2025 Women’s National Championship Recap

Another season has come and gone, and for the first time since 2017, we have a repeat champion in Division III women’s hockey, doing so on home ice yet again.  It’s safe to say the Falcons earned it, as they were in firm control of 2 of their 3 playoff wins.  In case you missed it, check out my live blog from Sunday’s contest.  There, you can look at the live updates moment-by-moment.

Game Recap: #4 UW-River Falls vs. #2 Amherst

In just the 4th meeting, between these two schools all-time, and first since 2012.  Amherst had won the prior three, but River Falls won the big one, being the first NCAA matchup between the two cross-region opponents.  The crowd was electric at Hunt Arena, as we had another sellout crowd.  The student section for UWRF was brutal all day, providing some vicious chants at the Amherst faithful, and all wearing black, fitting for a Mammoth funeral.

Amherst came out of the gates firing, with a couple very strong shifts.  Less than 2 minutes into the game, the Mammoths got a power play opportunity after River Falls tripped up Amherst heading into the zone.  The AC power play didn’t do much of anything though, and shortly after, River Falls was tripped up themselves, matching up the #1 powerplay with the #2 penalty kill.

The Falcons looked a little jittery on the power play, as they had one decent look, but AC’s pressure kept UWRF off their game.  After the power play, River Falls started to find their legs, and generate a couple really good chances.  Natalie Stott stood tall, and the Mammoths defense did a great job blocking shots early on.

Amherst went to the power play soon after, yet again, and put forth a much better effort on this power play, but still didn’t cash in.  This time, the Falcons did a phenomenal job getting in shooting lanes.

In the back half of the first period, UWRF’s speed really started to show itself.  The Mammoths were chasing the last 10 minutes of the period, and got some really nice looks at Stott, but couldn’t beat her.  The Falcon forecheck and elusiveness was on display, and Amherst was happy to get to the intermission tied at zero.

Early on in Period 2, star players showed up in a major way. Bailey Olson and Makenna Aure teamed up for a pretty 2 on 1 goal that sent Stott flailing to try and stop it, but to no avail.  The Falcons goal came just 40 seconds into the middle frame.  With the crowd erupting, the Falcons had all the momentum after the goal, with Amherst really struggling to stay with the UWRF in the Mammoth zone, as the Falcons kept generating good looks.

Amherst got another power play, which halted the momentum, but River Falls’ kill looked very solid.  Right after the PK, Bailey Olson made another play, shooting one low on Stott, and her linemate Madison Kadrlik cleaned up the loose change to put UWRF up by a pair.

The horn went off and celebration followed, but during all of this, the refs talked at center ice for a good 2 minutes.  They then ruled it as no goal, as the puck went off Kadrlik’s skate and in, and the refs thought it may have been a kicking motion.  They did not use review at that point, and just consulted one another, so Falcons’ coach Joe Cranston used his challenge, allowing them to take a look at the replay monitor.  After review, it was determined a good goal, which I believe was the right call, as there didn’t appear to be anything close to a kicking motion.

River Falls kept pushing on, feeding off the crowd’s energy, and whizzing one that tipped the outside of the post.  But on a dime, Amherst pushed back in a big way.  They had an extended shift in the Falcons’ zone, that ended up with Bea Flynn netting her 4th of the NCAA tournament on a rebound chance that Jordan O’Kane couldn’t corral.

The Mammoths turned in about three or four more great shifts after their goal, and it for a while, it looked like they may tie this one up.  But that’s when Player of the Year Bailey Olson made yet another play late in Period 2.  She dangled into the zone, and although she had it knocked off her stick, battled back, winning the puck and sneaking the puck past Stott on a wraparound attempt, regaining the 2-goal advantage for River Falls.

Heading into the third, River Falls knew Amherst would be pushing hard, but they did a tremendous job at thwarting any potential comeback threats.  For about the first 15 minutes of the third, River Falls had the puck for a majority of the period, as Amherst really struggled to keep up with the Falcons’ speed.

Stott really kept the Mammoths in it though, as she stopped a couple great looks, including a breakaway attempt by Katherine Bell and multiple other odd-man rushes.

Late in the game, Amherst got aggressive, throwing multiple attempts on O’Kane, but a lot of them came from the point, but O’Kane saved these easily.  With about 2 and a half remaining, Amherst pulled Stott and the Falcons played great team defense to prevent any super dangerous looks.

In a play that epitomized the entire game, with about 10 seconds remaining, Kailey Niccum came from way behind the play to win the race against the Mammoth defender, negating icing and ending the game.  The difference in speed was so drastic, and the Falcons were just too much for Amherst.

Especially after seeing Augsburg give River Falls some major problems on Friday, by matching their speed game, I was wondering if Amherst would do the same on Sunday, but that was not the case.  Credit to Amherst for playing very hard and smart, but the talent differential just proved to be too much, and Stott was fantastic for the Mammoths.

