.) contributed 8 shots.
As a team, the Falcons fired an impressive 56 shots on goal, while limiting the Thunder to just 22. In goal, senior Kami McCardle (Jackson, Wis.) recorded 18 saves in the win.
The Falcons will look to complete the sweep on Saturday at the Ozaukee Ice Center.
