Box Score

RIVER FALLS - The UW-Stevens Point women's hockey team held a 1-0 lead early in the first period, but UW-River Falls responded with two goals in the second period and three more in the third as the Falcons defeated the Pointers 5-3 in the O'Brien Cup Tournament championship game.

The Pointers got on the board first when NCHA Player of the Year Nicole Grossmann (Lindstrom, Minn., Chisago Lakes) and Michelle Sosnowski (Plainfield, Ill., Central) found Dana Carothers (Burnsville, Minn., Burnsville) on the power play, and she found the back of the net for her 19th goal of the season. The goal at the 9:50 mark of the first period gave the Pointers an early 1-0 edge.

In the second, the Falcons responded with two goals of their own, both in the final five minutes of the period to tie and take the lead away from the Pointers.

In the third, River Falls added a short-handed goal at the 3:38 mark to take a 3-1.

But the trio of Sosnowski, Grossmann and Carothers struck again, this time as Sosnowski found the back of the net for the Pointers, cutting the deficit to just one, 3-2, at the 10:16 mark of the third.

River Falls responded with another goal under a minute later, widening the gap back to two goals, 4-2 at with under 10 minutes remaining.

A Sarah Phillips (Kelowna, B.C., St. George's School (RI)) goal off a Tracy Butler (Marshfield) assist at the 14:32 mark again made the deficit just one, 4-3, but with an empty net in the game's final minute, UW-River Falls recorded a goal with :31 remaining to secure the NCHA Tournament title. The Falcons also receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

d'Andra Phillips (Swartz Creek, MI, Swartz Creek) tallied 21 saves in goal for the Pointers.

The Pointers, ranked #10 in the last USCHO.com poll, finish the season with a 16-6-6 record. Seventh-ranked UW-River Falls improves to 19-5-3 overall.