Here was the All-Tournament team, and I thought these were all great selections.

• F: Madison Kadrlik, UW-River Falls
• F: Bailey Olson, UW-River Falls (Tournament MVP)
• F: Alyssa Xu, Amherst
• D: Makenna Aure, UW-River Falls
• D: Gretchen Dann, Amherst
• G: Natalie Stott, Amherst

In several years (including 2024), the voters basically give MVP to the most decorated player, regardless of their performance in the playoff, but Bailey Olson left no doubt in this one.  Yes, she was the POY, but she was absolutely dominant this weekend, and was more than deserving for this award.

Press Conference Notes

On the Amherst side, coach Jeff Matthews was so proud of his team and all they gave today.  They had a lot thrown on them, in a matchup they were overmatched at times, but their willingness to battle back and stick with it was not lost on any spectators.

Captains Anna Baxter and Emily Hohmann have helped this program achieve a remarkable 70 wins over the last three seasons, cementing the Mammoths as a perennial title favorite despite a growing amount of parity in the sport.  Both captains expressed their gratitude to play for such a great program with such great people around them.

Coach Matthews mentioned that some pretty decent program changes were made back prior to the 2019-20 season, and those laid the groundwork for the tremendous success Amherst has had in recent years.  Those changes start with caring about the whole person, not just the player.  The quote that stuck out to me was that the program “leaned on love” during these decorated years.

It seemed a bit challenging for Amherst to play such a different style opponent with such a short turnaround, particularly right after playing a team who they know as well as themselves, in Middlebury.  Luckily, the team did use prior championship experiences like multiple NESCAC titles and their 2023 Second place finish against Gustavus to help prepare for this tremendous opportunity on Sunday.

On the River Falls side, the vibe around the press conference was obviously one of celebration and relief, but also a bit of shock.  Coach Joe Cranston mentioned that his head “is not around it yet,” and finds it hard to believe they’ve just won back-to-back titles.  Cranston was incredibly proud of how his team improved as the season went on.

He credits his team conditioning for being able to withstand so many strong opponents, and thanked the crowd for providing such an amazing atmosphere.  He also thanked his assistant coaches numerous times.  An interesting note was that Cranston claims things changed in the UWRF program once he turned over recruiting to his assistant, commending them for getting the best possible players and people into the program.

Seniors Bailey Olson and Allisen Corethers were so thankful for their four years in River Falls, being so thankful that their families were able to come watch them so many times, and play at a school so successful.  With all but 3 of their players coming from the state of Minnesota, these girls mostly come from a similar background and credit their families and friends coming to support them.

Cranston talked about how important the built-up culture is to this program, and that all goes into each individual team.  He mentioned they won this championship for everyone who’s ever put on the Falcon sweater or supported the program.  He mentioned an end-of-year anonymous survey he gives his players, and every single one was filled with positive remarks, and countless “thank you’s.”  When he read all of these a few weeks back, he was visibly moved, and told his team the following day: “No one’s beating us.”

When asked about playing an unfamiliar opponent in Amherst, Cranston was honest, saying his team didn’t change anything.  They really like their matchup with Amherst, and it was the same thing with Elmira.  They liked how their game matched up against those two opponents.  Despite having to make multiple adjustments and change things up against a tough Augsburg team, this one went much differently.

Lastly, Cranston lauded over the hard work of Bailey Olson, claiming she’s the hardest worker he’s ever coached, and he’s coached a lot of amazing talents.  Despite having just 11 points as a freshman, Cranston trusted Olson in some big spots and with amazing established players, which built up her confidence.  Olson was extremely humble and thankful, and was so grateful for everyone who helped her get to where she is today.

Wrap-Up

Overall, I had a wonderful time at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for this year’s women’s ice hockey championship.  I’d love to close by thanking their staff for putting on a tremendous event and for being so gracious and willing to help in every single aspect.  The school has proven themselves as a great host for these events, and they outdid themselves from last year, which I thought would be impossible.

I’m interested to see how the hosting situation goes moving forward, as we have Plattsburgh hosting as a pre-determined site in 2027, and then further decisions will be made as to how they move forward.  Next year, we’re moving back to a campus site, with top seeds getting presence, assuming the bids are put in and accepted.

For now, I would challenge the NCAA, as many fans don’t know how the bidding process works, and I’d like them to be transparent about which tournament teams have put in bids to host, and which ones were accepted.  If the men’s tournament told us anything this year, it’s that fans need to know what options are possibilities, and if rinks aren’t eligible to host, tell the fans that up-front.  There’s too much confusion surrounding the process.

Depending on the schools involved, I do feel as if predetermined sites can work on the women’s side of things.  Obviously it helps when you have a host team in it, or many nearby teams.  But I do know there are many venues and staffs in this sport that would do a great job, with the opportunity.  Looking at St. Olaf, Gustavus, Norwich, Plattsburgh, Middlebury, Trine, Elmira, and many others.