Wayne State picks up weekly awards

The Wayne State Warrior hockey teams had one of their best weekend’s in recent history and were rewarded with three honors from College Hockey America.

Wayne State sophomore defenseman Jeff Caister was named the College Hockey America Defensive Player of the Week as recognition for his role in Warriors road sweep of Northern Michigan.

Caister, Wayne State's leading scorer with 17 points, notched four more against the Wildcats. He assisted on the first and last goals of the game in Friday's 4-1 victory and the following night, he assisted on a power-play goal in the second period and scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Warriors the sweep.

Goaltender Mike Devoney earned CHA Rookie of the Week honors after posting both victories over the Wildcats.

Devoney stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced in his first collegiate start on Friday, and followed that with a 19-save performance as WSU rallied from a two-goal deficit on Saturday.

Wayne State will return to Detroit to host Niagara next weekend, with the Jan. 19 game being housed at the Palace of Auburn Hills as part of a doubleheader also featuring Michigan against Notre Dame. The Jan. 18 contest as well as the following weekend's series against Alabama-Huntsville (Jan. 25-26) will be played at the Taylor SportsPlex.

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Boal records third CHA award

The Wayne State Women’s team had an equally impressive weekend with a sweep of Maine at the City Sports Arena in Detroit.

Junior forward Melissa Boal was named College Hockey America (CHA) Offensive Player of the Week after recording three points (two goals, one assist) in WSU's sweep of visiting Maine marking the first time the Warriors defeated the Black Bears in eight previous attempts.

In Friday's contest, Boal assisted on WSU's second goal en route to a 5-0 shutout victory. In the second game, she led the Warriors with two goals in the 4-3 triumph.

The Wayne State Warrior Women concludes its six-game home stand with a series against Quinnipiac Friday and Saturday Jan.18-19. The first game will be part of part of a double-header with the WSU men's team and will be played at the Taylor SportsPlex at 3:30 p.m. in Taylor, Mich. Game two is at 2:00 p.m. and will be played at the City Sports Center.