RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The women's hockey team (2-1, 0-1) could not catch the University of Wisconsin River Falls (1-0, 1-0) despite tying the game twice, before dropping a 4-3 deicision Friday in each team's NCHA opener.

Adrian scored three specialty-team goals to stay close throughout the contest. The Bulldogs' power play was operating at 50 percent going 2-for-4, and they also added a short-handed goal on the night.

The Falcons got on the board first with a power play goal to go up 1-0, just under 10 minutes of play in the first period. Lauren Turner tied the score for Adrian at 1-1 with an unassisted short-handed tally with less than five minutes to play in the first period.

In the second period, the Falcons again took the lead, 2-1, at 12:09, but Adrian's Sarah Connelly tallied her third goal of the season on the power play to again tie the game at 2-2, two minutes later. Courtney Millar and Turner assisted on Connelly's tying-goal.

The Falcons scored twice in a 35-second span between the eight- and nine-minute mark in the third period to build a 4-2 lead, but the Bulldogs answered with a 5-on-3 power play goal with under five minutes to play to narrow the gap within one goal.. Kristin Maton scored her first goal of the season from Connelly to get the Bulldogs at 4-3, but Adrian could not find the equalizer.

Brittany Zeches faced 43 shots and the Bulldogs took 21 of their own, as Adrian killed 4-of-5 Falcon power plays. Both teams played physically as they combined for 17 penalties.

These two teams will play again tomorrow afternoon with the puck set to drop at 2:05 p.m. local time.