When the University of Wisconsin-River Falls women’s hockey team defeated Elmira College on March 17, it was historic. It was also powered by the State of Hockey. The 4-1 victory at Hunt Arena earned UWRF the program’s first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship and also capped a perfect 31-0 season, setting a D-III women’s hockey single-season wins record. The Falcons were fueled by 22 Minnesota natives who grew up in the community-based model. Three of those players – Maddie McCollins (Maple Grove), Madison Lavergne (Warroad) and MaKenna Aure (Alexandria) – took home All-Tournament Team honors, with McCollins being named the…