Wilkinson wins Spanish championship

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

When the Wayne State men’s team folded after the 2007-2008 season, head coach Bill Wilkinson maintained he still wanted to coach somewhere.

Little did he know that "somewhere" would mean overseas - in Spain.

Wilkinson heard about a job with a professional team in Spain and is now the head coach for Club Hielo Jaca, a team in a five-team league, and in early March, Jaca won the Spanish championship by defeating CG Puigcerda, the first place team, in the league finals.

“It was an unbelievable celebration,” said Wilkinson. “(There were) fans on the ice, guys diving across the ice on their stomachs, just a wild time. Great dinner after with all kinds of songs and chants. Didn’t understand any of it, but they were having a ball.”

Later this spring, Wilkinson will be going to Mexico City with Spain’s national team as an assistant coach.

Wilkinson was WSU's only head coach during their nine-year stint from 1999-2008 and also was head coach at Western Michigan from 1982-1999.

Photo - post-game championship celebration. www.hockeyhielo.com

Ex-WMU, WSU coach Wilkinson abroad

Courtesy Detroit Free Press

Bill Wilkinson, the men's hockey coach at Western Michigan in 1982-99 and at Wayne State in 1999-08, again is a bench boss. But now he's coaching a team in Jaca, Spain -- Club Hielo Jaca.

The team just started play in a five-team league.

Wilkinson, 62, chatted with Free Press sports writer George Sipple in a series of e-mails about his new job, how it compares to college hockey and what it's like to live overseas.

Ex-WMU, Wayne St. hockey coach now in Spain

Photo courtesy Doug Eagan

Beavers take two from WSU

by Karl Henkel/Wayne State Men's Beat Writer

Eight goals in a two-game series is usually enough to come out with at least one win. But against the high-powered offense of Bemidji State, the Wayne State Warriors came out with something they've become all to familiar with – a sweep - this time, at the hands of the Beavers.

After BSU jumped out to a couple of two-goal leads, the Warriors scored three second-period goals in just over six minutes to take a 4-3 lead heading into the final frame.

Bemidji State's Blaine Jarvis tied the score 6:12 into the third, but a Derek Punches power-play goal put WSU back on top, but not for very long.

Matt Francis re-tied the score at the 11:37 mark, before Riley Weselowski scored the eventual game-winner, albeit in disputed fashion.

“It was four feet offsides,” WSU head coach Bill Wilkinson said of the winning goal. "The referee just didn't make the right call.”

Matt Pope's empty-netter sealed the 7-5 Beaver victory, improving their head-to-head record against the Warriors to 3-2-0.

Wayne State wasted a three-point effort from senior Stavros Paskaris and two-assist nights from Jeff Caister and Derek Bachynski.

Game two tried to live up to the high-scoring fiasco of the previous night, and it didn't dissapoint.

Jared Katz and Bachynski scored first-period tallies, but BSU had two of their own, and the score remained tied after 20 minutes.

The second period was the start of the 'Ryan Cramer Show' as the Beaver forward lit the lamp twice in a five-minute span, putting Bemidji state up, 4-2.

Punches added a late third period marker, but by that time the lead was three, with BSU going on victorious, 5-3. The win also clinched the CHA regular season title for Bemidji State.

“With a break here and there, we could have won both those games,” Wilkinson added.

Wayne State (9-23-2, 5-13-0 CHA) returns home to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum for one final time this weekend to take on the Niagara Purple Eagles (19-9-4, 11-5-2), who are 4-0-0 against the Warriors this year. Both games (Friday and Saturday) start at 7:05, with the latter being Senior Night, as WSU sends off four of its finest in forwards Bachynski, Paskaris, captain Mike Forgie and Tylor Michel.

RMU Finishes Season Sweep of WSU

by Karl Henkel/Wayne State Men's beat writer

Coming off three wins in their last four games, Wayne State men's hockey looked for a much better showing against Robert Morris than their previous three meetings, all Colonial wins. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

The opener consisted of 32 combined penalty minutes, with Robert Morris having nine power play chances.

