Wayne State University junior goaltender David Guerrera (St. Leonard, QUE/Estevan Bruins) has been named College Hockey America Defensive Player of the Week as he recorded both wins in the Warriors sweep at Niagara last weekend (Feb. 8-9).
Guerrera made 26 saves in Friday's 5-2 triumph including 14 in the second period.
In Saturday's 3-1 victory, Guerrera turned aside 27 Niagara shots including 12 in the third period.
For the weekend, he stopped 53 of 56 shots (.946 saves percentage) as WSU killed all 10 Niagara power-play attempts.
Wayne State has won four straight games and is 9-3 in the last 12 contests. The first-place Warriors will entertain CHA foe Findlay on Saturday (Feb. 16) at Great Lakes Sports City in Fraser. The Warriors and the Oilers begin the home-and-home series Friday (Feb. 15) in Findlay. Face-off both nights is at 7:05 p.m.
Warriors Continue Stretch Run
Wayne State, who has won four straight, will face College Hockey America foe Findlay for the second time in three weeks this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 15-16). The Warriors won both meetings (4-2, 4-3) on February 1-2. WSU plays twice at Bemidji State on Feb. 22-23 in its final road trip of the regular season.
WSU Versus Findlay
The Warriors have a 4-4-1 all-time mark against the Oilers, which includes two forfeits by Wayne State. WSU is 2-2-0 at home versus Findlay, while compiling a 2-1-1 record in games played in Ohio. The first meeting was at a neutral site.
Wayne State University Head Coach Bill Wilkinson
Bill Wilkinson, the only head coach in the three-year history of men’s hockey at Wayne State University, is in his 20th season as a collegiate head coach. Last year, Wilkinson led the Warriors to 12 more victories than the inaugural season, and the CHA tournament crown. The three-time Central Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year has compiled an overall coaching record of 351-349-60. The 351 victories places him 35th on the NCAA all-time win list.
Assistant Coaches
Both full-time assistant coaches, Danny Brooks and Willie Mitchell, plus volunteer coach, Cal McGowan, have been with the program since its inception. Brooks worked with Coach Wilkinson at Western Michigan, while Mitchell previously served as an assistant at Michigan State.
Last Weekend
Wayne State recorded two victories at Niagara (5-2, 3-1) to take over sole possession of first place in CHA.
In Friday’s win, Maxim Starchenko and Chris Vail each had a goal and two assists, while Jon Brink, Jack Redwood and John Grubb tallied the other Warrior goals. David Guerrera made 26 saves in the WSU net. Wayne State scored three times in the first 6:32 of the game and the Purple Eagles never got closer than two goals (3-1, 4-2).
In Saturday’s triumph, Redwood and Vail scored 1:40 apart in the first three minutes of the contest and Nathan Rosychuk added a second period power-play goal for Wayne State. Guerrera turned aside 27 NU shots and the WSU penalty killing unit stopped all 10 Purple Eagle man-advantage opportunities on the weekend.
Scouting Findlay
The Oilers are 10-16-2 overall after losing twice (5-4, 4-2) at Alabama-Huntsville this past weekend. Coach Craig Barnett’s squad is 7-5-0 overall at home but only 3-4-0 against CHA opponents.
Freshman Rigel Shaw (14-10--24) leads Findlay in scoring and is followed by senior defenseman Brant Somerville (7-16--23), sophomore forward Brian Sherry (7-9--16) and junior forward Jason Maxwell (7-9--16). Shaw has a team-best four power-play goals and two game-winning goals. Nick Udovicic leads the CHA in short-handed points with five on three goals and two assists.
Junior Jamie VandeSpyker (7-10-1, 3.94, .893) has started 18 games, while sophomore Kevin Fines (3-6-1, 3.42, .903) has started the other 10 contests. Findlay has scored on 13.6% of its power-play chances (14 of 103), while stopping 80.3% of its opponent opportunities (118 of 147).
Warrior Team Notes
- Wayne State is 27th in the nation in the latest Pairwise Rankings which compares teams at or above .500, judging them by five criteria: record against common opponents, record in last 16 games, head to head competition, record against other teams at or above .500, and the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). The complete Pairwise Rankings are available online.
- WSU is listed at 12-11-3 in the Pairwise Rankings because games against Findlay do not count since the Oilers are not eligible for this year’s NCAA Tournament.
- The Warriors are 6-6-2 at home this season but just 1-4-2 on Saturday’s. Wayne State is 8-5-1 away from Detroit with a perfect 7-0-0 mark at CHA opponents. WSU is 4-2-1 in Friday away contests. The Warriors have a 9-3 mark in their last 12 games and a 7-1 record in the last eight league contests.
- Wayne State has killed off its opponents last 23 power-play opportunities.
Warrior Player Notes
- Jack Redwood has improved on his statistics from his initial campaign. This year, Redwood has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points after recording 12 points on six goals and six assists in 2000-01. He had a goal each game at Niagara to extend his point streak to four games (2-4--6).
- Chris Vail scored a goal each night at Niagara to extend his goal-scoring streak to four games (5-4--9).
- Jon Brink had a goal on Friday giving him four in the last eight matches.
- Nathan Rosychuk lit the lamp on Saturday giving him a goal in six of the last eight contests (6-2--8).
- John Grubb scored on Friday at Niagara marking his first goal this season not against Air Force.
- Goaltender David Guerrera stopped 53 of 56 shots (.946 saves percentage) as WSU won twice at Niagara.
Lunch With The Coaches
The weekly lunch with Wayne State coaches continues this Wednesday. The luncheon takes place in the South Lounge on the second floor of the Student Center.
Upcoming Promotions
A two-for-one ticket is available for the Feb. 16 home game against Findlay in Michigan Hockey Magazine. For the March 1-2 series against Niagara, couples are offered a buy one ticket get one free. Couples that take part in the Honeymoon Chuck-A-Puck on Saturday, March 2, will have a chance for the grand prize trip giveaway courtesy of Spirit Airlines and WYCD (99.5 FM). Any member of a HoneyBaked youth hockey team will receive free admission with their jersey on to the March 1-2 series.
2001-02 Schedule
The Warriors schedule features four games (two home, two away) against each of the other five members of College Hockey America plus 14 non-conference contests. Wayne State finished the season 2-7-1 against CCHA members and 2-2-0 versus WCHA schools.
A complete copy of this week's game notes is also available in PDF.
