(Photo: Kranz Media)
What can you say about a college hockey program that garners two national championships in a row? The answer invariable lies in the fact that the Wisconsin-River Falls women’s program certainly has the ability to win a third consecutive national title in a row and challengers are welcome as the 2025-26 season rapidly approaches. This bold statement certainly does not underestimate other women’s hockey programs and fortune favors the bold who are daring enough to take on the Wisconsin hockey behemoth as the first face off of the year is now days away.
Head coach Joe Cranston leads the way in terms of D-III hockey coaching dominance.
Let’s get real for just a moment, shall we? When the topic of conversation of Division III women’s hockey does come up in the crisp days of October in the Upper Midwest, one name certainly rises to the occasion and that name certainly would have to be none other than Joe Cranston. Cranston is the literal godfather of small college women’s hockey and his tenure at UW-River Falls has been nothing short of spectacular. In 26 seasons with the Falcons, Cranston has been the first and only head coach of the women’s hockey program in school history. With back-to-back national championships in 2024 (including a 31-0-0 perfect season) and 2025, it would be foolish to think that Coach Cranston won’t guide the Falcons back to another potential Frozen Four appearance with an eye on a championship three-peat next spring.
With 518 career wins, Joe Cranston has left an indelible mark on women’s college hockey in general and D-III hockey in particular. Under his tutelage, the UW-River Falls women’s program has not only won national championships but dominated the WIAC and NCHA in the process as well. In addition, the Falcons have made the NCAA tournament 14 of the last 15 seasons, including no less than seven Frozen Four appearances (2003, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2025) and third-place finishes in 2014 and 2015 and a national runner-up finish in 2016.
If that doesn’t impress hockey fans and pundits alike, Cranston was the 2024 National Coach of the Year and a runner-up for that distinction no less than four additional times. Plain and simply speaking, as long as Joe Cranston is connected with the UW-River Falls women’s program, the Falcons likely will be playing hockey deep into the spring next year.
Top Shelf player talent will return for the Falcons this upcoming season.
The 2024-25 season for the UW-River Falls women’s hockey program was capped off with a second consecutive D-III national championship and forward Bailey Olson played an enormous role in helping the Falcons win a second title in a row. Olson garnered both the CCM/AHCA Laura Hurd National Player of the Year along with the DIIIHockeyNews.com Player of the Year accolades; with 27 goals and 33 assists in 31 games that recognition came as no surprise to the college hockey world. However, life does move on and Bailey Olson graduated at the end of last spring and the big question remaining is who will step up and fill her skates this season?
Fortunately for the UW-River Falls Falcons, top-tier women’s hockey players can be found throughout this storied program. Junior Megan Goodreau will no doubt step up to the challenge of having to fill in for the now-graduated Olson and the Lino Lakes, MN native is a natural for this challenge. Having earned an ACHA and DIII Hockey News first team All-American nods last season, Goodreau was not only second on the team in scoring but second in the entire nation and with 24 goals and 25 assists for 49 total points. In addition, Goodreau registered six power play goals and also had six multi-goal games. With Goodreau looking for shots on goal in the offensive zone this season, the Falcon scoring attack looks to be in good hands as the new season approaches.
Who says that blueliners can’t score goals as well? In the case of Makenna Aure, let’s just say that scoring 15 goals (a UWRF team record) and 14 assists sounds more like a forward’s statistics than a defenseman but in Aure’s case, it’s all for the cause and that cause is simply winning. Aure also registered a hat trick against Northland College last season and the Alexandria, MN native is an integral part of the Falcon program both behind the blue line and in the offensive zone. Aure richly earned both the ACHA and DIIIHockeyNews.com 1st team All-American honors after last season and looks to be ready for a third consecutive national championship ring.
Is a three-peat even in the Falcons’ reach this season?
That is probably more of a proverbial question than anything else and the answer is an unequivocal yes – the UW-River Falls women’s hockey program could claim their third national title in a row. Of course, just a little bit of hockey needs to be played and there will certainly be some other schools who will have something to say about a potential three-peat (the Amherst Mammoths immediately come to mind.) It’s time to watch the ponds get ready to freeze over (hopefully) and time to lace up the old hockey skates- college hockey is back.
