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Issued: January 29, 2008

WOMEN’S HOCKEY TO HOST UW-STEVENS POINT

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The UW-Eau Claire women’s hockey team will host conference leader UW - Stevens Point this Friday at Hobbs Ice Center.

Heading in to Friday night’s matchup, the UW - Stevens Point Pointers have a commanding nine point lead over the Blugolds in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) standings. The Blugolds are currently in third place in the Conference with an overall record of 10-8-0 and 7-4-0 in conference play. The Pointers are ranked third in the nation with an overall record of 15-0-1 and 11-0-1 in conference play.

When these two teams met during the weekend of January 18th and 19th at Stevens Point, the Pointers defeated he Blugolds twice. The Pointers won both games by a score of 3-1.

The Blugolds will enter the game this Friday with a two game winning streak after defeating Finlandia twice at home last weekend. On Friday night, the Blugolds Kristin Faber (Fr.-Austin, Minn.) entered the program’s record books when she recorded her first career hat trick. She also set a school record and tied and NCAA Division III record with two shorthanded goals in one game. Faber’s explosive performance came in a 7-1 Blugold victory. Faber is the Blugold’s leading scorer with 13 points on eight goals and five assist. Christine Dickinson (Fr.-Layton, UT/Shattuck St. Mary's) is another major offensive contributor for the Blugolds. Dickinson is second on the team with 12 points on seven goals and five assist. Three other Blugolds have double digit point totals on the season along with Faber and Dickinson.

On the defensive side of the puck, the Blugolds are missing their leading scoring defenseman Maddi Hammer (Fr.-Owatonna, MN). Without Hammer, Michelle Stohr (So.-South St. Paul, MN) will lead the Blugold defense against a very talented Pointers offense which averages 4.5 goals per game. Stohr has seven points on the season and is a team leading plus four statistically.

In net, the Blugolds will have the option between Danika Porter (Fr.-Rosemount, MN/South St. Paul) and Lindsay Savat (Fr.-Apple Valley, MN/Thomas Jefferson). Porter Started both games last weekend and is 6-6 on the season with a goals against average of 1.65 and a save percentage of .917. Porter started both games the last time these teams met. Savat is 4-1 with a goals against average of 1.88 and a save percentage of .890.

The Pointers are led by leading point scorer Nicole Grossmann. Grossmann has an outstanding 26 points on 17 goals and nine assist. Her 17 goals lead the conference in goal scoring. Last time these two teams met the Blugolds were able to limit Grossman to two points on one goal and one assist. The only problem for the Blugolds was the other six players who have at least 10 points for the Pointers made their presence felt on the scoring sheet. Along with having the leading goal scorer in the NCHA, the pointers also have the second leading assist getter in the conference in Michelle Sosnowski. Sosnowski enters Friday’s game with 11 assist. As if that is not impressive enough, the Pointers Jamie Lewandowski is the conferences’ leading scoring defenseman.

The Pointers appear to be just as talented in net. They have both of the top goaltenders in the NCHA Statistically in Ann Hulme and d'Andra Phillips. Hulme is 9-0-0 with a goals against average of .72 and save percentage of .957, and Phillips is 6-0-1 with a goals against average of .74 and save percentage of .964.

With all this fire power and talent, the Pointers come in to the game Friday with conference highs in scoring offense, scoring defense, power play conversion percentage, and penalty kill percentage.

This conference battle is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Friday when the puck is dropped at Hobbs Ice Center.

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