March 4, 2003

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2002-03 - GAMES 35 & 36

WAYNE STATE MEN'S HOCKEY (16-16-2, 9-7-2 CHA)
vs. Findlay (10-18-4, 3-11-4 CHA)
Friday-Saturday, March 7-8 * Fraser, Mich. ~ Findlay, Ohio

MATCH-UP AT A GLANCE:

Arenas Great Lakes Sports City Arena (2,400) ~ Clauss Ice Arena (1,200)
Surface 200' x 85'
Face-off 7:05 p.m.
Sites Fraser, Michigan ~ Findlay, Ohio
Series Record Wayne State leads 10-2-1

THE GAMES

The Wayne State University men's hockey team concludes the regular-season with a home-and-home series this weekend against Findlay. The March 7th contest is in Fraser, while the series finale is in Findlay on March 8th. The Friday game will also be "Senior Night" for 12 Warriors.

Last weekend, WSU garnered four points by winning twice against visiting Air Force (3-2, 4-3). Wayne State had a power-play goal, a short-handed goal and a five-on-five goal in Friday's victory, while freshman Derek MacKay recorded his first collegiate hat trick in Saturday's triumph.

The Warriors can still finish as high as second in the College Hockey America standings, or as low as fourth. For WSU to finish second, it must earn three points more than Niagara (who hosts Alabama-Huntsville) AND earn at least as many points as Bemidji State (who travels to Air Force).

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 67-57-11 mark in his fourth season as the Warriors bench boss. His overall varsity collegiate record stands at 380-358-64 in his 21st season. His 380 victories rank him 29th on the NCAA all-time win list.

Craig Barnett is in his eighth season at the helm of the Findlay program. A 1989 graduate of Plattsburgh State, Barnett has compiled a 107-111-16 record with the Oilers.

THE SERIES

Wayne State leads 10-2-1 in the all-time series having won the last eight meetings. The Warriors are 5-1-0 at home all-time against Findlay, with a 4-1-1 mark in games played in Ohio. WSU holds a 49-28 scoring advantage in the series.

IN THE POLLS

Wayne State received all five possible first-place votes in the College Hockey America Coaches Preseason poll. Findlay was tied-for-fifth with Air Force in the CHA Coaches Preseason poll with seven points.

SCOUTING FINDLAY

The Oilers are 2-2-3 in their last seven games and now have a 10-18-4 overall record with a league mark of 3-11-4.

Senior forward Jason Maxwell leads the team with 27 points, while freshman center Andrew Radzak has a team-high total of 15 goals, including six power-play goals. Senior defenseman Steve Traver (3-11--14) leads all UF blueliners in scoring.

Senior Jamie VandeSpyker (6-11-4, 3.41, .902) has started 22 of Findlay's 32 games. The Oiler power play has converted 29 times in 160 opportunities (18.1%), while stopping 155 of their opponents 188 chances (82.4%).

AIR FORCE SERIES NOTES

Wayne State snapped a four-game league losing streak by sweeping Air Force (3-2, 4-3) last weekend at home.

On Feb. 28, the Warriors scored 11:37 into the game as Dustin Kingston converted on a nice passing play with linemates Jason Durbin and Derek MacKay for his team-leading 14th goal of the season. The lamp-lighter snapped a five-game goalless drought for Kingston, his second longest of the season, while MacKay extended his point streak to four games. It was also a good omen for WSU which entered the game with a 10-3-1 mark when scoring first.

Wayne State increased its lead to 2-0 with 3:52 remaining in the opening period as Chris Vail gathered the puck after Maxim Starchenko won an offensive zone face-off, during a five-on-three power play, and beat Falcon goaltender Mike Polidor. Air Force scored the lone goal of the second period (at the 6:30 mark) as Andy Berg converted during a man-advantage situation for his team-leading 21st of the campaign. The Falcons tied the game at the 4:31 mark of the third period when Scott Zwiers scored following a turnover inside its blueline by Wayne State.

With WSU's Jon Brink in the penalty box for obstruction-hooking, Billy Collins intercepted a neutral zone pass, skated down the right side around an Air Force defenseman cut to the net and back-handed a shot past Polidor for his fourth short-handed goal of the season. Collins second game-winning goal of the season came at the 7:31 mark.

Wayne State goaltender David Guerrera turned aside 24 Air Force shots including 10 in the second period. Polidor also finished the game with 24 saves. Wayne State scored one power-play goal in five chances, while the Falcons scored once in eight opportunities.

Wayne State completed a weekend sweep of Air Force with a 4-3 victory on March 1 at the Great Lakes Sports City Arena in Fraser, Mich.

Freshman Derek MacKay scored the only two goals of the opening period. MacKay now has a team-leading four first goals including three against Air Force as he scored the game's first goal on Jan. 4-5 in Colorado Springs.

MacKay's 11th of the season came 8:23 into the contest off a pass from the left boards by Dustin Kingston. Kingston's pass found MacKay alone in front of Falcon goalie David Goodley. MacKay's fake caught Goodley moving and allowed him to go short side.

With 1:54 left in the first period, MacKay netted his second of the game off a feed from Jason Durbin in the corner. Tyler Kindle started the power-play goal with a pass to Durbin.

Wayne State increased its lead to 3-0 just 61 seconds into the middle stanza as Billy Collins took a neutral zone pass from John Grubb sped down the ice and roofed the puck over Goodley. Collins' nation-leading fifth short-handed goal of the season was his second of the weekend and third this season against Air Force. The five man-down goals in a season also broke the WSU single-season mark of four set by Dustin Kingston during the 1999-2000 campaign.

Air Force got on the board late in the second period as freshman Carson Strang scored his sixth goal of the season at the 16:51 mark. Strang took a shot that missed the net, but he collected the loose puck behind the cage and beat WSU goaltender David Guerrera with a wrap-around shot.

Just 2:06 later, MacKay completed his first collegiate hat trick and took over the team lead in power-play goals (with six) as he scored his 13th of the season off assists from Kindle and Durbin. Air Force's Justin Hamilton scored on a power play at the 11:34 mark of the third period during a flurry in front of the Warrior net. Mike Knaeble netted his first career goal on a centering pass from Kyle Fransdal from behind the net. Goodley was also credited with an assist on the play.

The Falcons continued to pressure the Warriors late in the period. With 1:26 remaining, Air Force pulled its goaltender in favor of an extra skater. After a penalty on Kingston with 37 seconds remaining, the Falcons had a five-on-three advantage, but were never able set up in the offensive end.

Guerrera finished the contest with 32 saves, while Goodley turned aside 22 Wayne State shots including 10 in the middle stanza. WSU scored two power-play goals in five chances, while holding Air Force to one man-advantage marker in five opportunities.