Niagara takes 3 CHA points from WSU

By Tom Balog / WSU Beat Writer

Another game, another blown opportunity for the Wayne State Warriors as they were forced to settle for a 2-2 tie with the Niagara Purple Eagles at the City Sports Center on Friday night.

Adrianna Pfeffer scored with 56 seconds left in the first to open the scoring and then at 12:25 of the second, Alyssa Baldin lit the power-play lamp to give WSU a commanding 2-0 lead.

Niagara stormed back with a Francis McPhail top-shelf marker at 13:19 to make it a 2-1 game. Just over three minutes later, Daniela Dal Colle smacked in the game-tying goal.

NU outshot WSU 33-24 for the game, including a 3-0 edge in OT.

Delayne Brian was solid with 31 saves. Jenni Bauer had 22 on the other end for NU.

On a bright note, WSU perfect on special teams, going 1-1 on the PP and holding NU to 0-for-4 with the extra skater.

The Warriors (8-14-4, 4-7-1 CHA) let another lead go on Saturday afternoon as they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Purple Eagles on Senior Day.

Micheline Frappier opened the scoring at 12:02 of the first, but then WSU surrendered three straight goals to NU.

Leah Whitaker, Jenna Hendrikx and Jennifer MacLean all scored before the end of the second period to give the Purps a 3-1 lead.

Lauren Ragen gave the Green and Gold some life back early in the third, scoring just four seconds into a Warrior power play to pull to within a goal.

With Wayne State pressuring though, Dal Colle put the game out of reach with a power-play marker of her own at 16:20.

Senior Lindsey Park made 22 saves, including a brilliant stop on a shorthanded Caitlin Jenkins breakaway attempt in the second, in her final regular season game in a Wayne State sweater.

Bauer made 30 saves as the Eagles briefly moved past Syracuse and into second place in the CHA with the win.

Syracuse won their Senior Night at home against Robert Morris a few hours later to retake second place, but with just four games remaining, the Warriors look all but locked into fourth place in the conference.

Wayne State has nine points in the CHA and will play their final four games away from the City Sports Center. Their next test begins Friday with the start of a two-game bill with the top-ranked Mercyhurst Lakers, who clinched their eighth consecutive league crown over the weekend.


ICE CHIPS…

- Goalie Lindsey Park, defensemen Chelsea Burnett and Christine Jefferson (pictured with WSU head coach Jim Fetter) and forward Katrina Protopapas were recognized before the game as part of Senior Day.

- WSU is now winless in their last six games and have not tasted victory since a 3-2 win over Robert Morris at City Sports on Jan. 16.

- Protopapas, Jefferson, and Park are among the 78 student-athletes on the ballot for the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge, which will be held April 9 at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Frozen Four Skills Challenge will highlight the “Friday Night at the Frozen Four,” which also includes the presentation of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the Hockey Humanitarian Award and the announcement of the AHCA All-America teams.

The voting period runs until Monday, Feb. 15 (today). Fans can view the ballots and vote at http://www.ncaa.com/.

Photo courtesy WSU Athletics