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 Marc Carlson made 34 saves in recording the victory at Air Force. |
Jan. 10, 2004
Colorado Springs, Colo. - The Wayne State University men's hockey team (6-12-2, 2-6-0 CHA) concluded its school-record 12-game road trip by rallying for three third period goals in a 3-2 triumph at the United States Air Force Academy (8-12-2, 2-7-1 CHA) on Saturday night. All six of WSU's victories this season have been by a 3-2 score.
The Warriors finish the road trip with a 4-8-0 mark and travelled 8,254 miles since the excursion began on November 20 at Michigan State. Six of the 12 games were against nationally ranked teams with WSU compiling a 2-4-0 record in those contests.
The Falcons scored once in the first period and once in the second period. Mike Knaeble gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead as he scored from Seth Pelletier and Shane Saum at 6:36 of the opening period. His shot came from the high slot and beat Wayne State goaltender Marc Carlson (Hingham, Mass./Chicago Freeze) high glove side. In the second period, Ryan Wiggins' fifth goal of the season gave the Falcons a two-goal lead. Wiggins scored from the right post on the power play from Spanky Leonard and Steve Mead.
At the 6:47 mark of the third period, junior center Billy Collins (Enderby, B.C./Prince George Spruce Kings) scored his third goal of the weekend and fifth of the season off assists from freshman defenseman Taylor Donohoe (Richmond, B.C./Powell River Kings) and sophomore Steve Kovalchik (Riverview, Mich./Omaha Lancers). The scoring play started when WSU chipped the puck out of their own end and Collins was all alone at the Falcon blue line. He skated down the left wing and fired a shot that hit Air Force goalie Mike Polidor in the pad and squirted through his legs. It was Donohoe's third assist in the last six games, while Kovalchik earned his first point since Dec. 12.
After freshman Nate Higgins (Calgary, Alb./Green Bay Gamblers) won a faceoff, classmate Ryan Wright (Brownstown, Mich./Texas Tornado) tied the game with a one-timer at 12:12 of the third period. Wright's second goal in the last four games was Higgins' fifth assist in the last seven games.
Rookie and team goal-scoring leader Jason Baclig (Leamington, Ont./Leamington Flyers) put the Warriors in front for the first time in the game with 6:08 remaining in the third period. His first collegiate game-winner and eighth of the campaign was assisted by defenseman Aaron Hundt (Lansing, Mich./Springfield Jr. Blues/Michigan State). Baclig has four goals in the last eight games, while Hundt earned his first point since Nov. 20.
In the final minute, Polidor was pulled from the net and Air Force had several quality chances right in front of the Warrior net. Brandon Merkosky had two shots and Wiggins had one near the left post but Carlson made the stops.
Carlson finished with 34 saves including 14 in the second period and 12 in the final period. Polidor made 28 stops in the Falcon cage. WSU was zero-for-four with the man-advantage, while Air Force scored once in eight power-play opportunities.
Wayne State returns home this Saturday (3:05 p.m.) and Sunday (2:05 p.m.) to face CHA rival Alabama-Huntsville at the Compuware Sports Arena in Plymouth, Mich.
