Feb. 11, 2003

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

2002-03 - GAMES 29 & 30

WAYNE STATE MEN'S HOCKEY (14-12-2, 7-3-2 CHA)
at Alabama-Huntsville (14-9-3, 9-1-2 CHA)
Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 15-16 * Huntsville, Ala.

MATCH-UP AT A GLANCE:

Arena -- Von Braun Center (6,800)
Surface -- 200' x 85'
Face-off -- 9:35 p.m. (Eastern) ~ 5:05 p.m. (Eastern)
Site -- Huntsville, Alabama
Series Record -- Alabama-Huntsville leads 8-7-1

THE GAMES

The Wayne State University men's hockey team, which has an 8-1-2 record in 2003, will visit College Hockey America rival University of Alabama-Huntsville this Saturday and Sunday. The series was originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday but was moved last month to UAH's primary home site (Von Braun Center) after changes in the arena scheduling.

The Warriors won twice, 4-2 and 6-1, this past weekend against Bemidji State to move into second place in the CHA standings. WSU trails the Chargers by four points (20-16), and leads Niagara and BSU by one point (16-15).

Following the UAH series, Wayne State will have six games left in the regular season, all league contests. The three home games feature Air Force (Feb. 28-March 1) and Findlay (March 7), while the three road games include a series at Niagara (Feb. 21-22), plus a single game at Findlay (March 8).

INTERVIEW POLICIES

Media representatives should contact the Sports Information Office for all player and coach interviews. Players and coaches may be interviewed prior to or directly after practice during the season, but requests must be made through the Sports Information Office ahead of time.

THE COACHES

WSU head coach Bill Wilkinson, a 1970 graduate of St. Lawrence, has a 65-53-11 mark in his fourth season as the Warriors bench boss. His overall varsity collegiate record stands at 378-354-64 in his 21st season. His 378 victories rank him tied-for-27th on the NCAA all-time win list.

Doug Ross, a 1976 Bowling Green graduate, began coaching the UAH club squad in 1982 and after three consecutive league championships, the program was elevated to varsity status in 1985.

THE SERIES

The Chargers hold an 8-7-1 advantage in the all-time series after the teams split (WSU 5-4 OT, UAH 5-2) in Fraser on November 22-23. The loss on November 23 snapped WSU's seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) against UAH. The squads have met in the last two CHA Championship games with the Warriors winning 4-1 at UAH in 2001, and 5-4 (OT) in Niagara last March.

IN THE POLLS

Wayne State received all five possible first-place votes in the College Hockey America Coaches Preseason poll. Alabama-Huntsville was second in the CHA Coaches preseason poll with 20 points, and one first-place vote.

SCOUTING ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE

The Chargers are 14-3-3 since opening the season with six consecutive losses (two each at Wisconsin, Denver and Minnesota).

Sophomore forward Jared Ross, son of the head coach, leads the team in points (10-18--28), while senior left wing Mike Funk is next with 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists. Senior right wing Steve Charlebois is leading the squad in goals (14), short-handed goals (3) and game-winners (3). Senior center Jason Hawes has a team-best 23 assists.

Freshman Scott Munroe (9-4-1, 2.85, .919) and senior Mark Byrne (5-4-2, 3.66, .881) have each started 12 games.

Huntsville's power play has converted 26 times in 146 opportunities (17.8%), while stopping 136 of its opponents 163 chances (83.4%).

BEMIDJI STATE SERIES NOTES

Wayne State improved to 5-0-1 in Friday night home games with a 4-2 College Hockey America win over Bemidji State on Feb. 7.

The visiting Beavers, who had never lost in Detroit (2-0-2), took a 1-0 lead 12:34 into the contest as Brendan Cook redirected Anders Olsson shot from the blueline past Warrior goaltender David Guerrera during a four-on-four situation.

WSU tied the game with 98 seconds remaining in the opening stanza as Steve Nichols won the offensive zone face-off and Nick Shrader slid the puck past BSU goalie Grady Hunt.

The Warriors scored the lone goal of the middle stanza when Dustin Kingston shot the puck past Hunt with 4:40 left in the period. Tyler Kindle started the scoring play from behind his own cage when his pass off the boards found Jason Durbin at the defensive blueline. Durbin skated up ice and his shot from just inside the offensive blueline was wide of the net, but the caroom went to Kingston. The teams were tied in shots on goal after 40 minutes at 19, plus both squads were zero-for-four on the power play, at this point.

In the third period, Jack Redwood skated nearly coast-to-coast with the puck and beat Hunt at the 12:50 mark. Keith Stanich assisted on WSU's third goal.

The Beavers pulled their goalie with three minutes remaining and the move paid off as Jeff McGill scored on a pass from behind the net by Marty Goulet.

BSU again pulled Hunt with 27 seconds remaining, but Stanich's shot from deep in his defensive zone bounced and rolled into the vacated net. Stanich's empty-net short-handed goal came with 15 seconds left in the contest.

Guerrera finished the contest with 26 saves on 28 shots, while Hunt turned aside 22 of the 25 Warrior shots he faced. Bemidji was zero-for-six with the man-advantage, while the Warriors were blanked in five power-play chances.

Wayne State jumped two spots and into second place in the CHA standings with a 6-1 triumph over visiting Bemidji State on February 8.

For the second consecutive night the Beavers scored first. Wade Chiodo tallied a power-play goal 7:25 into the contest. The Warriors tied the contest at the 13:44 mark as Jack Redwood scored an even-strength goal (came exactly two minutes after BSU's Kuharski was assessed a high sticking penalty) from Marc St. Jean and Maxim Starchenko.

WSU went in front with 1:59 remaining in the first period as Redwood netted his second goal of the game and 10th of the season during a five-on-three power play. Steve Kovalchik and St. Jean assisted. Redwood is one goal shy of equaling his career high set last season, while St. Jean has already set personal bests for goals (5), assists (11) and points (16) in a season. A school-record 18 seconds later Jason Durbin scored a man-advantage marker from linemates Dustin Kingston and Derek MacKay.

In the second period, Wayne State scored the lone marker of the stanza when Billy Collins had his centering pass deflected by Bemdiji State goalie Grady Hunt right on to the stick of Jon Brink behind the net. Brink circled around and roofed a backhand over Hunt for his fourth lamp-lighter of the campaign. Durbin recorded his second goal of the game 2:40 into the third period while the Warriors were killing off a penalty. Kingston garnered his second assist of the night on the short-handed goal.

Durbin completed his second collegiate hat trick (first was January 12, 2001, at Niagara in a 9-6 WSU win) with a five-on-five goal at the 12:07 mark of the third period. Kingston equaled a career-best with three assists in the contest.

In his 100th game (and start), goaltender David Guerrera turned aside 25 of Bemidji's 26 shots with the lone goal against coming on a Beaver power play. Hunt made 23 saves on 29 shots in 52:07 before being replaced by Dannie Morgan following WSU's sixth goal. Morgan stopped the lone shot he faced in 7:53 of action. Wayne State scored two power-play goals in six chances, while limiting Bemidji to one man-advantage marker in seven opportunities.