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The 2010 College Hockey America Tournament begins Thursday afternoon at the City Sports Center in Detroit, as the Wayne State University women's hockey team (9-17-4, 5-10-1 CHA) meets Robert Morris University (10-23-1, 3-12-1) in the quarterfinal game. The puck drops at 3:00 p.m. ET, with Tom Balog calling the action on
Teamline.
Thursday will be the third consecutive meeting between Wayne State and Robert Morris. Following a 2-1 loss on Friday night at the RMU Island Sports Center, the Warriors ended a nine-game winless streak with a 4-1 victory to close out the 2009-10 regular season.
Top-ranked Mercyhurst College will meet the winner of the WSU-RMU matchup in the first semifinal game Friday at 4:00 p.m. Syracuse University and Niagara University will battle in the second semifinal contest at 7:00 p.m. Saturday's championship game is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m.
BEHIND THE BENCH
Jim Fetter is 109-101-22 in his seventh season at the helm of the WSU women's hockey program. He earned his third consecutive CHA Coach of the Year award two years ago in addition to being named the Women's Division I Coach of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association.
Nate Handrahan is in his fourth season at Robert Morris and holds a career record of 45-87-7.
THROUGH THE YEARS
Wayne State leads the all-time series against Robert Morris, 19-3-0, dating back to 2006. The Warriors swept the Colonials in Detroit last month in two one-goal games (1-0, 3-2). Overall, Wayne State has outscored Robert Morris, 86-33, in the all-time series.
IN THE POLLS
Robert Morris and Wayne State were tabbed for second and third, respectively, in the 2009-10 CHA preseason poll.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
Half of RMU's 10 victories this season have come in the last 11 games. Until Saturday's 4-1 setback to the Warriors, the Colonials had played in five straight one-goal decisions, winning three of those.
Junior Sara O'Malley, who scored both goals in RMU's 2-1 victory on Friday, leads the Colonials with 18 goals and 30 points. Sophomore Brianna Delaney has 29 points including a team-best 16 assists. Both forwards rank among the top-10 scorers in the league.
Other key offensive contributors include junior Maria Stoa (3-14--17) and freshman Jennifer Kindret (8-7--15), who is tied with
Julie Ingratta for fourth among CHA rookies in points.
Junior goalie Daneca Butterfield has a 8-17-1 record in 25 games, with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Freshman Kristen DiCiocco is 2-6-0 with a 3.23 GAA and a .874 SV% in 12 games.
LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State lost a 2-1 decision to Robert Morris on Friday night in the penultimate game of the 2009-10 regular season.
Alyssa Baldin's power-play goal, her career-high tying 18th point of the season, in the third period cut in half a deficit created by two goals from O'Malley in the second.
Wayne State pulled goaltender
Delayne Brian for an extra attacker in the final 1:11 but could not tie the score. Brian finished with 26 saves in the loss.
Friday was just the Warriors' third loss all-time to the Colonials, but the second road loss on the road dating back to last February's 1-0 RMU victory.
The Warriors bounced back to earn a 4-1 victory on Saturday.
Gina Buquet, Ingratta and
Chelsea Burnett finished with a goal and an assist each. Ingratta's tally in the first period proved to be the game-winner, as the Warriors halted a nine-game winless streak and produced more than two goals for the first time since a 3-2 win over RMU on Jan. 16. In addition, Buquet and Burnett were subsequently named CHA Rookie and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively.
Making the first complete start of her collegiate career was
Brittany Zeches, who finished 26 saves.
The Warriors wasted little time in getting on the board, as
Katrina Protopapas made it a 1-0 game with her team-leading 13th goal of the season just nine seconds into the opening period. It was the fastest goal to start a game in school history, breaking the mark of 13 seconds set by
Melissa Boal against Mercyhurst exactly one year prior.
CHA TOURNEY IN DETROIT
For the third time in the history of the CHA women's league, the postseason will be played in Detroit. Wayne State last hosted the CHA Tournament in 2006, although that year both the CHA men's and women's postseasons were conducted on the same weekend at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum. The City Sports Center housed the CHA women's postseason in 2003.
In seven CHA Tournaments, the Warriors have amassed a 3-7 record, having lost to Mercyhurst in the last three championship games. Wayne State's first postseason victory was a 3-2 result against Niagara in 2007, followed by wins over RMU in the semifinals each of the last two years, including a 3-2 overtime win last year in the longest game in CHA women's league history (75:04).
WARRIORS MOVING UP RANKS
Many Warriors advanced in the Wayne State record books after last weekend's series at Robert Morris.
Protopapas moved into a tie for sixth place all-time at WSU in career goals (26), matching Katie Jones (2000-04). She needs one more goal to tie Emily McGrath-Agg (2002-05) for fifth. She also has 21 career CHA points, putting her in a tie for sixth with Laura Monk (2004-07).
Having scored the first goal of the game Saturday, Protopapas moved into a tie with Kelly Zamora (2001-05) for ninth in career first goals (5). Her four first goals this season are tied for the fifth-most in a single season.
Baldin is in a three-way tie for sixth in career power-play goals (8) with Zamora and
Tina Vanderhoeven (2005-09). She is tied for eighth in CHA points (17) with teammate
Veronique Laramee-Paquette, and moved into sole possession of fifth in CHA goals (9), surpassing Laramee-Paquette.
Jill Szandzik, who assisted on Baldin's goal Friday, is tied with Sarah Campbell (2004-06) and Joanie Denby (2000-04) for fifth among WSU defensemen in career points (28). She is tied with
Natalie Payne (2008-09) for seventh in assists by a defenseman (23) and CHA assists (10).
Burnett, who became the first WSU blueliner to score a short-handed goal in program history, passed Zamora to move into ninth place on the school's CHA goals list (7).
Christine Jefferson tied Denby for ninth in assists by a defenseman (18) after her helper on Burnett's short-handed tally.
Moving into a four-way tie for ninth on the single-season rookie points chart was Ingratta (15), who is also tied for 10th with Baldin (2008-09) and Krissy Langley (2001-02) in rookie assists (9).
Brian is fourth all-time in games played (39), having passed Tiffany Thompson (2004-08). Her 1078:43 minutes played this season is the ninth-highest total in a single season, besting Tina Thibideau in 2001-02.
SCORELESS FIRST PERIODS
For the third game in a row, the Warriors skated to a scoreless tie with their opponents through the first period Friday. Wayne State has played to a 0-0 tie through the first 20 minutes 18 times this season and has a 6-10-2 record in those games.
IMPROVING THE PENALTY KILL
Before Mercyhurst's three power-play tallies on Feb. 20, the Warriors had killed 27 of their last 28 penalties (96.4 percent). Wayne State has allowed just four power-play goals in the last 10 games, and is operating at 90.7 percent in that span. Overall this year, the Warriors' penalty-kill rate of 85.8 ranks 13th in the nation.
WSU HOCKEY NOTES
• Wayne State's recent nine-game winless streak was its longest since the 2001-02 season and tied for third-longest in program history.
• Protopapas has a career-high 16 points, eclipsing her total of 15 as a sophomore in 2007-08.
• Her game-opening tally Saturday was the third-fastest goal to begin any period at WSU. The record is seven seconds, achieved by Boal in the third period at St. Lawrence on Oct. 7, 2006.
• Two senior blueliners snapped scoring droughts Saturday, as Jefferson's assist was her first point since Nov. 12 at Wisconsin. Burnett recorded her first point since a goal Jan. 9 against Vermont.
• The last time WSU had scored at least four goals in a game was Jan. 8 versus Vermont, a 5-2 victory.
• Baldin's assist Saturday was her career-best 19th point of the season.
