ADRIAN, Mich. – The Concordia Wisconsin women's hockey team came out firing against No. 10 Adrian on Saturday afternoon, striking first against the nationally ranked Bulldogs. Despite a strong opening effort and an even battle in shots, the Falcons fell 4-1 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) action. The result moves the Blue and White to 1-1-2 overall and 0-1-1 in conference play.
The Falcons wasted little time making their presence felt, finding the back of the net just 4:40 into the opening period.
Sophomore Abby Hansberger (Elk River, Minn.) opened the scoring with her second goal of the season, firing a shot from the near circle past the Adrian goaltender. The scoring opportunity developed when senior Naomi Black (Ottawa, Ontario) sent a shot toward the net, where senior Mackaylan McGown (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) collected the puck and slipped a pass to Hansberger for the finish.
The Bulldogs responded with a pair of power-play goals from Kaylee Simon at the 7:09 and 7:34 marks to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
The Blue and White continued to challenge the nationally ranked Bulldogs in the second period, outshooting Adrian 9-7. The Falcons generated several opportunities but were unable to find the equalizer.
Adrian extended its lead with an even-strength goal from Bella Viskovicz at the 6:06 mark before Paige Pomerleau added a power-play goal four minutes later.
The Falcons continued to battle in the third period, keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the final 20 minutes. Concordia's defensive effort helped limit Adrian to seven shots in the period while the Blue and White generated six opportunities of their own.
The two teams finished even with 22 shots apiece, highlighting the Falcons' ability to generate offensive pressure against a nationally ranked opponent.
Hansberger led the Concordia offense with four shots on goal, while Black and freshman Bella Reinisch (London, Ontario) each added three. McGown provided a strong presence in the faceoff circle, winning nine of her 16 draws.
Junior Gretchen Paaverud (Ramsey, Minn.) finished with 18 saves in goal for the Falcons, including seven in the final period.
The Falcons also matched the Bulldogs in the faceoff circle, with both teams winning 28 draws.
The difference came on special teams, where Adrian converted all three of its power-play opportunities.
Despite the result, the Blue and White showed encouraging stretches against a top-10 opponent, including scoring first, matching Adrian in shots and shutting out the Bulldogs in the third period. The Falcons return to action on Friday night for the home opener against St. Norbert.