Sean Berkstresser got the Colonials on the board early in the first period with the man advantage, but Stavros Paskaris fired home a shot from between the circles in the second period to tie the score.

In the third period, with WSU putting the pressure on, Ryan Cruthers broke free on a breakaway, tallying a shorthanded goal to put RMU up 2-1.

Chris Margott added another power play goal late to seal a 3-1 victory for Robert Morris.

“We were out-disciplined and took stupid penalties,” Paskaris said, “That definitely hurt us.”

Saturday night didn't start off much better, with RMU outshooting WSU 19-3 in the opening period. Despite being outplayed, however, the scored was tied after one, as Cruthers and Jeff Caister (power play) provided the goals.

Defenseman Matt Krug's slapshot from the right point was deflected off the stick of Derek Bachynski to put the Warriors ahead 2-1 a mere three minutes into the middle frame.

In the third, though, the tide changed in a hurry.

Cruthers added his third goal of the series for RMU at the 11:01 mark, knotting the game at two. Just 17 seconds later, Nathan Longpre put Robert Morris ahead 3-2.

With less than five minutes to go in regulation, Tylor Michel sent a pass in front of the Colonial goal to Jared Katz, who flipped a backhander over the shoulder of netminder Christian Boucher.

As time expired, both teams got in a scrum in the corner of the Warriors zone. Multiple penalties were assessed, and WSU came out of the fracas down a man.

That's when Margott took a feed from Denny Urban and fired it past CHA Defensive Player of the Week Brett Bothwell, completing the five-game season sweep of the Warriors for RMU.

Like Friday night, the game was marred by 34 penalty minutes, 16 of which went against WSU.

“We had no discipline,” an upset head coach Bill Wilkinson said after the game, “It was very uncharacteristic of us to play that way. We talked about it at the meeting today that we had to have better discipline through the whole game. And what did we do at the end? Take a stupid penalty that cost us the game.”

Next weekend, WSU (8-20-2, 4-10-0 CHA) travels down south to play Alabama-Huntsville (4-17-3, 1-10-3 CHA). Wayne State swept the Chargers in late January, 2-0, and 4-3 (OT).

WSU Splits Series With BSU

By Karl Henkel/Wayne State Men's Beat Writer

Although the weekend didn't end on a high note, this past weekend's series against Bemidji State showed the Wayne State Warriors can play with the big boys.

In the opener Friday night, Dylan Exton scored the game-winner midway through the third period for WSU's first win in Bemidji, Minnesota since 2002. Stavros Paskaris and Derek Bachynski also scored for the Warriors, who overcame a 2-0 first period deficit.

Brett Bothwell was strong in net, turning aside 28 shots in WSU's third straight win.

Saturday night, after Chris Kushneriuk tallied his second goal in three games, Jordan Inglis scored twice to give Wayne State a 3-1 third period lead.

But two Beaver power play goals later, the game headed to overtime tied at three. Matt Pope scored 2:57 in, sending WSU back home with a split.

Bothwell turned aside 31 shots, as the Warriors were outshot by two touchdowns, 35-21.

“It was a hard fought series,” head coach Bill Wilkinson said, “they play very intense in their own building.”

Part of WSU's recent success is due in part to more spread out scoring, with five Warriors netting goals in the series. In the last four games, there has been nine different goal scorers.

“The more guys who score, the less pressure on one or two guys. That's a big factor for the whole team,” Wilkinson said.

WSU (8-18-2, 4-8-0 CHA) is back at the friendly confines of the Michigan State Fairgrounds next weekend to take on the Robert Morris Colonials (11-11-3, 6-4-2 CHA). RMU has already beaten WSU three times this season, by a combined score of 11-3.

Lakers and Warriors split

By Tom Balog / Wayne State beat writer

Being an optimist, it was a good weekend for both the Wayne State Warriors and Lake Superior State Lakers at the Coliseum in Detroit.

After getting thumped in South Bend last weekend, the Lakers (2-5-1, 0-2-0 CCHA) rebounded nicely and battled to a 3-2 win on Friday night.

