Nov. 14, 2007

Game Notes in PDF Format

GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State men's hockey team (1-6-1, 0-2-0 CHA) will play its first home College Hockey America series of the season this weekend, hosting Bemidji State (4-5-1, 2-1-1 CHA) for a two-game set at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit. The puck is slated to drop at 7:05 p.m. ET both Friday and Saturday following Wayne State women's hockey action against Rensselaer at 3:30 p.m. ET each afternoon.

After suffering a 3-2 loss last Friday against Lake Superior State, the Warriors earned their first win of the season, 2-1, the following night versus the Lakers. Bemidji State is coming off a road trip to Alabama-Huntsville where the Beavers won Friday's contest, 2-0, and tied the Chargers on Saturday, 3-3.

Wayne State will hit the road again Nov. 23-24 to battle St. Lawrence before playing a home-and-home series with Bowling Green State the following weekend, Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

BEHIND THE BENCH
Bill Wilkinson is in his ninth season as Wayne State's head coach and his 26th year as a collegiate head coach. Wilkinson's overall record stands at 427-450-80, while his mark at WSU is 114-149-27. He entered the 2007-08 season ranked 23rd on the NCAA all-time wins list.

In his seventh season with the Beavers, head coach Tom Serratore has a career record of 107-91-26.

THROUGH THE YEARS
Bemidji State holds a 21-7-5 advantage in the series, as Wayne State has lost 14 of the last 18 meetings (2-14-2). The last time BSU came to Detroit, however, the Warriors came away with a 3-1 win and a 1-1 tie (Feb. 23-24, 2007), snapping a five-game losing streak versus the Beavers. Wayne State is 4-9-3 at home all-time against Bemidji State.

IN THE POLLS
WSU was selected to finish fourth in the CHA preseason coaches poll, while BSU was tabbed for third.

ON THIS DATE
On November 16, the Warriors skated to a 4-4 tie at Bowling Green in 2001, lost 2-1 at Bemidji State in 2002, and suffered a 6-5 setback in 2003 at Findlay.

Wayne State is 0-3 on November 17 in its history, with a 4-3 loss at Air Force in 2000, a 4-1 defeat against BGSU the next season, and a 3-0 loss last year at Lake Superior.

SCOUTING BEMIDJI STATE
The Beavers are 4-5-1 through 10 games in the 2007-08 campaign, having opened the season with a sweep against Army before battling through a five-game skid. BSU is currently riding a three-game unbeaten streak, including a 3-0 win Nov. 3 against Niagara.

Bemidji State returned 19 players from last year's team which posted its fifth-straight plus-.500 record at 14-14-5, including a 9-6-5 mark in the CHA. Among the veterans are senior Blaine Jarvis and junior Travis Winter, the team's top returning scorers. Jarvis and Winter have each amassed four goals and an assist this season, with Winter notching two power-play goals and two game-winners.

Senior goaltenders Matt Climie (3-1-1, 1.40 GAA, .948 SV%) and Orlando Alamano (1-2-0, 1.69 GAA, .928 SV%) play a significant leadership role between the pipes for the Beavers. The pair have combined to record three shutouts, while Climie ranks fourth in the nation in goals-against average and save percentage.

Bemidji State's scoring defense is tied with Niagara's for sixth in the country, as the Beavers have allowed a average of 2.00 goals per game.

LAST TIME OUT
In last Friday's 3-2 setback, junior Bryan Olds scored his first career goal, and senior Tylor Michel added an extra-skater tally with 10 seconds remaining in a rally effort that fell just short for the Warriors.

All three goals in Saturday's 2-1 victory game came on power plays, one in each period. Junior Jon Grabarek notched his second goal of the season, while sophomore Jared Katz's first tally of the year ended up as the game-winner, snapping the Warriors' season-opening seven-game skid.

Freshman goaltender Kyle Funkenhauser made 24 saves, 20 of which came in the last 40 minutes, to earn his first collegiate victory in his fifth start.

WSU NOTES
The Warriors are led in scoring by senior Mike Forgie (3-2--5) and sophomore Jeff Caister (1-4--5), both of whom are tied for 12th in the CHA in points. Forgie has recorded a point in all four series this season, while Caister had an assist in each game against LSSU last weekend. Caister is second among CHA defensemen in scoring and ranks seventh and ninth, respectively, in assists (18) and points (21) all-time among Wayne State blueliners.

With four assists, Tyler Ruel leads the Warrior freshman class and ranks tied-for-second in the CHA in rookie scoring. Collectively, the WSU freshmen have accounted for nine of the team's 36 points this season (25 percent).

For his efforts last Saturday against LSSU, Funkenhauser was named CHA Rookie of the Week. He has a 2.77 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in six games this year.

Olds, who saw limited playing time in 15 games over the last two seasons, has already achieved his first career point - an assist Oct. 19 at Ferris State - and goal in seven games this year, having missed just the season opener at Alaska Anchorage.

The Warriors have been outscored 28-13 through their first eight games and have not managed more than two goals in any of those contests. Six of the team's 13 goals, however, have come on power plays including two last Saturday versus the Lakers.

Wayne State is 1-6-0 in home league openers all-time. Four of those losses have come against Bemidji State, including the last three. WSU's sole win was a 5-4 overtime result in 2002 versus Alabama-Huntsville.

LOOKING AHEAD
After their road trip Nov. 23-24 to St. Lawrence, the Warriors have a home-and-home set with BGSU (Nov. 30-Dec. 1), the latter of which is the beginning of a nine-game swing away from Detroit. Wayne State will close out the 2007 portion of its schedule at Western Michigan (Dec. 7-8) and at Niagara (Dec. 14-15).