WSU gets single point in home finale

by Tom Balog / Wayne State Beat Writer

The Wayne State Warriors (8-18-2, 1-11-2 CHA) came into the weekend with hopes of leap-frogging the Robert Morris Colonials in the CHA conference standings.

Those hopes faded quickly over a couple of questionably officiated contests that saw the Green and Gold picking up just a point.

Friday the Warriors scraped their way to a 4-4 tie with the Colonials at the City Sports Center.

Trailing 4-2 late in the third, WSU’s leading goal scorer Julie Ingratta notched a marker at 12:39 and another with just 38-seconds remaining to force overtime.

Veronique Laramee-Paquette and Micheline Frappier also scored for Wayne State and Delayne Brian made 37 saves.

Cobina Delaney, Kathryn Stack, Thea Imbrogno, and Sara O’Malley lit the lamp for the Colonials.

Merri Raisanen turned away 27 for RMU.

Saturday’s home finale was decided in a twenty second span as the Colonials stole a 2-1 min on Senior Day.

The Warriors started early, with blueliner Lauren Lovold’s first career goal just 90 seconds into the game.

The goal gave the Warriors their first lead of the weekend and held up until almost the midway point in the second period.

Sara O’Malley tied up the score by bouncing a shot off of Delayne Brian from behind the net at 8:09. Then Courtney Langston tucked one in, just inside the post, at 8:29 for the eventual game winner.

Finnish freshman Merri Raisanen started her tenth straight game between the pipes for RMU and stopped 27 shots in the win.

A total of 19 penalties were called for the second straight game, effectively killing any flow in the game, but the two teams combined for a dismal 0-18 performance with the extra skater.

Brian stopped twenty pucks for WSU who now trail the Colonials by three points in the CHA standings with just two regular season games remaining.

Lone Warrior senior Adrianna Pfeffer (pictured) registered 3 shots on goal in her final game in front of the home crowd. Lovold has totaled 18 points in 108 games at WSU, including a career-best eight this season.

Wayne State will wrap up the season with two games at Niagara next weekend.

Photo courtesy Mark Hicks/ Westside Photography and Wayne State Athletics