The Warriors (1-6-1, 0-2-0 CHA) finally had some bounces go their way and got their first win of the season with a 2-1 squeaker on Saturday night.

“Any time you play a team outside your conference, those are all big games,” Wayne State coach Bill Wilkinson told USCHO’s Matt Mackinder after Friday’s game. “You want to get that recognition for not only your team, but for your league. I think it’s bigger for us playing them than it is for them to come here and play lowly Wayne State. We want to go out and prove ourselves.”

Friday’s opener was a back and forth game with the Lakers drawing first blood with Steven Kaunisto scoring on a 4-on-3 power play, just 2:06 into the game. Kaunisto shot through a crowd and the puck slipped past Warrior goalie Brett Bothwell for the score.

Bryan Olds responded for Wayne State, scoring his first collegiate goal about 10 minutes later. Olds stole the puck in the WSU zone, motored down the ice on a 3-on-2 break and ripped a shot from the top of the left circle off the post and in.

After a scoreless second period, the Lakers converted twice in the third period to take a 3-1 lead.

Troy Schwab gave the Lakers back the lead with a wrister at 4:32. His shot hit Bothwell in the arm, fluttered just over his back and barely rolled over the line for his first of the season.

Leading scorer Nathan Perkovich nabbed the game winner at 10:03 with a slam dunk from just in front of Bothwell.

Tylor Michel added an extra-attacker goal for the Warriors at 19:50 to close out the evening's scoring.

Bothwell ended the evening with 17 saves and on the other end, Pat Inglis stopped 20 of 22 shots.

Lakers head coach Jim Roque also mentioned in the USCHO recap, that his goalie was the key to the win.

“Pat’s been struggling lately and he’s one of the guys we’re leaning on to get going, He made some big saves in the third period (including one of his head) and really showed the intensity we need out of him.”

After a dismal 0-5 effort in game one, the Warriors powerplay came out strong in the series finale with two extra strength goals.

Jon Grabarek opened the scoring at 16:56 of the first period, marking the first time the Green and Gold have scored first in a game all season.

Grabarek took a cross ice pass from defenseman Jeff Caister and one-timed it past a diving Brian Mahoney-Wilson for his second marker of the season.

Jared Katz put the Warriors up by two at 17:06 of the second period. Brock Meadows started the action with a blast from the blueline that missed wide of the net. Tyler Ruel grabbed the rebound and hustled to Katz who poked it in for his first of the season.

The Lakers mounted a furious third period comeback attempt in which they out shot the home team by a 12-1 margin.

Perkovich notched his second goal of the weekend with a powerplay marker at 2:33 of the third. After a Josh Sim shot, Perkovich snatched up the loose puck and rammed it in for his seventh goal of the year.

That was as close as the Lakers would get though as Warriors freshman netminder Kyle Funkehauser slammed the door for the rest of the game to earn his first collegiate win.

Funkenhauser finished the night 24 saves and Mahoney-Wilson stopped 15 on the other end.

The Warriors will try to keep the winning streak alive as they host the Bemidji State Beavers back at the Coliseum next weekend.

The Lakers will head back to the Sault and prepare for two games against the high flying and second-ranked Michigan Wolverines.

Culhane rewarded with extension

By Tom Morelli/WMU Beat Writer

Western Michigan University A.D. Kathy Beauregard announced last Friday that men’s hockey coach Jim Culhane signed a three year extension, which takes effect following the 2007-2008 season.

The new contract will earn Culhane about $105,000 per season, with the opportunity to make more if the Broncos can find their way into the CCHA semi-finals or receive a bid for the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament.

After taking over for head coach Bill Wilkinson on an interim basis in the spring of 1999, Culhane has stood behind the bench for nine seasons, compiling an overall record of 130-159-29. His biggest challenge though has been consistency, as he has accomplished a winning season only twice, going 20-13-6 in 2000-2001 and 19-15-4 the following season.

