Feb. 14, 2006

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GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's hockey team (10-13-5, 2-2-2 CHA) faces College Hockey America foe Niagara University (7-17-4, 1-6-1 CHA) as part of a doubleheader with the WSU men's hockey team this weekend, Feb. 17-18, at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Both games are scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m., with the men's games to follow at 7:00 p.m.

Wayne State played a home series against sixth-ranked Mercyhurst last weekend, losing 4-2 on Friday and skating to a 2-2 overtime tie on Saturday. The Warriors remain winless (0-25-2) in 27 games all-time against the Lakers.

After winning the first game of its series against Robert Morris by a score of 8-1, Niagara fell 4-3 to the Colonials on Sunday, who earned just their third win of the season.

The Warriors will complete their six-game homestand next weekend, Feb. 24-25, when Robert Morris comes to Detroit for a series at City Sports Center Arena. Both games will be broadcast on the Internet via Teamline.

BEHIND THE BENCH
Jim Fetter is in his third season as Wayne State's head coach. He has a career record of 38-45-12 with the Warriors.

Interim head coach Heather Reinke is 7-17-4 in her first season with the Purple Eagles.

SERIES HISTORY
Niagara leads the all-time series, 11-4-0, against Wayne State. The teams split the regular season series last year, each squad winning two games on the road. Niagara broke the tie with a 3-0 shutout in last year's CHA Tournament.

IN THE POLLS
Wayne State and Niagara were ranked in a tie for second in the preseason CHA coaches' poll.

ON THIS DATE
The Warriors have played twice on Feb. 17, losing to Mercyhurst, 5-2, in 2001, and winning against Findlay, 2-1, in 2002.

WSU is 1-1-0 all-time on Feb. 18, as it was shut out at Mercyhurst in 2000, and victorious by a score of 2-1 at Quinnipiac last season.

SCOUTING NIAGARA
Niagara's 8-1 victory over Robert Morris on Friday was its first win since a 1-0 shutout against Clarkson on Dec. 10. The Purple Eagles are 1-8-3 in the 2006 calendar year.

Senior Amy Jack leads Niagara with 17 points, while sophomore Charde Hoyle-Levy is NU's top goal-scorer this season with nine.

Freshman Melanie Mills has 11 points on the season and leads the team with three power-play goals.

Junior Allison Rutledge has seen the majority of the time between the pipes for the Purple Eagles, posting a 2.80 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in 25 games.

WARRIOR CAPTAIN
Jessica Snelgrove

WARRIOR ASSISTANT CAPTAINS
Ashley King, Peyton Patterson, Kristi Thome

NOTES
Melissa Boal and Sam Poyton are each averaging 1.18 points per game this season, which ranks in a tie for fifth among the nation's rookies.

Poyton has a goal-scoring streak of six games, which is the second-longest streak this season. Boal had a seven-game goal-scoring streak, Oct. 29-Nov. 20, which set a school record.

Centers Amanda Hungle (53.7 percent), Jessica Snelgrove (52.1), and Lindsay DiPietro (50.6) have all won more than half of their faceoffs this season. As a team, the Warriors have won 51.4 percent (922-871) of their faceoffs.

Hungle recorded an assist in each game of the Mercyhurst series. She has three points in the last four games.

Senior defenseman Peyton Patterson has a point in each of the last four series.

Wayne State has averaged 10.5 penalty minutes per game this season. Only six teams in the nation have a lower mark.

The Warriors also boast the 10th-best penalty-killing percentage in the nation at 87.4.