Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons men's ice hockey

Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons men's ice hockey is the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) ice hockey team at the university. UWRF is a Division III hockey team, a part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Falcons are a part of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), which is also a part of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA). However, the WIAC announced in February 2012 that they would be leaving the NCHA due to budgetary reasons, effective for the 2014–15 season.^[1]

Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons men's ice hockey
University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Conference	WIAC
Head coach	Steve Freeman 27th season, 423–246–62 (.621)
Arena	Hunt Arena River Falls, Wisconsin
Colors	Red and White
Fight song	The Pledge Song
NCAA tournament champions
1988, 1994
NCAA tournament runner-up
1993
NCAA tournament Frozen Four
1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001
NCAA tournament appearances
1984, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007
NAIA tournament champions
1983
NAIA tournament appearances
1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Conference tournament champions
2015
Conference regular season champions
WIAC: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 NCHA: 1988, 1996, 2007

The Falcons have won three national titles, one as a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 1983, and two NCAA national titles in 1988 and 1994.^[2] The Falcons play at Hunt Arena, which opened in 1973. Steve Freeman is the head coach of the Falcons and is the all-time wins leader for both UWRF and the WIAC with over 400 wins.^[3][4]

Records history

As of January 2025^[5]

• NAIA National Champions: 1983
• NCAA National Champions: 1988, 1994
• NCHA Champions: 1988, 1996, 2007
• WIAC Champions: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016
• WIAC Playoff Champions (Commissioner's Cup): 2015

Coaching

Name	Career
Jack Agnew	2-3-0
Walt Granata	9-13-0
Tom Younghans	9-1-0
Gwyn Christensen	10-2-0
Jim Helminiak	28-37-1
Don Joseph	116-97-1
George Gwozdecky	66-29-2
Mike McGraw	15-12-0
Craig Dahl	15-12-3
Rick Kozuback	65-26-5
Dean Talafous	110-84-18
Steve Freeman	423–246–62

National tournament history

NAIA tournament

Wisconsin–River Falls participated in the NAIA national tournament nine times. The Falcons won one National Championship, made the semifinals five times, and had a record of 6–12.

Year	Round	Opponent	Score
1975	Quarterfinals	Gustavus Adolphus	L 0–8
1976	Quarterfinals	Wisconsin–Superior	L 3–10
1977	Quarterfinals	St. Scholastica	L 4–6
1978	Quarterfinals	St. Scholastica	W 3–2
	Semifinals	Augsburg	L 2–10
	3rd Place Game	St. Thomas	L 3–7
1979	Quarterfinals	Gustavus Adolphus	W 4–3 OT
	Semifinals	Bemidji State	L 5–7
	3rd Place Game	St. Scholastica	L 2–4
1980	Quarterfinals	Concordia (Moorhead)	W 5–4
	Semifinals	Michigan–Dearborn	L 4–5
	3rd Place Game	Wisconsin–Superior	L 4–11
1981	Quarterfinals	Augsburg	L 2–9
1982	Quarterfinals	Bethel Royals	W 5–4 OT
	Semifinals	Bemidji State	L 0–7
	3rd Place Game	Michigan–Dearborn	L 2–4
1983	Semifinals	Hawthorne College	W 7–0
	National Championship	Michigan–Dearborn	W 12–5

NCAA Division III tournament

Wisconsin–River Falls has participated in the NCAA Division III men's ice hockey tournament 11 times. The Falcons have won two National Championships, made the Frozen Four six times, and have a record of 24–13.

Year	Round	Opponent	Score
1984	Quarterfinals	Union	L 0–4
			W 6–4
			L 6–8
1988	Quarterfinals	Wisconsin–Stevens Point	W 6–5
			W 9–5
	Semifinals	Bemidji State	W 6–4
			W 5–3
	National Championship	Elmira	W 7–1
			L 3–5
			W 3–0
1993	Quarterfinals	Gustavus Adolphus	W 5–2
			W 4–2
	Semifinals	Plattsburgh State	W 4–2
	National Championship	Wisconsin–Stevens Point	L 3–4 OT
1994	Quarterfinals	Wisconsin–Stevens Point	W 4–2
			W 4–3
	Semifinals	Fredonia State	W 4–3
	National Championship	Wisconsin–Superior	W 6–4
1995	Quarterfinals	Saint Mary's	W 5–1
			W 5–3
	Semifinals	Middlebury	L 1–3
	3rd Place Game	Wisconsin–Superior	W 6–5 OT
1996	Quarterfinals	Bowdoin	W 7–1
			W 7–3
	Semifinals	RIT	L 1–2
	3rd Place Game	Wisconsin–Superior	W 8–2
1998	Quarterfinals	Augsburg	L 2–3
			L 3–4
2001	Quarterfinals	New England College	W 8–1
			W 2–1
	Semifinals	RIT	L 2–5
	3rd Place Game	Wisconsin–Superior	L 1–3
2003	First Round	Saint John's	W 2–0
	Quarterfinals	St. Norbert	L 2–5
2004	First Round	St. Thomas	W 3–2 OT
	Quarterfinals	St. Norbert	L 0–3
2007	First Round	Bethel	L 1–2