But while his players have had their share of highs and lows on the ice, Culhane continues to stress academics off of it. In the fall of 2006, the Broncos had their highest GPA under the regime at 3.18. Additionally, 18 players finished the 2006-2007 academic year with a 3.00 GPA or better. In nine of the past 10 semesters, Culhane’s players have held themselves to a high standard by maintaining a combined 3.00 GPA or better. Such academic success for the hockey team has allowed Culhane to graduate 41 of his seniors since 1998.

Nine players have earned pro tryouts during Culhane’s time behind the bench, including last season’s CCHA Rookie of the Year Mark Letetsu, who signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins last spring.

Culhane began his career with Western Michigan as a defenseman in 1983, earning a reputation around the CCHA for his tough and physical play. He capped his senior year in 1986-1987 with nine goals and 24 assists in 43 games, along with 163 penalty minutes.

After spending three seasons in the AHL with the Binghamton Whalers, Culhane played six games for the Hartford Whalers during the 1989-1990 season. He continued his career in the minor leagues before returning to Western Michigan as an assistant coach for the 1993-1994 season.

Wayne State '07-08 Season Preview

For the Wayne State Warriors, this is it.

After eight years of hockey, the program will cease to exist after the Green and Gold play out the 2007-2008 season.

The move was announced late last week and was a shocking blow to everyone in contact with the close-knit world of college hockey.

"From all the people we talked to, it was all financial," said WSU head coach Bill Wilkinson in an exclusive interview with Matt Mackinder on USCHO.com. “The bombshell is quite a setback, but we still want to go out and have a good season — this is our last shot at it."

The final WSU team will look different this year as well with 11 seniors gone from the squad that finished 12-21-2 (8-10-2 College Hockey America) last year.

Key players that will return for the Warriors up front include senior and captain Mike Forgie along with fellow fourth year skaters Derek Bachynski, Tylor Michel, and Stavros Paskaris. Juniors Jon Grabarek and Derek Punches, as well as sophomore Jared Katz, will also be looked upon the put the puck in the net.

Junior Matt Krug and sophomores Jeff Caister and Ryan Bernardi are the only returning players with experience on the blue line, so there is a lot of room for rookies to make an impact.

Sophomore Brett Bothwell is a sure bet to be between the pipes for Wilkinson’s team as the season begins. Bothwell posted an 8-9-1 record in 18 games played as a freshman.

The team will also welcome 12 new members with four forwards, six defensemen and a pair of goaltenders added to the mix.

"I think this recruiting class gives our team not only a greater level of skill, but depth as well," said Wilkinson, who will begin his ninth season behind the Warrior bench. "We have talented players coming in at all three positions."

Joining the Warriors are forwards Tyler Ruel, Andrew Berecz and Jeremy Tejchma, defensemen Ryan Adams, Jordan Bonneville, Brock Meadows, Phil Partyka, Kyle Richardson and Eric Roman and goaltenders Mike Devoney and Kyle Funkenhauser.

These 12 signees will hope to fill the skates of departed seniors Jason Baclig, Jason Bloomingburg, Matt Boldt, Mark Cannon, Taylor Donohoe, Adam Drescher, Nate Higgins, Will Hooper, Dan Iliakis and Mark Nebus.

"I guess there are several bright spots,” continued Wilkinson in the USCHO article. “One, its good we got kicked in the teeth early so that these kids can look for schools to transfer to. Every game we play, these kids will essentially be playing for [opportunities] and they'll be in the limelight. But from all the guys I've talked to, not one has made it known to me that they want to jump ship.”

According to the official WSU press release on the school cutting men’s hockey, all current student-athlete scholarships will be honored provided they meet satisfactory progress standards under NCAA guidelines. Releases will be offered to those who wish to transfer to other schools next summer, where they will be eligible to participate immediately as the normal residency requirements of the NCAA are waived.

