 |
 Jeff Caister scored the game-winning goal in overtime Saturday at NMU. |
Jan. 12, 2008
MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Wayne State men's hockey team (5-15-2) overcame a two-goal deficit to earn a 3-2 overtime victory at Northern Michigan (9-14-1) on Saturday night at the Berry Events Center.
Sophomore defenseman Jeff Caister (Mississauga, Ont./Milton Icehawks) scored the game-winner on a power-play 59 seconds into the extra frame, his second goal and team-leading 17th point of the season. He also assisted on WSU's first goal of the night and has a total of five points in the last three games.
Senior forward Stavros Paskaris (Dearborn, Mich./Kewadin Indians) registered a goal and two assists for his third career three-point game and first since Feb. 26, 2005 against Air Force. Classmate Derek Bachynski (Belle River, Ont./Leamington Flyers), playing in his 100th career game, contributed a goal and a helper for his first points of the year.
Wayne State, which lost all seven previous meetings with Northern Michigan heading into this weekend, swept the series in dramatic fashion exactly one year after its last overtime victory - a 2-1 triumph Jan. 12, 2007 against Ferris State.
NMU's power-play unit snapped an 0-for-12 drought on Matt Butcher's tally midway through the first period, with assists from Mark Olver and Matt Siddall. Olver would double the Wildcats' lead less than five minutes later with his eighth goal of the season and second of the series.
Bachynski put the Warriors on the board with a power-play tally at 2:03 of the second period with assists from Caister and Paskaris. Paskaris would tie the score on an even-strength marker at 11:22 of the final stanza from Derek Punches (Manchester, Mich./Texas Tornado) and Bachynski.
The Warriors kept the pressure on the Wildcats late in the game, outshooting the home team 11-4 in the third period before Caister ended the game in overtime with assists from Ryan Bernardi (Etobicoke, Ont./Milton Icehawks) and Paskaris.
Freshman goaltender Mike Devoney (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Bridgewater Bandits) totaled 19 saves to win his second straight start, while his counterpart Brian Stewart amassed 28 saves for the Wildcats.
Wayne State will return to Detroit to host Niagara next weekend, with the Jan. 19 game being housed at the Palace of Auburn Hills as part of a doubleheader also featuring Michigan against Notre Dame. The Jan. 18 contest as well as the following weekend's series against Alabama-Huntsville (Jan. 25-26) will be played at the Taylor SportsPlex.
