NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - The Wayne State University women's hockey team (5-8-3, 2-4-0 CHA) won its final game of the 2009 calendar year, a 3-1 result over Niagara University (7-7-4, 3-3-2 CHA) on Sunday afternoon at Dwyer Arena.

Gina Buquet (Lafayette, La./Ohio Flames) and Alyssa Baldin (Mississauga, Ont./Mississauga Jr. Chiefs) scored 70 seconds apart in the second period as the Warriors rebounded from Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to split the weekend series with the Purple Eagles.

Veronique Laramee-Paquette (Mont-Tremblant, Que./Les Cheminots) finished with a pair of assists for her second multiple-point game of the season.

Wayne State caught a break just past the midway point of the first period, as Laramee-Paquette freed the puck from along the boards and sent it across the neutral zone to Jill Szandzik (Warren, Mich./Little Caesars) streaking in on the left side. Szandzik dumped the puck in from the blue line through the pads of Jenni Bauer for her second goal of the year at 11:23.

With 11 minutes remaining in the second period, Laramee-Paquette won a key faceoff in the NU zone and sent the puck back to Julie Ingratta (Markham, Ont./North American Hockey Academy), who skated around to find space before firing a wrist shot from between the circles. Bauer made the initial save, but Buquet was there to knock in the rebound from the left side for her fifth goal of the season - and the game-winner - at the 9:14 mark.

Seventy seconds later, Baldin received a pass from Katrina Protopapas (Chatham, Ont./Bluewater Hawks) in front of the crease and spun around to her forehand for a shot just inside the far post at 10:24.

On a Niagara power play near the end of the second period, with a cluster of players battling for the puck in front of Lindsey Park (Thornhill, Ont./Toronto Jr. Aeros), Jennifer MacLean was able to get a shot off as time expired and make it a 3-1 score at intermission.

Niagara totaled 10 shots on goal in the final 20 minutes but could not narrow the gap further despite pulling Bauer for an extra attacker in the final 40 seconds.

Park made 22 saves to preserve her second victory of the season. Bauer (7-7-4) collected 12 saves.

Wayne State will resume its season in the New Year with a home series Jan. 8-9 against Vermont.

NOTES
This was WSU's first Sunday game since Feb. 3, 2008, a 4-3 Warrior win at Dwyer … in 34 Sunday games the Warriors are 14-19-1 … Ingratta and Laramee-Paquette each extended their point streaks to five games.