University of Wisconsin, River Falls Women's Ice Hockey

Coming off back-to-back NCAA Division III national championship seasons, Joe Cranston is the first and only head coach in UW-River Falls women's hockey history and completed his 26th season at the helm in 2024-25. The national title in 2023-24 was the first in UWRF's history during its 25th anniversary season, finishing with a 31-0 overall record, the most single season wins in NCAA Division III women's ice hockey history. The Falcons' undefeated season was the second undefeated season in DIII women's ice hockey history. Cranston collected his 500th career win in January of 2025 and currently ranks first in the WIAC in total wins and winning percentage and third all-time in NCAA Division III, having totaled 518 career wins through the 2024-25 season. Under Cranston, UWRF has won either the NCHA/WIAC regular season or conference tournament title, or both, each of the last 16 years, and has made the NCAA Tournament 14 of the last 15 years. UWRF has reached the 'Frozen Four' seven times (2003, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2025), including national titles in 2024 & 2025, a pair of third-place finishes (2014, 2015), and a national runner-up finish in 2016. The 2024 National Coach of Year and four-time runner-up for the National Coach of the Year, Cranston has been named Conference Coach of the Year (NCHA/WIAC) nine times. Under Cranston, 44 Falcons have earned All-America status, including a total of four from the 2024-25 season, the 14th consecutive season in which at least one Falcon was named an All-American. Four Falcons have been named the AHCA Laura Hurd National Player of the Year, most recently Bailey Olson in 2025, who followed Maddie McCollins in 2024, Callie Hoff in 2022, and Dani Sibley in 2017, along with National Player of the Year runners-up, Chloe Kinsel and Carly Moran. In addition, Cranston has coached nine NCAA All-Tournament Team members; Bailey Olson, Madison Kadrlik Maddie McCollins, MaKenna Aure (2x), Madison Lavergne, Chloe Kinsel, Paige Johnson, and Dani Sibley, along with five WIAC Scholar-Athletes; Emily Stark, Amy Auran, Haley Nielsen, Sophia Leong, and Sami Miller, and one NCHA Scholar-Athlete; Alyssa Jackson. A 1990 graduate of UW-River Falls, Cranston began his coaching career in his hometown of Fergus Falls, Minn., and then coached the boys' high school team in Somerset, Wis., for over a decade before starting the UWRF women’s hockey varsity program in 1999. He currently resides in River Falls with his wife Sue, and has three grown children, Roy, Walter, and Irene. Year W-L-T Pct. NCHA/WIAC W-L-T, Place, Pct 2025 26-3-2 .871 11-0-1, 1st, .958 2024 31-0 1.000 12-0, 1st, 1.000 2023 24-4-1 .845 10-1-1, 1st, .875 2022 27-2 .931 8-1, 1st, .889 2021 10-2 .833 6-1, 1st, .857 2020 22-5-2 .793 9-3-0, 2nd, .750 2019     23-6-0 .793 8-1, 1st, .889 2018 19-6-3 .732 5-2-2, 1st, .667 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 26-3-0 23-6-2 26-4-1 23-5-3 21-7-2 .897 .774 .854 .790 .733 7-2-0, 1st, .778 9-3, 1st, .750 10-1-1, 1st, .875 8-2-2, 1st, .750 15-3-2, 1st, .800 2012 23-5-2 .800 17-2-1, 1st, .875 2011 24-2-4 .866 17-0-3, 1st, .925 2010 20-4-6 .793 9-2-5, tie 2nd, .718 2009 20-7-3 .716 15-2-1, 1st, 861 2008 17-9-2 .642 11-6-1, 3rd, .638 2007 14-9-4 .592 9-4-2, 2nd, .625 2006 14-11-2 .556 8-6-1, 3rd, .566 2005 13-12-0 .520 6-4-0, 3rd, .600 2004 17-9-1 .748 11-4-1, tie 2nd, .718 2003 20-6-4 .733 12-1-3, 1st, 843 2002 13-11-3 .537 8-6-2, 3rd, .562 2001 19-7-1 .722 11-5-0, 2nd, .687 2000 3-15-0 .166 NP Totals 518-160-48 .747 149-45-22, .740 / 103-17-7, .839

Walsh is back for his 10th season as an assistant coach with the Falcons in 2016-17.   Walsh has been actively involved in girls youth hockey in both Rochester and Stillwater, Minn., youth hockey programs, both as a head coach and administrator, for the past 13 years. He has been head coach of numerous youth girls select and AAA teams. He has coached part of the past seven summers at Minnesota Hockey Camps, a premier summer instructional hockey camp in Brainerd, Minn. A native of Rosemount, Minn., he played youth and high school hockey there. He played two years of Junior A hockey in the USHL for the Hennepin, Minn., Nordics and the Dubuque, Iowa, Fighting Saints from 1979-1981. He was a member of the 1981 Junior A National Championship team. Walsh played college hockey at UW-River Falls from 1981-1984. He was a member of the 1983 NAIA National Championship winning team. Walsh earned an undergraduate degree in business management from UW-River Falls in 1986.  Jim Walsh is back for his 10th season as an assistant coach with the Falcons in 2016-17.