Dec. 3, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

►GAME STORYLINES
For its final series of the 2008 calendar year, the Wayne State University women's hockey team (10-3-1, 2-0-0 CHA) travels to Niagara University (4-10-2, 1-1-0 CHA) this weekend. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday and 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Dwyer Arena.

Wayne State participated in the University of Connecticut's Nutmeg Classic last weekend. The Warriors dropped a 5-4 decision to the host Huskies but recovered to defeat Quinnipiac, 3-2, in the consolation game the following afternoon. Niagara split a series at Cornell, extending its unbeaten streak to four games with a 3-2 win in the opener before suffering a 5-3 setback on Sunday.

After a break for exams and holidays, the Warriors will meet St. Cloud State and North Dakota in the Easton/St. Cloud State Showcase. A weekend off precedes a home series on Jan. 16-17 against Robert Morris.

►BEHIND THE BENCH
Jim Fetter is 89-78-17 in six seasons at the helm of the WSU women's hockey program. He earned his third consecutive College Hockey America (CHA) Coach of the Year award last season in addition to being named the Women's Division I Coach of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association.

Margot Page has a career record of 133-157-32 in 10 seasons at Niagara.

►THROUGH THE YEARS
Despite a six-game winning streak against Niagara entering this weekend, Wayne State trails in the all-time series, 13-16-0, which dates back to WSU's 1999 inaugural season. The Warriors are 5-7-0 at Dwyer Arena and, since a 6-2 Purple Eagles victory on Feb. 9, 2007, Wayne State has won each of the last three games at Niagara.

►IN THE POLLS
Wayne State and Niagara were predicted to finish second and third, respectively, by the CHA head coaches in the 2008-09 preseason poll. WSU is also receiving votes in both the USA Today/USA Hockey and the USCHO.com/CSTV Women's Division I national polls.

►SCOUTING NIAGARA
After losing their first eight games of the season, the Purple Eagles are 4-2-2 in their last eight. Last weekend's series at Cornell concluded a challenging six-game stretch away from Dwyer Arena, during which Niagara also faced Robert Morris, Brown, and Providence.

Senior forward Ashley Riggs leads Niagara and ranks fourth in College Hockey America with eight goals and 16 points this season. Junior forward Frances McPhail has 12 points including a team-high nine assists, while classmate Mary McKinnon has contributed five goals and six helpers.

With a four-point weekend at Cornell, junior forward Jennifer MacLean was named CHA Offensive Player of the Week. She doubled her point total for the season (2-6--8).

Sophomore goaltender Jenni Bauer has carried most of the workload between the pipes for the Purple Eagles, having accumulated a 4-9-2 record with a 3.66 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage in 15 starts.

►LAST TIME OUT (NOV. 28-29)
In the opening game of the Nutmeg Classic at the University of Connecticut, Wayne State had its six-game winning streak come to an end following a 5-4 setback to the host Huskies on Friday afternoon at the Freitas Ice Forum.

Melissa Boal lit the lamp for the fourth consecutive game, and Sam Poyton finished with a goal and an assist for the third straight game.

Chelsea Burnett and Alyssa Baldin also scored for WSU, while Lindsay DiPietro contributed two assists as Wayne State saw its record evened at 4-4-0 all-time against UConn.

Baldin notched her third game-winning goal of the season Saturday as the Warriors held off Quinnipiac for a 3-2 victory in the consolation game. Wayne State had two one-goal leads slip away during the game, but Baldin's power-play goal at 6:39 of the third period gave the Warriors a lead they would hold until the end.

Jill Szandzik assisted on two power-play tallies, including one by Natalie Payne. DiPietro also scored her sixth goal of the season.

Shots were even at 21-21, but Lindsey Park made 19 saves and held the Bobcats to an 0-for-7 mark on power-plays in her first start since Oct. 25 against Colgate.

►CAREER MILESTONES
With a goal apiece last weekend at UConn, Boal and Poyton increased their career totals to 99 and 98 goals, respectively. They are both on the verge of reaching the 100-goal milestone, a feat accomplished by only four other players in NCAA Division I women's hockey history. Boal and Poyton are the top active goal scorers in the country and rank in the top five in NCAA history.

Boal, the top active player with 186 points, surpassed Dartmouth's Katie Weatherston for 10th all-time. Poyton (172 pts. - T-14th) and DiPietro (159 pts. - 24th) have advanced on the NCAA points list this season as well.

After recording two assists Friday, DiPietro has 116 helpers and surpassed Harvard's Nicole Corriero for eighth on the NCAA career assists list, while Poyton's 24 career game-winning goals, three short of the national record, rank in a tie for second all-time.

►NATIONAL LEADERS
Boal and Poyton are tied for fifth nationally with a 1.71 points/game average, while DiPietro ranks in a tie for 18th (1.36). Both Poyton (1.00 - T3rd) and Boal (0.93 - 9th) rank in the top 10 in goals/game as well.

DiPietro is in a tie for eighth place with a 0.93 assists/game average, Poyton is tied for sixth with five power-play goals, and Payne's 1.00 points/game pace is tied for second nationally among defensemen.

As a team, Wayne State is fourth in scoring offense (3.93) and power-play average (26.4), and fifth in team winning percentage (.750).

►STARTING STRONG
Wayne State has its best record in school history through the first 14 games, having won 10 of those contests. The team has exceeded the 8-5-1 start posted by last year's squad, which did not win its 10th game until Jan. 12 against Maine.

►SPECIAL TEAMS
After starting the season 1-for-26 (3.8 percent) on power-play opportunities through the first three games, the Warriors are 22-for-62 (35.5) in the last 11 games, raising their season average to 26.4 percent which leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally. Moreover, 23 of the team's 55 goals this season have come with a skater advantage. On the other side, WSU's penalty-killing rate of 82.9 is third in the CHA.

During the 2007-08 campaign, the Warriors had a power-play average of 19.5 percent and matched the school record with 38 power-play goals. Their penalty-killing unit averaged 80.6 percent.

►SWEET NOVEMBER
The Warriors finished the month of November with a 7-1-0 record and outscored their opponents, 36-20, in the eight games. No WSU team had ever won seven games in one calendar month (last year's squad posted six wins in both January and February).

►PLAYING WITH DISCIPLINE
WSU has been assessed just 11.7 penalty minutes per game this season, fewest in the league. Only six teams in the country average fewer penalty minutes.

►ROOKIE SCORING
The Warrior freshman class has contributed 36 of the team's 140 points (25.7 percent). Baldin is at the head of the class with 12 points, tied for second among all freshmen in College Hockey America. Right behind her is Veronique Laramee-Paquette, whose 10 points put her in a tie for fourth in the league among rookies.

►RUTLEDGE RETURNS TO DWYER
Wayne State assistant coach Allison Rutledge, a former four-year goaltender and two-time team captain for Niagara, finished her playing career as the program's all-time leader in saves with 3,405, which ranks second in NCAA history. She was named a Second Team All-American by the AHCA as a senior.

Rutledge graduated from Niagara in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education.

►ROAD CONFERENCE OPENERS
Entering Friday's series opener at Niagara, Wayne State is 3-4-1 all-time in its first road conference game of the season. The Warriors are unbeaten in their last four, including victories at Robert Morris the last two years. Wayne State has played its first road conference game at Niagara twice, dropping a 3-0 decision in 2002 and earning a 3-2 victory in 2005.