The Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey team competed in
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
's
Division I in the
College Hockey America
College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New ...
(CHA) conference representing
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
. The university dropped their men's program at the end of the 2007–08 season.
Program History
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
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
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...
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
College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New ...
, 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. 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
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
.
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.
Season-by-season results
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties''
Footnotes
Notable players
*Jeff Caister
*
Adam Krug
*
Stavros Paskaris
Stavros Paskaris (born August 31, 1984) is an American former ice hockey player. Paskaris attended Wayne State University where he played four years with the Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey team which then competed in the NCAA's Division I ...
*Keith Stanich
See also
*
Wayne State Warriors women's ice hockey
References
{{Wayne State Warriors men's ice hockey navbox
College men's ice hockey teams in the United States
Ice hockey teams in Detroit
2008 disestablishments in Michigan
Ice hockey clubs established in 1999
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2008
1999 establishments in Michigan