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 Jason Baclig had his first collegiate hat trick against Air Force. |
March 5, 2004
Plymouth, Mich. - The Wayne State University men's hockey team (8-22-3, 4-14-1 CHA) dropped a 6-4 decision at home Friday night to the Air Force Academy (13-20-2, 5-13-1) in a College Hockey America contest.
The Warriors are now 1-10-1 in "home" games this year at Compuware Sports Arena and the Taylor SportsPlex.
Both teams came out firing in the opening stanza combining for 31 shots on goal (WSU - 19, AF - 12) and five lamp-lighters (Air Force led 3-2).
Just 31 seconds into their first power play of the game, the Falcons' Brandon Merkosky redirected a point shot by Billy Devoney at the 2:44 mark. WSU has now allowed the first goal of the game 26 times (in 33 contests) this year.
The Warriors tied the contest on their first man-advantage opportunity of the evening as freshman Jason Baclig (Leamington, Ont./Leamington Flyers) scored on a rebound of a John May (Livonia, Mich./Springfield Jr. Blues) shot for his 11th goal of the season. Steve Kovalchik (Riverview, Mich./Omaha Lancers) started the scoring play by keeping the puck in at the left point, and feeding Baclig who sent a pass to May in the high slot.
WSU would take its only lead of the game at the 11:38 mark of the first period as Baclig scored on his own rebound following a semi-breakaway that was set up by a nice pass from senior defenseman Nick Stodgell (Warroad, Minn./Des Moines Buccaneers).
Air Force pulled even with 5:56 to go in the opening stanza as Seth Pelletier scored on a rebound from just outside the crease.
Shane Saum gave the guests a 3-2 advantage with his goal at the 17:40 mark on another rebound.
Baclig completed his first collegiate hat trick and the ninth in the program's five-year history (fourth fastest at 25:51) with a backhand shot from beside the net. Junior Billy Collins (Enderby, B.C./Prince George Spruce Kings) and senior Travis Rycroft (Penticton, B.C./Merritt Centennials) assisted on Baclig's 13th of the campaign.
Air Force scored twice in the final two minutes of the period for a 5-3 lead. Mike Knaeble scored an even-strength goal at 18:05 and Saum added a power-play goal on redirection of a blueline shot at 19:09.
May pulled the Warriors within one at 5-4 at the 11:38 mark of the third period on a rebound of a Mark Cannon (River Rouge, Mich./Compuware Ambassadors) shot. Mark Nebus (South Lyon, Mich./Texas Tornado) had carried the puck into the offensive zone and fed Cannon.
AF's Ryan Wiggins completed the scoring with an empty-net goal at the 19:29 mark.
WSU sophomore goalie Matt Kelly (Hull, Mass./Topeka Scarecrows) played the first two periods and made 17 saves on 22 shots. Warrior senior netminder Marc Carlson (Hingham, Mass./Chicago Freeze) stopped all eight shots he faced in the third period. Mike Polidor turned aside 33 Wayne State shots from the Falcon cage. WSU went one-for-three on the power play, while Air Force scored twice in six opportunities.
Both teams conclude the regular season with a 3:05 p.m. face-off on Saturday at the Compuware Sports Arena. WSU needs to win by at least four goals or will be the No. 6 seed for the CHA quarterfinals on March 12. The No. 6 seed plays Alabama-Huntsville, with the fifth seed skating against Findlay.
