Jan. 11, 2005

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

2004-05 - GAMES 21 & 22

WAYNE STATE HOCKEY (10-8-2, 3-3-2 CHA)
at Niagara (7-12-0, 2-4-0 CHA)
Friday-Saturday, Jan. 14-15 - Niagara Univ., N.Y.

MATCH-UP AT A GLANCE:

Arena - Dwyer Arena (1,600)
Surface - 200' x 85'
Face-off - 7:05 p.m. Eastern
Series Record - Wayne State leads 11-7-1

THE GAMES

The Wayne State University men's hockey team continues its four-game road trip to begin 2005 with two College Hockey America contests this Friday and Saturday at Niagara University.

The Warriors have played six of their eight league games away from the Motor City and have a 2-2-2 road record following a loss (3-2) and tie (3-3) at CHA league-leader Alabama-Huntsville last weekend.

Sophomore right wing Mark Nebus had both WSU goals in Friday's setback with junior left wing John May assisting on both lamp-lighters. In Saturday's draw, freshman center Stavros Paskaris and sophomore left wing Jason Bloomingburg each had a goal and an assist while freshman center Adam Krug added a short-handed goal. Sophomore goalie Will Hooper made a career-high 50 saves in the tie.

WSU went 10-0-1 in the first 11 meetings against the Purple Eagles, but NU has a 7-1-0 mark in the last eight matches including a 2-1 victory over the Warriors in a 2004 CHA semifinal contest in Kearney, Neb.

During Niagara's five-game win streak dating back to Oct. 31, 2003, the Warriors have been outscored 17-6. WSU still leads in all-time scoring 62-54.

Wayne State won the first four games between the two squads at NU's Dwyer Arena, outscoring the Purple Eagles 21-12, but Niagara has a 15-6 scoring advantage during its current four-game home winning streak over WSU.

THE COACHES

Wayne State's Bill Wilkinson is 24th in NCAA history with 404 career wins. He is in his sixth season at WSU and 23rd season overall.

Dave Burkholder, a former goaltender at RIT, has a 60-61-0 mark in his fourth season at the helm of the Purple Eagles' program.

THE SERIES

Wayne State has an 11-7-1 lead in the all-time series having compiled a 10-0-1 mark in the first 11 meetings. The Warriors won the first four contests at NU's Dwyer Arena but Niagara has won the last four meetings in New York.

IN THE POLLS

Wayne State was selected fourth in the College Hockey America (CHA) preseason coaches' poll, while Niagara was second.

SCOUTING NIAGARA

The Purple Eagles are 2-6-0 in their last eight games but have road splits at Alabama-Huntsville and Bemidji State.

Senior forward Barret Ehgoetz leads the team in assists (20) and points (27). Senior forward Ryan Gale has a team-best 15 goals including five power-play markers.

Three different goalies have at least five starts each.

NU's power play has scored 21 times in 156 chances (13.5%), while allowing 19 goals in 118 opponent man-advantage opportunities (83.9%).

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE RECAP

After a 3-2 setback in the opener, WSU avoided its first sweep of the season with a 3-3 overtime tie on Saturday.

The host Chargers led 1-0 on Friday after 20 minutes on a power-play goal by Jared Ross just 2:09 into the contest. UAH increased its lead to 2-0 at the 9:06 mark of the second period as Craig Bushey scored an even-strength marker.

Wayne State's Mark Nebus scored his fifth of the season only 28 seconds into a Warrior power play to pull WSU within one at 2-1. Taylor Donohoe and John May assisted on the Wayne State man-advantage marker.

Less than a minute later on another WSU power play, UAH turned the tables with Bruce Mulherin netting a short-handed goal at the 10:24 mark.

The Warriors outscored the hosts 1-0 in the third period but it was not enough to erase the two-goal deficit. Nebus lit the lamp for the second time in the game at the 15:37 mark off an assist from May.

WSU junior goalie Matt Kelly was pulled for an extra skater for the final 57 seconds but Wayne State could not score the equalizer. Kelly finished the contest with 42 saves, while Charger goalie Scott Munroe was credited with 32 stops. Both teams went one for six with the man-advantage as UAH led in shots on goal every period (12-10, 20-18, 13-6).

After a scoreless first period on Saturday which saw the teams combine for seven penalties and 18 shots on goal, it was WSU that lit the lamp first.

Stavros Paskaris increased his lead as the top scoring rookie in the conference with a power-play goal just 78 seconds into the middle stanza. Steve Kovalchik and Jason Bloomingburg assisted on Paskaris' eighth goal of the season.

The Chargers tied the game just past the mid-point of the second period on Shaun Arvai's first goal of the season.

WSU regained the lead when Bloomingburg netted his team-leading 12th goal of the campaign off an assist from Matt Boldt with just 3:40 remaining in the middle stanza.

Alabama-Huntsville tied the game at two 4:59 into the third period on a goal by Steve Canter, but Wayne State's Adam Krug gave WSU its third one-goal lead of the game just 92 seconds later when he scored short-handed, his first goal since a hat trick at Bowling Green on Nov. 20.

Paskaris assisted on WSU's seventh short-handed goal of the season and Krug's first career man-down marker.

UAH tied the contest at three as Jared Ross scored a power-play goal at the 12:36 mark of the third period to send the game into overtime.

WSU sophomore netminder Will Hooper turned aside 50 Charger shots, with UAH goalie Scott Munroe stopping 23 Warrior shots. The 50 saves for Hooper is a career-high eclipsing the 47 saves he made on Jan. 23, 2004, against Ferris State while a member of the Findlay Oilers. His 22 stops in the second period tied a WSU school-record for most saves in a period.

The squads entered the contest with the top two power plays in the league (UAH at 21.7% and WSU at 20.2%). The Warriors scored once in five opportunities, while the Chargers netted one power-play goal in four chances.