 |
 Mark Cannon scored WSU's second goal against UAH. |
Jan. 28, 2006
DETROIT - The Wayne State University men's hockey squad (5-14-5 overall, 2-6-4 CHA) had its three-game unbeaten streak halted as Alabama-Huntsville (12-8-2, 8-3-1 CHA) scored twice in each period for a 6-2 win Saturday evening at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum.
With the Warriors already down a man, referee Dan Brown whistled WSU blueliner Dan Iliakis (Scarborough, Ont./Georgetown Raiders) for tripping as a Charger player lost an edge behind the net and fell on Iliakis. It only took UAH 15 seconds to score on the five-on-three.
Even though Wayne State sophomore center Adam Krug (Livonia, Mich./Sioux City Musketeers) won the ensuing face-off, Steve Kovlachik's (Riverview, Mich./Omaha Lancers) clearing pass hit the linesman and bounced directly to Huntsville defenseman Jeff Winchester, who passed to partner Jeremy Schreiber. Schreiber passed the puck down low to Bruce Mulherin, who roofed the puck over WSU goalie Will Hooper's shoulder at the 10:06 mark.
UAH increased its lead at the 15:25 mark on a goal by Grant Selinger.
Wayne State battled back to within a goal with 2:25 left in the opening period as freshman Derek Punches (Manchester, Mich./Texas Tornado) scored from the slot. The Warrior scoring play started with an outlet pass from Kovalchik to Jon Grabarek (Sterling Hts., Mich./Cedar Rapids RoughRiders). Grabarek sent the puck ahead to sophomore forward Derek Bachynski (Belle River, Ont./Leamington Flyers) who passed the puck to the hashmarks in the offensive zone for Iliakis. The return pass went off Bachynski's stick and Punches was on the spot to bury his fifth of the campaign, and fourth in the last eight contests.
The Chargers had a 16-8 advantage in shots on goal during the first period including five power-play shots.
Early in the second period (4:25), the Warriors had a chance to pull even as Nate Higgins' (Calgary, Alb./Green Bay Gamblers) short-handed shot beat UAH goalie Scott Munroe but not the crossbar. Just 46 seconds later, Brett McConnachie scored a power-play goal as he gathered a rebound a deposited the puck behind Hooper.
Midway through the middle stanza, Punches was assessed a questionable five-minute major for checking from behind and after WSU had killed off over two-and-a-half minutes of the major, Mulherin scored his second man-advantage marker of the contest.
Todd Bentley made it a 5-1 game 5:23 into the third period before Selinger tallied his second of the game at the 10:33 mark.
Wayne State's Mark Cannon (River Rouge, Mich./Compuware) netted his second of the season, and first since Nov. 11, at the 18:22 mark off an assist from Grabarek.
Hooper finished with 29 saves, while Munroe stopped 20 WSU shots. Wayne State went one-for-eight on the power play, with Huntsville scoring three times in seven chances.
The Warriors play their next four contests on the road starting with a two-game non-league series at Northern Michigan next Friday. WSU returns home on Feb. 17-18 to face the Niagara Purple Eagles in another Warrior hockey doubleheader as Wayne State's women's squad also skates against Niagara at 4:05 p.m. both days preceding the men's game.
