Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey

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Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey
Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey athletic logo
UniversityWayne State University
ConferenceCHA
Head coachBill Wilkinson
1999-2008 season
ArenaCity Sports Ice Arena
Capacity: 500
LocationDetroit, Michigan
ColorsGreen and gold[1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
2003
Conference Tournament championships
CHA: 2001, 2002, 2003

The Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey team competed in NCAA's Division I in the College Hockey America (CHA) conference representing Wayne State University. The university dropped their men's program at the end of the 2007-08 season.[2]

Program History[]

Wayne State University began its men's ice hockey program in 1999, one of several programs to begin at or promote their programs to Division I ice hockey in the late 1990s. Before their first season the Warriors signed Bill Wilkinson as their first coach, hoping that his 20-year track record at Western Michigan would help bring in recruits and build the program quickly.

After a year as an Independent, Wayne State was invited to join College Hockey America, a conference made entirely of newly D-I programs. The Warriors were able to perform very well in the first few years, winning a conference championship, three consecutive conference tournaments and earning a bid to the 2003 NCAA Tournament (the first CHA automatic bid).

The most glaring problem with the ice hockey program at Wayne State was the university's lack of an on-campus ice rink. As a result the team was forced to rent out space in various buildings over its existence.[3] This combined with the Warriors inability to play other regional teams led to waning interest in the program despite being located in the hockey-friendly city of Detroit.[4]

With the program losing money every year and the CCHA not looking to increase its membership beyond 12 teams, Wayne State decided to end its program after the 2007–08 season.

Four years after its dissolution, ice hockey returned to Wayne State as a club sport.[5]

Season-by-season results[]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

NCAA D-I Champions NCAA Frozen Four Conference Regular Season Champions Conference Playoff Champions
Season Conference Regular Season[a] Conference Tournament Results National Tournament Results
Conference Overall
GP W L T Pts Finish GP W L T %
Bill Wilkinson (1999–2008)
1999–00 Independent – – – – – – 30 12 16 2 .433
2000–01 CHA 20 8 9 3 19 3rd 35 18 14 3 .557 Won Semifinal, 3–2 (OT) (Niagara)
Won Championship, 4–1 (Alabama–Huntsville)
2001–02 CHA 20 15 2 3 33 1st 36 21 11 4 .639 Won Semifinal, 3–1 (Air Force)
Won Championship, 5–4 (OT) (Alabama–Huntsville)
2002–03 CHA 20 11 7 2 24 T–3rd 40 21 17 2 .550 Won Quarterfinal, 4–2 (Air Force)
Won Semifinal, 6–4 (Niagara)
Won Championship, 3–2 (Bemidji State) 		Lost Regional Semifinal, 2–4 (Colorado College)
2003–04 CHA 20 4 15 1 9 6th 36 9 24 3 .292 Won Quarterfinal, 5–3 (Alabama–Huntsville)
Lost Semifinal, 1–2 (Niagara)
2004–05 CHA 20 7 9 4 18 4th 35 14 17 4 .457 Lost Quarterfinal, 3–4 (OT) (Air Force)
2005–06 CHA 20 3 12 5 11 6th 35 6 23 6 .257 Lost Semifinal, 1–3 (Alabama–Huntsville)
2006–07 CHA 20 8 10 2 16 4th 35 12 21 2 .371 Lost Quarterfinal, 3–4 (OT) (Alabama–Huntsville)
2007–08 CHA 20 6 14 0 12 4th 38 11 25 2 .316 Won Quarterfinal, 4–0 (Alabama–Huntsville)
Lost Semifinal, 1–4 (Bemidji State)
Totals GP W L T % Championships
Regular Season 305 115 162 28 .423 1 CHA Championship
Conference Post-season 14 9 5 0 .643 3 CHA Tournament Championships
NCAA Post-season 1 0 1 0 .000 1 NCAA Tournament appearance
Regular Season and Post-season Record 320 124 168 28 .431

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Code explanation; GP—Games Played, W—Wins, L—Losses, T—Tied games, Pts—Points

Notable players[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Wayne State University Athletics Logo & Style Guide (PDF). August 14, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  2. ^ Wodon, Adam (March 11, 2008). "Wayne State Bids Farewell". College Hockey News. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  3. ^ "Wayne State AD Vents About WSU Folding Program". USCHO.com. November 20, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  4. ^ "Wayne State Dropping Hockey". College Hockey News. September 26, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  5. ^ "Wayne State hockey back at it as club sport". The South End. January 22, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
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