Warriors second in poll; three All-CHA

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The Wayne State Warriors women’s team picked up one first-place vote and 13 total points to be voted second place in the 2008-09 College Hockey America preseason poll.

Defending tournament champion Mercyhurst College was tabbed by the league coaches as the preseason favorite for the upcoming campaign. The Lakers received four first-place votes and finished with 16 points.

Niagara came in third with 10 points, while Robert Morris (seven points) and Syracuse (four points) completed the poll.

Wayne State bested their conference foes by placing three skaters on the Preseason All-CHA Team.

Senior forward Melissa Boal (pictured) earned her second consecutive First Team All-CHA selection along with being a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Boal helped the Warriors to a share of the CHA regular-season title (with Mercyhurst) by notching a nation-leading 69 points on 35 goals and 34 assists in 32 games. Her 2.16 points per game average also led the NCAA. She finished third nationally in goals and second in assists per game (1.06).

On defense is a pair of Wayne State blueliners in senior Natalie Payne and junior Chelsea Burnett. Payne was a unanimous First Team All-CHA selection in 2007-08 as a member of the Lakers after compiling 28 assists and 33 points in 37 games to rank eighth nationally in defenseman scoring at 0.76 points per game. Burnett was a Second Team All-CHA selection last season after leading all WSU defensemen in scoring with a career-high 19 points.

Joining the Green and Gold on the All-CHA team were Mercyhurst forwards Meghan Agosta and Valerie Chouinard and Robert Morris goalie Brianne McLaughlin.

Wayne State will begin their ninth campaign with an exhibition game vs. Windsor at the City Sports Arena on Sep. 26. The regular season will start with a two-game tilt vs. Bemidji State on Oct. 3-4 in Detroit.

Photo courtesy of Mark Hicks/Westside Photography and WSU Athletics