University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Athletics

It's not official yet, but the UW-Stevens Point women's hockey team has all but locked up its second straight trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.
    
The Pointers put the finishing touches on another outstanding season by capturing their second straight Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title with a 3-1 win over UW-River Falls Sunday at Ice Hawks Arena. The Pointers are now 22-2-1 and awaiting a likely NCAA postseason berth that will be announced on March 6.
    
The NCHA does not have an automatic berth to the tournament, but is guaranteed one at-large berth in the field. UW-Stevens Point went undefeated against league opponents this year while claiming both the regular season and tournament titles. The team's 22 victories are seven more than any other NCHA squad.
    
The Pointers jumped on UW-River Falls early, scoring a pair of first period goals. Kim Lunneborg (Richfield, MN/Richfield) scored 6:09 into the game when Ann Ninnemann sent a cross-ice pass that was deflected by a Falcons' defender directly onto the stick of Lunneborg, who raced in from the blue line and beat goalie Marlene Yaeger. Katy Lankey (Baraboo, WI/Baraboo) struck for a goal eight minutes later with assists from Jackie Schmitt (Buffalo Grove, IL/Wheeling) and Jessie Suter (Waunakee, WI/Waunakee) for a 2-0 lead.
    
UW-River Falls cut the lead to one goal as Kelly Jensen scored on a scramble in front of the net 31 seconds into the second period, but the Pointers countered less than five minutes later as Schmitt scored with an assist from Suter for a 3-1 advantage.
    
The teams skated out the final 34 minutes without any scoring as the Pointers claimed their third league title in four seasons. Amy Statz (Wisconsin Rapids, WI/Wisconsin Rapids) made 17 saves, including nine in the second period.
    
Yaeger made 23 saves in her final game against the Pointers, against whom she made a career in goal. It was the 16th time she faced UW-Stevens Point in goal. For her career, Yaeger played a whopping 1,029 minutes against the Pointers, allowing 34 goals and making 518 saves for a 1.98 goals against average and .938 save percentage. Of the 34 goals, 15 came in the last five meetings and all resulted in UW-Stevens Point wins.
     
The Pointers extended their unbeaten streak to 12 straight games and are also undefeated in their last eight games against UW-River Falls, dating to the Falcons' win in the 2002 NCHA playoff title game. Both teams were making their fourth finals appearance in the five-year history of the tournament.