MEQUON, Wis. – It was a historic night inside the Ozaukee Ice Center on Thursday. Records fell as the Falcons swept the Foresters for the first time in program history with a 4-2 victory. The Blue and White extended the longest winning streak to nine games at 12-2-0 on the year.
The Falcons opened the evening killing off a penalty to start the contest.
The Foresters were unable to capitalize on another CUW tripping penalty halfway through the first period. The Black and Red only had one shot in the two power play opportunities.
The Falcons had their first crack at the power play, but could not find the back of the net and the two teams were tied at zero after 20 minutes.
CUW started the scoring in the second period when freshman Sophia Whiteaker (Normal, Ill.) scored off a steal deflected off the stick of senior Olivia Kurtz (Plainfield, Ill.). Whiteaker has now scored in back-to back games.
The Foresters took advantage of a clock malfunction that prolonged a minor penalty past two minutes and tied the game with what the clock read as 4:08.
The Falcons reclaimed the lead on the power play in the final minute of the second period. Sophomore Mackaylan McGown (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) bounced the puck in from behind the net off a shot from freshman Scout Stromberg (Tomahawk, Wis.). Senior Brooke Gibson (LaSalle, Ontario) added the secondary assist to become the program's all-time leading point scorer with 91 points.
Gibson passed Veronika Metanova at 90 points.
"It is such an honor to be the all-time point scorer," said Gibson. "This program helped me grow so much, not just as a player but as a person. I am so thankful for my teammates and coaches who have helped me accomplish this record."
Gibson is no stranger to breaking records against the Foresters as she became the all-time leading scorer in the 5-4 victory over the Foresters with her 44th career goal on Nov. 23. This is now the fourth program record held by Gibson with 21 power-play goals and 13 game-winning goals. She currently ranks fifth in assists.
The Concordia power play struck again in the first minute of the third period when Scout Stromberg lit the lamp with a blast from the top of the slot after back-and-forth passes from Brooke Gibson and a faceoff victory to Mackaylan McGown.
The Foresters tried hard to level the contest but sophomore Carolyn Bourgeault (Buffalo, N.Y.) made some acrobatic saves to preserve the lead.
Lake Forest applied some pressure when the Foresters scored with an extra attacker 18:27 into the third period.
The game was iced when senior Natalie Mackrell (Florissant, Colo.) scored an empty net goal off Brooke Gibson's third assist of the night.
This is the second time in the storied career of Brooke Gibson that she has had three assists, the other being a 6-3 victory against Lawrence on Nov. 17, 2023.
The Falcons edged out the guests from Illinois with a 42-38 advantage in shots.
Carolyn Bourgeault improved to 4-0-0 on the year with 36 saves in the victory.
The Falcons have now won four straight games against the Foresters. CUW had never won back-to-back games against LFC before the streak. This is also the first time that Concordia has swept the season series over Lake Forest.
CUW once again showed why it is one of the best in the nation in the faceoff circle. Mackaylan McGown won 19 of her 29 faceoffs and Brooke Gibson won 12 of her 18.
The Blue and White blocked 12 shots in the victory, with sophomore Ava Litkey (Kenosha, Wis.) leading the flock with three.
The Falcons close out non-conference play on Friday against Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The Falcons will honor the senior class ahead of the contest with a scheduled 6:00 puck drop.
