The Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons (UW-River Falls) are a Women’s Division III ice hockey team representing the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, located in River Falls, Wisconsin from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The team is based out of Hunt Arena, which is located on the school’s campus. The women’s program was established at the varsity level for the 1999-00 season, after playing as a club team for the 1997-98 season.
Quick Hits
- School: University of Wisconsin-River Falls
- Location: River Falls, Wisconsin
- School Founded: 1874
- Enrollment: 5,210
- Colors: Red, Black, & White
- Home Arena: Hunt Arena
- Arena Capacity: 1,400 (1,789 standing)
- Rink Dimensions: 200′ x 85′
- Conference: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC)
- Head Coach: Joe Cranston
- Conference Titles: 17 (2003, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
- Conference Tournament Titles: 16 (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
- National Titles: 3 (2024, 2025, 2026)
Conferences
- NCAA Division III Independent (1999-2000)
- Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (2000-2013)
- Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (2013-present)
Arenas
- Hunt Arena (1999-present)
Head Coaches
- Joe Cranston (1999-Present) 548-161-48 (.756)
Year by Year Results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | Finish | Conference Tournament | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NCAA Division III Independent | Overall Record |
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| 1999-00 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 28 | 83 | - | N/A | N/A | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 28 | 83 |
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association | Overall Record |
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| 2000-01 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 68 | 22 | 22 | 2nd of 5 | W, SF 4-1 (Stevens Point) W, F 2-1 (Superior) | 27 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 106 | 40 |
| 2001-02 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 45 | 29 | 18 | 3rd of 5 | W, SF 3-1 (Superior) L, F 2-1 (Stevens Point) | 27 | 13 | 11 | 3 | 74 | 60 |
| 2002-03 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 51 | 20 | 27 | 1st of 5 | W, SF 4-3 (Superior) W, F 5-1 (Stevens Point) | 30 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 94 | 46 |
| 2003-04 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 57 | 27 | 23 | T-2nd of 5 | L, SF 2-1 (Stevens Point) | 27 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 91 | 49 |
| 2004-05 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 18 | 12 | 3rd of 6 | W, SF 5-4 OT (Superior) L, F 3-1 (Stevens Point) | 25 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 71 | 51 |
| 2005-06 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 44 | 38 | 17 | 3rd of 6 | L, SF 4-1 (Superior) | 27 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 79 | 65 |
| 2006-07 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 44 | 29 | 20 | 2nd of 6 | L, SF 3-2 OT (Stevens Point) | 27 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 77 | 56 |
| 2007-08 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 60 | 34 | 23 | 3rd of 7 | W, QF 6-1 (Finlandia) W, SF 2-1 (Stevens Point) L, F 2-1 OT (Superior) | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 101 | 51 |
| 2008-09 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 25 | 31 | 1st of 7 | W, SF 6-2 (Lake Forest) W, F 5-3 (Stevens Point) | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 116 | 56 |
| 2009-10 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 63 | 31 | 23 | T-2nd of 9 | W, QF 3-2, 3-1 (Eau Claire) W, SF 4-1 (Adrian) W, F 2-1 (Superior) | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 105 | 51 |
| 2010-11 | 20 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 90 | 27 | 37 | 1st of 11 | W, QF 2-2 OT, 7-1 (St. Norbert) W, SF 5-2 (Concordia-WI) L, F 4-3 OT (Adrian) | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 135 | 49 |
| 2011-12 | 20 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 97 | 38 | 35 | 1st of 11 | W, SF 5-0 , 3-0 (Eau Claire) W, SF 4-0 (Lake Forest) W, F 4-2 (Adrian) | 30 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 126 | 52 |
| 2012-13 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 103 | 29 | 32 | 1st of 11 | W, SF 5-4, 5-2 (Eau Claire) W, SF 7-0 (Stevens Point) L, F 3-2 OT (St. Norbert) | 30 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 137 | 47 |
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Overall Record |
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| 2013-14 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 19 | 18 | 1st of 4 | W, SF 2-0 (8-0, 6-1) (Eau Claire) W, F 6-1 (Stevens Point) | 31 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 124 | 50 |
