Dec. 7, 2005

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GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's hockey team (6-8-2 overall) will face the Princeton Tigers (8-3-2 overall, 5-1-1 ECACHL) in a two-game series this weekend, Dec. 9-10, at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink in Princeton, N.J. It is the first two-game set between the schools, and the first meeting since Nov. 2, 2002.

Both Friday's and Saturday's games are slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.

The Warriors were idle last weekend, but earned a sweep of the St. Cloud State Huskies, winning 3-2 on Friday night, Nov. 25, and 4-3 the next afternoon in Detroit. The Tigers, who are seven games into a 10-game homestand, have won four straight and are 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

This weekend marks the final games of 2005 for the Warriors. Wayne State will begin 2006 with a home series against Wisconsin, Jan. 6-7, which will be the first broadcast of a WSU women's hockey game in school history. Ten home games will be streamed over the Internet via Teamline this season.

BEHIND THE BENCH
Jim Fetter is in his third season as Wayne State's head coach. He has a career record of 34-40-9 with the Warriors.

Head coach Jeff Kampersal is in his 10th season with the Tigers and has a career record of 143-116-23.

THROUGHOUT THE YEARS
Princeton has shut out WSU in the only two meetings of this series, Jan. 28, 2001 (6-0), and Nov. 2, 2002 (5-0), both in New Jersey.

IN THE POLLS
Wayne State and Niagara were ranked in a tie for second in the preseason CHA coaches' poll. Princeton was ranked seventh in the ECAC Hockey League preseason coaches' poll and fifth in the media poll.

ON THIS DATE
The Warriors were shut out at Providence, 9-0, on Dec. 10, 1999.

The following season, WSU was shut out at Maine, 4-0, on Dec. 9, 2000.

Last season, WSU lost at St. Lawrence, 2-1, on Dec. 10.

SCOUTING PRINCETON
The Princeton Tigers are currently in second place in the ECAC Hockey League, and are ranked seventh on the U.S. College Hockey Online Division I Women's Poll.

Junior forward Kim Pearce is the team's points leader (4-17--21), and is second in the league in that category. She leads the league in assists, and is second in the nation with a 1.31 assists/game average.

Freshman Annie Greenwood, the USCHO Offensive Player of the Week, scored four goals in a 6-2 Princeton victory over Colgate on Saturday, including a first-period hat trick. She has 10 goals on the season, ranking second in the ECACHL.

Twelve of the 13 points accumulated by junior Laura Watt this season have come on the power play. She ranks first in the league in power-play points.

Goaltender Roxanne Gaudiel is fourth in the league in goals-against average (1.56) and third in save percentage (.933).

WARRIOR CAPTAIN
Jessica Snelgrove

WARRIOR ASSISTANT CAPTAINS
Ashley King, Peyton Patterson, Kristi Thome

NOTES
Freshman Lindsay DiPietro earned CHA Rookie of the Week honors for Nov. 29, her third league award this season. She had a goal and two assists in the Warriors' 4-3 victory against the St. Cloud State Huskies on Nov. 26. In her last four games, DiPietro has recorded two assists three times and has eight points.

Freshman Sam Poyton has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in her last four games. She is also +9 for the season, a team high.

Freshman Melissa Boal had her seven-game goal-scoring streak snapped on Friday, but netted one on Saturday to give her eight goals in her last nine games.

Boal is also tied for first on WSU's all-time rookie assists list (13) and second in points (21).

Amanda Hungle, a freshman, and Kristy Leng, who netted the game-winner, each scored their first goal of the season in Friday's 3-2 win.

WSU is unbeaten in its last five home games, winning the last four.

After winning just one game in October (1-5-2), the Warriors won five in November (5-3-0).

Through 16 games last season, Wayne State surrendered 59 goals. This season, the Warriors have surrendered just 40 goals through 16 games.

Including this weekend's series against the seventh-ranked Tigers, the Warriors have three straight upcoming series against teams ranked in the top 10 of the USCHO poll.