(RIVER FALLS, WI - The #5-ranked Nazareth women's hockey team (26-1-1) will be making its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Semifinals on Friday, taking on #2 Norwich (26-2) at 4 pm EST at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Top-seeded Wisconsin – River Falls (28-1) is the Frozen Four host and will square off against #3 Amherst (21-2-6) in the other semifinal game at 8 pm EST. The winners will matchup in the NCAA Championship game this Sunday, March 29 at 4 pm EST.
 
Watch Nazareth vs Norwich
 
*Tickets are sold out for the event.
 
Getting to Know the Flyers
 Nazareth is making its fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament for the program in just its 8^th season of existence. The Golden Flyers built off their success from a season ago when they earned their first-ever NCAA tournament victory, a 4-2 triumph over #12 Endicott, before falling in the quarterfinals to Middlebury. Fast forward to the 2025-26 season and the Chris Baudo led Flyers pushed past the NCAA Quarterfinal round with a 2-1 overtime victory over #12 Wilkes. 
 
For the season, Nazareth is balanced on both sides of the ice, ranking 5^th in scoring offense (4.43 GPG) and 5^th in scoring defense (1.18 GPG). Offensively the Golden Flyers boast three scorers over 30 points, headlined by sophomore Amy Laskowski who has set the single season program record for goals (25) and points (49). She once again has been named finalist for the Laura Hurd Award, given annually to the best NCAA Division III women's ice hockey player in the country. Teammates Meredith Boettcher (18G, 13A) and Brooke Judkiewicz (10G, 21A) each have 31 points on the year.
 
On the defensive core, Nazareth boasts First Team All-UCHC freshman Ella Konrad, and second teamers Allie Zack and Ave Meteyer. First-year goaltender Mia Gonsalves has made an immediate impact in net, earning third team honors after starting 26 of 28 games with a 1.28 goals against average. 
 
The Opponent:
Norwich, led by first-year head coach Justin Simpson, are in their seventh NCAA frozen four appearance in program history, and the first since 2018, after defeating Hamline University 1-0 in the quarterfinals last Saturday. Norwich is seeking the program's third national title, and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the inaugural Little East Conference Championship with a 3-1 win over UMass Boston.The Cadets enter the tournament with a 26-2 overall record on a 23-game winning streak.
 
Other Semifinal Matchup:
The host team, UW-River Falls, is coached by Joe Cranston with the Falcons returning to the NCAA Semifinals for the third year in a row after defeating Williams College 1-0 in the quarterfinals. The reigning back-to-back national champions captured their sixth consecutive WIAC regular season title and seventh-straight WIAC O'Brien Cup Tournament Championship, earning an at-large bid to the national tournament. With a 28-1 overall record this season, the Falcons are making their eighth NCAA semifinal appearance.  
 
The final squad is the Amherst Mammoths, led by Jeff Matthews. They are in their 11th NCAA Tournament and fourth consecutive appearance. They are making their third national semifinal appearance in four seasons after defeating Elmira 3-0 in the quarterfinal last Saturday. It was the fourth-straight season the Mammoths advanced to the national quarterfinal stage. Amherst is seeking its third national championship and first since the 2009-10 season. Earlier this season, the Mammoths captured their seventh NESCAC championship, defeating Colby in the final, 1-0. Amherst enters the Championships with a 21-2-6 record.