University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Athletics

UW-Stevens Point picked up right where it left off the regular season by opening the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association women's hockey playoffs with a 3-0 blanking of UW-Eau Claire in Saturday's semifinals at Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point.
    
The regular season champion Pointers showed no effects from a 10-day layoff and advance to the title game for the fourth straight year to face UW-River Falls, which defeated UW-Superior 5-4 in overtime in the other semifinal. Sunday's playoff championship game is set for 5 p.m.
    
No automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament is awarded to the tournament champion, but one team from the league is guaranteed an at-large berth and the Pointers put themselves in good shape after Saturday's win, improving to 21-2-1 overall.
    
UW-Stevens Point struck early in each of the three periods and got solid goaltending from Amy Statz (Wisconsin Rapids, WI/Wisconsin Rapids) in the victory.
    
Hilary Bulger (White Bear Lake, MN/White Bear Lake) scored 5:13 into the first period in the first of many scoring opportunities for her line with Ashley Howe (Lakeville, MN/Lakeville) and Tracy Truckey (Green Bay, WI/Culver Academy, IN) that created several offensive attacks for the Pointers. Howe scored UW-Stevens Point's second goal at the 1:36 mark of the second period, picking a puck from a Blugolds' defender and firing a shot past goalie Jill Arendt for an unassisted goal.
    
Freshman Katy Lankey (Baraboo, WI/Baraboo) scored the third goal for the Pointers, getting assists from classmates Jessie Suter (Waunakee, WI/Waunakee) and Jamie Lewandowski (Rolling Meadows, IL/Fremd) at the 3:26 mark of the third period.
    
UW-Eau Claire had quality scoring chances and fired 15 shots on goal, recording five each period, but Statz was strong in net all game while posting her eighth shutout of the year. She now has 19 victories this season, which ranks second in the NCAA Division III.
    
UW-Stevens Point peppered the goal with 34 shots on goal as Arendt made 31 saves for the Blugolds, who are 14-9-1 and play UW-Superior for third place on Sunday at 2 p.m.