Dec. 27, 2005

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GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's hockey team (6-9-3 overall) opens 2006 with a two-game weekend series against the third-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (15-2-1 overall, 12-1-1 WCHA) at City Sports Center Arena in Detroit. It is the second of three consecutive series against ranked opponents for the Warriors.

Friday's game (Jan. 6) is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and Saturday's game (Jan. 7) is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.

Both teams have been off from competition since the weekend of Dec. 9-10. Wayne State is coming off a 5-2 loss and a 2-2 overtime tie at seventh-ranked Princeton, while Wisconsin recorded a 2-2 overtime tie and a 2-1 victory at top-ranked Minnesota Duluth. The Badgers come to Detroit for their third of four straight road series.

This weekend's games will mark the first broadcasts of WSU women's hockey in school history. Ten home games will be streamed over the Internet via Teamline this season.

Wayne State's next series will be at sixth-ranked Mercyhurst, its first College Hockey America matchup of the season.

BEHIND THE BENCH
Jim Fetter is in his third season as Wayne State's head coach. He has a career record of 34-41-10 with the Warriors.

Head coach Mark Johnson is in his third season with the Badgers and has a career record of 90-25-10.

THROUGHOUT THE YEARS
These two squads have met three times, with Wisconsin winning each game. UW earned a 5-0 shutout at WSU on Oct. 23, 1999, and a series sweep (8-1 and 11-0) in Madison, Oct. 8-9, 2004.

IN THE POLLS
Wayne State and Niagara were ranked in a tie for second in the preseason CHA coaches' poll. Wisconsin was ranked first in the WCHA preseason coaches' poll and is currently third in the U.S. College Hockey Online Division I poll.

ON THIS DATE
The Warriors have played only once on this date, a 6-2 home loss to Niagara on Jan. 6, 1999.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN
After opening the 2005-06 season with a home loss to Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 8, Wisconsin won 12 straight games and 15 of its last 17 games.

In their last series of 2005 (Dec. 9-10), the Badgers went on the road and earned a tie (2-2) and a win (2-1) against the top-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, snapping UMD's 10-game unbeaten streak. The series resulted in Wisconsin moving into a first-place tie with Minnesota Duluth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings.

Junior Sara Bauer has 34 points (18-16) on the season, which leads the WCHA. Her 1.89 points/game average ranks second in the nation. Bauer is also tied for the league lead in goals and assists.

Junior blueliner Bobbi-Jo Slusar's 23 points leads all defensemen in the WCHA. She is also tied for the overall league lead with 18 assists.

Goaltenders Christine Dufour and Meghan Horras are second (1.34) and third (1.58) in the league, respectively, in goals-against average, and third (.934) and fourth (.924), respectively, in save percentage.

WARRIOR CAPTAIN
Jessica Snelgrove

WARRIOR ASSISTANT CAPTAINS
Ashley King, Peyton Patterson, Kristi Thome

NOTES
Melissa Boal has 15 assists on the season and sole possession of first place on WSU's all-time rookie assists list. She has recorded at least one point in 13 of WSU's 18 games.

Sam Poyton leads the CHA with 13 goals and five power-play goals.

Boal (1.28) and Poyton (1.17) are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the nation among rookies in points per game.

Freshman Amanda Hungle has won 55.3% of her faceoffs (140 of 253) this season, while captain Jessica Snelgrove has won 52.2% (224 of 429).

Wayne State is the least-penalized team in the CHA, averaging 10.9 penalty minutes per game. Only six teams in the nation have a better average.

WSU also leads the league in power-play percentage (16.2) and penalty-kill percentage (87.1).

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

When leading after two periods, the Warriors are unbeaten at 3-0-3 this season. Conversely, they are 0-8-0 when trailing after two periods.