Dec. 15, 2003

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2003-04 - Games 15 & 16

WSU MEN'S HOCKEY (4-8-2, 1-5-0 CHA)
vs. #12-Brown (6-2-2, 6-2-1 ECAC)
Saturday, Dec. 27 - Grand Forks, N.D.

MATCH-UP AT A GLANCE:

Arena -- Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,406)
Surface -- 200' x 85'
Face-off -- 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Site -- Grand Forks, North Dakota
Series Record -- First Meeting

THE GAMES

The Wayne State University men's hockey team, after breaking for exams, will conclude the 2003 portion of its schedule at the Subway Classic in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Warriors play Brown in the opening game and will face either Findlay or the host Fighting Sioux the next day.

WSU split a non-conference series on December 12-13 at American International College. The host Yellow Jackets won the opener, 5-3, despite a season-high 45 shots on goal by Wayne State. The Warriors rebounded on Saturday for a 3-2 victory on the first collegiate goal by freshman defenseman Dan Iliakis with under three minutes remaining in regulation.

Wayne State begins 2004 with a four-game trip to Colorado. The first game is January 2 at Colorado College, followed by a match at Denver on January 3. WSU concludes its road trip with a two-game College Hockey America series at Air Force on January 8-10. The Warriors return home to the Compuware Sports Arena in Plymouth to face Alabama-Huntsville on January 17-18.

THE COACHES

WSU head coach Bill Wilkinson is in his fifth season as the Warrior bench boss. He has a 76-66-13 record at WSU with an overall collegiate head coaching mark of 389-367-66 in his 22nd season.

Roger Grillo, a 1986 graduate of Maine, has a 68-103-24 mark in his seventh year at Brown.

THE SERIES

Wayne State has never skated against Brown, however BU assistant coach Danny Brooks was at Wayne State for three seasons (1999-2002).

IN THE POLLS

The Warriors were selected fourth in the College Hockey America (CHA) preseason coaches poll after finishing tied-for-third in 2002-03.

SCOUTING BROWN

The Bears are 6-2-2 overall after a 6-1 setback at Colgate on December 6 which ended a seven-game (5-0-2) unbeaten streak.

Freshman forward Brian Ihnacak has a team-best 15 points and is tied with senior forward Brent Robinson for the team lead with six goals. Senior goalie Yann Danis (6-2-2, 1.50, .953) has started all 10 games between the pipes.

BU's power play has scored 16 times in 53 opportunities (30.2%), while the penalty killing units have stopped 40 of 44 (90.9%) opponent chances.

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SERIES NOTES

Wayne Staterecorded a split in its non-league series at American International College on December 12-13.

The host Yellow Jackets won the series opener, 5-3, despite WSU having a 45-25 advantage in shots on goal.

All three Warrior goals were scored by newcomers: Nate Higgins, Jason Baclig and Mark Cannon. It was the fifth goal of the season for both Higgins and Baclig, while Cannon scored for the third straight game.

AIC's Guillaume Caron scored a four-on-three power-play goal 5:16 into the contest as the referee called four penalties in the first five minutes of the game. WSU battled back to tie the game with 5:06 left in the first period on the Higgins goal off assists from Dan Iliakis and Baclig.

The Yellow Jackets scored the next four goals, the last two coming off the stick of C.J. McConnell.

Baclig scored 20 seconds after AIC had taken a 5-1 lead. Steve Kovalchik garnered the lone assist on Baclig's lamp-lighter.

With 8:16 remaining in the middle stanza, Cannon scored his third of the year from John May and Baclig. It gave Baclig his second multiple-point game of the year, and his first career two-assist game. It was also the first two-assist game this season by any Warrior.

Wayne State senior goalie Marc Carlson made 20 saves, while AIC netminder Chad Davis stopped 42 shots as WSU had a season-high 45 shots on goal. The Warriors scored on one of their three power-play chances, while the Yellow Jackets were two-of-five with the man-advantage. WSU has now allowed two power-play goals in each of the last three games and at least one man-advantage marker in the last 10 games.

Wayne State ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory in the series finale at AIC. WSU is 2-4-0 halfway through its 12-game road trip.

Freshman forward Mark Cannon started the scoring 8:18 into the contest as he lit the lamp for the fourth consecutive game. Rookies Matt Boldt, who earned his first collegiate point on the goal, and Nicholas Staneckyj garnered the assists. The host Yellow Jackets tied the score just 25 seconds later as leading-scorer Guillaume Caron netted his seventh of the campaign.

WSU took a 2-1 lead 8:18 into the middle stanza as freshman Jason Baclig scored off assists from classmates Nate Higgins and Mark Nebus.

AIC's Caron tied the score once again with his second of the contest at the 13:31 mark of the second period.

WSU freshman defenseman Dan Iliakis scored his first collegiate goal with 2:35 left in the third period to snap a 2-2 tie. Junior center Billy Collins and junior forward John Grubb assisted on the game-winner.

Warrior netminder Matt Kelly made 21 saves, while AIC goalie Chad Davis turned aside 32 WSU shots.

Only three penalties were called in the contest, all in the third period. WSU went zero-for-two with the power play, with AIC unable to score in its lone man-advantage opportunity. WSU's streak of allowing a power-play goal ended at 10 games.