Wayne State will begin their ninth and final year with the Green and Gold intersquad game on Sunday and then host ACHA member Eastern Michigan on Monday. All home games will be played at the picturesque Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Other highlights on the schedule include the team flying way, way out west for the Nye Frontier Classic hosted by Alaska-Anchorage on Oct. 12-13, the start of the CHA schedule at Robert Morris on Oct. 26-27, the Lake Superior State Lakers at the Coliseum for a pair of games on Nov. 9-10 to open the WSU home schedule and a battle with conference foe Niagara at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Jan. 9 as part of the College Hockey Faceoff.

For Warrior hockey fans you have a few chances, 14 to be exact, to catch a Wayne State game.

So I only have a little advice.

Get to the Coliseum with an extra layer of clothing on, cheer on the team, buy a Chuck-a-Puck, grab a beer and questionable hot dog and enjoy the history being made in the wrong way. Oh, and don’t forget to get your picture taken by the giant statue of a 15-foot-high bull behind the arena.

Remember fondly the first game with Gordie Howe dropping the puck and pigeons dive bombing from the ceiling.

Check out your GPS to see if it still has locations saved like Great Lakes Sports City in Fraser, the SportsPlex in Taylor, Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Joe Louis Arena and, of course, the Coliseum.

Tell stories of the glory years with Jason Durbin, Keith Stanich, Dusty Kingston, Tyler Kindle, David Guerrera, Marc St. Jean and so on.

Reflect with a smile on the anger, and sometimes downright jealously, of players and fans from Bemidji to Huntsville to Niagara as the newcomers in Green and Gold won back-to-back-to-back conference titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Reminisce about the NCAA Regional at Yost Ice Arena in 2003 where the team came so painfully close to shocking Colorado College.

And by all means please stop by and thank “Wilky," his assistants Chris Luongo and Frank Novock, trainers John Caloia and Mike Chan, equipment manager Jim “Soupy” Campbell, Dr. Karageanes, Mike Flynn, Jeff Evans, Jeff Weiss, Tom Gorman, Rob Fournier, Jason Clark, the game-day staff and everyone involved for all their hard work, dedication, and commitment and over the past eight seasons.

Hard to believe it, but this is it.

Wayne State rolls out '07-08 schedule

The Wayne State University men's hockey team released its schedule for the upcoming 2007-08 season early last week.

In addition to their 20 games against College Hockey America foes, the Warriors will face five teams from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, two Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, and one from the ECAC Hockey League.

Wayne State will open the campaign Oct. 12-13 at the 17th annual Nye Frontier Classic, hosted by the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Hockey East contender Boston University and fellow CHA member Robert Morris will join the two teams in Anchorage for the event. The Warriors will play the host Seawolves on Friday and the RMU Colonials in a non-conference matchup on Saturday.

WSU's road trip continues to CCHA member Ferris State on Oct. 19-20 and Robert Morris the following weekend for the Warriors' first CHA series of the season.

After an idle weekend, Wayne State returns to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum to host Lake Superior State on Nov. 9-10 and Bemidji State on Nov. 16-17 before traveling to St. Lawrence on Thanksgiving weekend.

Wayne State will meet Bowling Green in a home-and-home series Nov. 30-Dec. 1. WSU will entertain BGSU on Friday, with Saturday's contest being played in Ohio.

Head coach Bill Wilkinson, who has been at the helm of the Warriors since the program's inception in 1999, returns to Kalamazoo on Dec. 7-8 to face his former team, Western Michigan, prior to wrapping up the 2007 portion of the schedule at CHA rival Niagara on Dec. 14-15.

After taking a two-week hiatus from competition for exams and holidays, Wayne State will embark on a difficult seven-week stretch that begins at Minnesota on Jan. 4-5. Northern Michigan will host WSU on Jan. 11-12 before the Warriors reach the bulk of their CHA schedule, returning home for a pair of league series against Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville.

WSU is at Bemidji State to begin the month of February, playing host to Robert Morris on Feb. 8-9, and at UAH the following weekend. A weekend off precedes another trip to BSU, while the Warriors will wrap up the regular season at home against Niagara on March 7-8.

The College Hockey America Tournament is scheduled for March 14-16 with a host site to be determined.