| 2014-15 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 19 | 21 | 1st of 4 | W, SF 2-0 (6-1, 5-1) (Eau Claire) W, F 6-1 (Stevens Point) | 31 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 133 | 54 |
| 2015-16 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 21 | 18 | 1st of 4 | W, SF 1-0-1 (4-1, 3-3) (Eau Claire) W, F 4-1 (Stevens Point) | 31 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 115 | 54 |
| 2016-17 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 14 | 14 | 1st of 4 | W, SF 5-1 (Superior) W, F 3-2 OT (Eau Claire) | 28 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 124 | 35 |
| 2017-18 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 17 | 12 | 1st of 4 | W, SF 9-0, 6-1 (Stevens Point) L, F 3-2 2OT (Eau Claire) | 28 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 137 | 57 |
| 2018-19 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 11 | 16 | 1st of 4 | W, SF 4-1, 5-2 (Superior) L, F 7-3 (Eau Claire) | 29 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 128 | 54 |
| 2019-20 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 64 | 15 | 18 | 2nd of 5 | W, SF 1-0, 2-2 OT (Superior) W, F 2-1 OT (Eau Claire) | 29 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 117 | 36 |
| 2020-21 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 7 | 0.857 | 1st of 5 | W, SF 5-0, 6-2 (Stevens Point) W, F 3-2 OT, 0-3, 2-1 (Eau Claire) | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 15 |
| 2021-22 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 6 | 0.888 | 1st of 5 | W, SF 6-0, 6-0 (Stevens Point) W, F 6-3 (Eau Claire) | 29 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 165 | 38 |
| 2022-23 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 77 | 15 | 32 | 1st of 5 | W, SF 7-1, 9-1 (Northland) W, F 5-1 (Eau Claire) | 29 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 160 | 41 |
| 2023-24 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 14 | 35 | 1st of 5 | W, SF 7-0, 5-1 (Stevens Point) W, F 2-1 OT (Eau Claire) | 31 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 160 | 31 |
| 2024-25 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 15 | 35 | 1st of 5 | W, SF 8-1, 6-0 (Superior) W, F 4-1 (Eau Claire) | 31 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 185 | 55 |
| 2025-26 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 14 | 33 | 1st of 5 | W, SF 5-1, 7-0 (Superior) W, F 4-0 (Eau Claire) | 31 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 158 | 30 |
NCAA Tournament Appearances
| Season | First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship | Third Place (until 2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | N/A | W, 5-1 (St. Thomas Tommies) | L, 2-1 (Elmira Soaring Eagles) | -- | L, 4-2 (Bowdoin Polar Bears) |
| 2009 | N/A | W, 2-1 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | L, 3-0 (Elmira Soaring Eagles) | -- | L, 4-3 OT (Middlebury Panthers) |
| 2010 | N/A | L, 2-0 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | -- | -- | -- |
| 2011 | N/A | L, 4-1 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | -- | -- | -- |
| 2012 | N/A | L, 4-2 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | -- | -- | -- |
| 2013 | N/A | L, 2-1 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | -- | -- | -- |
| 2014 | N/A | W, 4-1 (Lake Forest Foresters) | L, 4-2 (Norwich Cadets) | -- | W, 5-3 (St. Thomas Tommies) |
| 2015 | N/A | W, 3-1 (Lake Forest Foresters) | L, 3-2 (Elmira Soaring Eagles) | -- | W, 4-3 (Norwich Cadets) |
| 2016 | N/A | W, 4-1 (St. Thomas Tommies) | W, 4-3 OT (Elmira Soaring Eagles) | L, 5-1 (Plattsburgh Cardinals) | -- |
| 2017 | N/A | L, 3-2 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | -- | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Bye | L, 5-1 (Hamline Pipers) | -- | -- | -- |
| 2020 | W, 4-1 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | (Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds)* | *Tournament cancelled after first round by NCAA due to COVID-19 pandemic |
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| 2022 | W, 7-0 (Aurora Spartans) | L, 5-3 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Bye | L, 2-1 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | -- | -- | N/A |
| 2024 | Bye | W, 2-1 (Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties) | W, 3-2 (Adrian Bulldogs) | W, 4-1 (Elmira Soaring Eagles) | N/A |
| 2025 | Bye | W, 4-1 (Elmira Soaring Eagles) | W, 4-2 (Augsburg Auggies) | W, 3-1 (Amherst Mammoths) | N/A |
| 2026 | Bye | W, 1-0 (Williams Ephs) | W, 3-1 (Amherst Mammoths) | W, 4-0 (Nazareth Golden Flyers) | N/A |
17 appearances | 3-time National Champions | 1 Runner-Up Finish | 2-time Third Place Finishers | 2-time Fourth Place Finishers |
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