ADRIAN, Mich. – It was a night to remember for the Concordia Wisconsin women's hockey program on Friday night. The Falcons shut out No. 5 Adrian on the road, 1-0. The Blue and White improved to 16-5-1 on the year and 11-3-1 in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.
Friday was the fifth victory over the Bulldogs in program history and the first shutout against the Black and Yellow.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first period. The Bulldogs blitzed the CUW net with 15 shots, but senior Kami McCardle (Jackson, Wis.) stopped all of them.
The Falcons scored the lone goal of the contest on a backhanded shot from senior Brooke Gibson (LaSalle, Ontario) off a pass from sophomore Brenna-Grace Dittmer (Chatham-Kent, Ontario) who cut through the Adrian defense like a hot knife through butter.
The Bulldogs continued to bark at McCardle with two power plays and 16 shots in the second period, but she once again silenced the dogs.
The third period saw one last blitz for the Bulldogs with two more power plays and an 11-3 advantage in shots, but the zero was still next to Adrian as the clock expired.
The Bulldogs held a 42-15 advantage in shots on Friday. Kami McCardle finished with 42 saves in her third shutout of the season.
"A shutout against number five just reinforced coaches' pregame talk that it doesn't matter the rank, the record, the stats, when you play with your heart anything can happen," said McCardle. "I think each and every one of us on that ice played with their heart, selflessly for one another. So proud of this program and the historical moment!"
With her goal, Brooke Gibson hit two milestones with her 100th career point and her 50th career goal.
"Reaching 100 points means so much to me, especially with it being my senior year," said Gibson. "Throughout my time in this program, I have been able to grow so much as a player with the help of my teammates and coaches. I could not have reached this milestone without them. I am so grateful for how this program has developed me as a player and as a person!"
Senior Natalie Mackrell (Florissant, Colo.) had three blocks for the Blue and White.
This is the first time that the Falcons have recorded two ranked victories in a single season. The other is coming at No. 15 St. Mary's on November 2.
The Falcons look to bring out the brooms on Saturday afternoon.
