UW-River Falls Head Women's Hockey Coach Joe Cranston usually passes out his end-of-the-year player exit forms after the season is over. Not this year. The only head coach Falcon women's hockey has ever known for its entire 26-year history changed it up. Cranston dished out the questionnaire a little over two weeks ago.

"I read those and could hardly even get through them," said Cranston. "It was emotional to read them and how much you love these kids."

The fourth-most winningest women's hockey coach in DIII history walked into the rink the next day and gave his team a heartfelt six-word message.

"I just looked at them and said what?" as Cranston turned to ask senior captain Allisen Carothers in the post-game press conference.

"No one's going to beat us," said Carothers.

And no one did from that day forward.

For the second consecutive year, UW-River Falls hosted the NCAA DIII Women's Hockey Frozen Four. For the second consecutive year, UWRF Head Coach Joe Cranston and his Falcons are national champions.      

"My head is not around it yet," said Cranston whose coached his Falcons to NCAA tournament berths in 13 of the last 14 years, including a total of six Frozen Fours during his career.

"We knew a year ago that the Frozen Four was going to be held here," said Carothers, "We knew that's where we wanted to be this weekend."

The weekend began with summer-like weather and a 4-2 Falcon semi-final win over familiar MIAC foe Augsburg University on Friday. Amherst College, from Amherst, Mass., skated past Middlebury College, from Middlebury, Ver., 3-1 in the other semi-final game. Amherst and Middlebury have storied programs and are scattered throughout the NCAA DIII National Champion history page, winning a combined six national titles.  

Amherst College has a student acceptance rate of 7% and their average ACT score is 34 (36 is perfect). The Amherst notable alumni list is as long and winding as Fort River in Massachusetts. Former Mammoths include 1895 grad President Calvin Coolidge, Mr. Melvil Dewey of the famed "Dewey Decimal System," and Burgess Meredith, a 1931 grad. Meredith was nominated for an Academy Award for playing boxing trainer "Mickey" in the "Rocky" movies, but it was UWRF senior captain Bailey Olson who had the eye of the tiger on Sunday.

Olson was the leading NCAA DIII point-scorer with 57 coming into Sunday's championship game. She was also recently crowned with the Laura Hurd National Player of the Year honors. Olson had two assists as the Falcons took a 2-0 lead. The second goal was, at first, disallowed as the officials believed it bounced off a Falcon skate. Cranston challenged the call and replay confirmed a skate did not touch the puck.

Amherst freshman Bea Flynn scratched the Mammoths’ back within one after her goal with 8:07 left in the second.  

If there was any doubt who the best player in Division III was, Olson answered naysayers with three minutes left in the second period. With savvy and skill, the 5' 10" senior from Willmar, Minn., skated with the puck behind the net, moving Amherst All-American goalie Natalie Stott "east and west." As soon as Stott shifted to the right side of the pipes, Olson's blades hit the brakes. Like a race car burning rubber on asphalt, Olson sent a shower of shaved ice one way and darted back to the left sneaking in the wrap-around goal to make it 3-1. It was scoreless the rest of the way and, as the game clock shrank to zero, Falcon fans were flashing “Back 2 Back” signs; the proud owners of two straight national championship trophies. 

"Every time I pick up a score sheet, it's Bailey Olson all over it," said Cranston of Olson. " I've never coached a kid who's worked harder and I've coached some unbelievably hard-working kids."

Olson scored 11 points her freshman season on a total of 34 shots. She finished her senior season with 60 points, leading the NCAA DIII in scoring.

"I made a lot of mistakes when I was a freshman," said Olson, "but they (those seniors) were never negative, always positive."

Hunt Arena was sold-out for the entire weekend and, with the majority of the Falcon roster from within two hours from campus, there was plenty of red and black in the stands.

"We have that family support all of the time," said Carothers. "It's so fun to play in an atmosphere like that. Anybody watching that game wants to be a part of that."

"Jim Walsh (UWRF Assistant Coach) is a phenomenal recruiter," said Cranston. "He brings me the players and all I do is say 'switch 'em up' every 45 seconds."

Cranston also praised Defensive Assistant Coach Amanda Ryder: "The time she puts in is unbelievable."

Amherst averaged 35 shots on goal per game during the regular season. The Falcons held them to 17 shots on Sunday.

According to Cranston, UWRF All-American goalie Jordan O'Kane had a save percentage of 95 percent the second half of the season and credits goalie coach Jeremy Weiss with O'Kane's progression: "That was a huge part of our success in the second half."  

UW-River Falls has won 57 games the last two seasons during their back-to-back title runs. The Falcons haven't lost a WIAC game in two years. In three of the last four years, the Laura Hurd National Player of the Year has been a UW-River Falls Falcon with Olson winning this year, Maddie McCollins winning in 2024, and Callie Hoff in 2022.

NCAA women’s DIII hockey has literally and figuratively traveled through River Falls, Wis., the past two seasons. The Wisconsin Badger women’s hockey team recently won the NCAA DI national championship. There is no NCAA Division II hockey national championship.

“Wisconsin might be the new state of women’s hockey,” said Carothers.