Nov. 23, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

WARRIORS TRAVEL TO COLGATE: The Wayne State University women's hockey team hits the road for a two-game series at Colgate (Nov. 23-24). WSU trails in the all-time series 7-8-0 with the Warriors winning the last meeting, 5-0, on Jan. 6, 2007. Wayne State enters the contest with a 7-4-1 overall record and a 4-2-0 mark in road contests.

SCOUTING THE RADIERS: Colgate in a member of ECAC and enters the series with a 3-6-1 overall record and 3-1 mark in conference play. Last weekend, the Raiders went 1-1 with a 5-2 victory over Quinnipiac (Nov. 16) and 3-0 set back to No. 10 Princeton (Nov. 17). Offensively, Colgate is led by junior Sam Hunt with nine points (four goals, five assists) and linemate Elin Brown with seven points (three goals, four assists). Defensively, junior Elayna Hamashuk and freshman Lisa Plenderleith have split time between the pipes this season. Plenderleith has a 2-3-1 record with a 2.62 goals-against average (gaa) and .893 save percentage. Hamashuk is 1-3 with a 3.40 gaa and .845 save percentage.

RINK REWIND: Last weekend, WSU increased its unbeaten streak to four games with a 5-3 win and 1-1 tie against Rensselaer at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum (Nov. 16-17).

BOAL NAMED CHA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Melissa Boal (Pakenham, Ont./Ottawa Raiders) was named College Hockey America (CHA) Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Boal had six points (three goals, three assists) to lead WSU against Rensselaer. In game one, she tallied her second consecutive hat trick, third of the season, and two assists in WSU's 5-3 win. In game two, Boal assisted on WSU's game-tying goal to keep the Warrior's four-game unbeaten streak in tact. She finished +3 for the series.

WARRIOR FRONT LINE AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Boal leads the nation in points-per-game (2.75, 33 total) and goals-per-game (1.58, 19 total). She also ranks second in power-play goals (.42 ppg, five total), seventh in assists per game (1.17, 14 total) and 11th in game-winning goals (2). Junior Sam Poyton (Hamilton, Ont./Stoney Creek Sabers) leads the nation in power-play goals (.50, six total) and game-winning goals (5 total), is third in points per-game (2.3, 28 total) and assists-per-game (1.25, 15 total) and ranks fourth in goals-per-game (1.08, 13 total). Junior Lindsay DiPietro (Manotick, Ont./Ottawa Lady Senators) leads the country in assists-per-game (1.75, 21 total) and is fourth in points-per-game (2.17, 26 total). She is third on the team with 26 points (five goals, 21 assists).

COMMISSIONER'S CUP: Saturday's game between WSU and Colgate (Nov. 24) is part of the Commissioners Cup. The Warriors are 1-0 in the competition thus far with a 7-1 victory over Union (Oct. 19). For the second straight year, the commissioners of the four NCAA Division I women's ice hockey conferences are sponsoring a competition for the Women's Commissioners' Cup. A total of 30 different programs will participate in the 20-game schedule that opened up with two games on Saturday, October 13. Last year's inaugural competition was captured by the WCHA.

10 AND COUNTING: Boal and Poyton are currently riding 10-game point streaks. Boal leads the team with 33 points (19 goals, 14 assists) while Poyton ranks second with 28 points (13 goals and 15 assists).

HIGH POWERED OFFENSE: The Warriors are ranked second in the conference and third in the country in scoring offense with 45 goals (3.75 g/gm).

POWER UP: WSU's power-play is ranked seventh (13/61, 21.3%) nationally.

FOUR OR MORE: WSU holds a 7-0-0 record when scoring four or more goals in a game.

TIP YOUR HAT: With Boal and Poyton's combined three hat tricks this season, the team set the all-time school record for hat tricks eclipsing the old mark of two.

THOMPSON SOLID IN NET: Senior goalie Tiffany Thompson holds a 4-1-1 record and is unbeaten in her last four starts. Her .750 winning percentage ranks second in the conference and seventh in the nation.