DETROIT - In its first home game in two months, the Wayne State women's hockey team (6-8-3) defeated the University of Vermont, 5-2, on Friday night at the City Sports Center.

Katrina Protopapas (Chatham, Ont./Bluewater Hawks) scored twice, including her eighth power-play goal of the season, and Lauren Ragen (Grosse Ile, Mich./Connecticut Polar Bears) finished with a pair of assists, her first career multiple-point game.

Defenseman Jill Szandzik (Warren, Mich./Little Caesars) had a goal and two helpers for her first career three-point performance.

The Warriors, who were winless at home (0-3-1) coming into Friday's game, remained unbeaten (7-0-2) against the Catamounts all-time. Wayne State also scored more than three goals for the first time since a 6-1 victory Oct. 31 at Bemidji State, and handed Vermont its eighth straight loss in the process.

After a scoreless first period, the 10th such occurrence for the Warriors this season, momentum began to build for Wayne State shortly after killing off a 5-on-3 Vermont power play.

Protopapas broke the deadlock with her eighth goal of the season at 7:02 of the second. Alyssa Baldin's (Mississauga, Ont./Mississauga Jr. Chiefs) pass from behind the net found Ragen in front of the crease but, as she was unable to get a clean shot, the puck deflected out to Protopapas on the left side for the short wrist shot.

Less than 90 seconds later, on a power-play, Szandzik collected a rebound off a Ragen shot for her third goal of the year.

The game-winning goal came at 18:04 off the stick of Micheline Frappier (Val Caron, Ont./Sudbury Lady Wolves), her second game-winner of the season. She won a draw to the right of UVM goalie Kristsen Olychuck and pulled the puck over to Adrianna Pfeffer (Farmington Hills, Mich./Belle Tire), who shot it in on net. Julie Hebert (Chelmsford, Ont./Aurora Jr. Panthers) picked up the rebound at the side of the goal and fed Frappier through the crease with a backhand pass.

Things looked well in hand for the Warriors as Protopapas' power-play tally - her career-high ninth goal of the season - at 6:52 of the third period, with assists from Szandzik and Chelsea Burnett (Ridgeway, Ont./Stoney Creek Sabres) made it a 4-0 game. Vermont would cut its deficit in half, however, moments later.

At the 9:49 mark, a shot from between the circles from Maggie Walsh sailed in just out of the reach of Lindsey Park (Thornhill, Ont./Toronto Jr. Aeros) on her glove side. Nearly five minutes later, Celeste Doucet capped off a 2-on-1 situation with her sixth of the year from Chelsea Furlani and Olychuck, who started the play with a long feed through the UVM zone.

The Catamounts pulled Olychuck for an extra attacker, and eventually had a 6-on-4 advantage after a WSU penalty. The Warriors held ground, however, and Baldin sealed the win with an empty-net goal, sending the puck the length of the ice as time expired.

Wayne State out-shot Vermont, 35-22, and held the Catamounts to 0-for-6 on power plays. Park totaled 20 saves in her third win of the year.

The Warriors and Catamounts will complete the weekend series Saturday at 2:00 p.m.