Michigan had NCAA Division 1 women's hockey for 12 seasons. It wasn't at Michigan or Michigan State, however, it was at Wayne State University. For women's hockey, there was once a world of opportunity at Wayne State University.
Wayne State played their first season of NCAA women's hockey in 1999-2000. At the time, they were the only NCAA Division 1 women's hockey program in Michigan.
The program's success peaked between 2006 and 2009 when the Warriors advanced to the conference finals three times, playing in College Hockey America (not Atlantic Hockey America), twice.
Wayne State's star players include Melissa Boal and Samantha Pyton who were 2006 CHA co-scoring leaders, and First Team Conference All-Stars. Boal is Wayne State's all-time leading scorer recording 219 points in 133 games. She was the only Warriors player to ever pass 200 points, and one of only two, alongside Poyton to score more than 100 goals. Poyton sits second all-time in Wayne State scoring with 193 points. Others including Ayssa Baldin who was with Wayne State when the school dropped the program also had strong careers with, and after thee Warriors. Baldin transferred just across the border to the University of Windsor, and following her collegiate career, she played three seasons in the CWHL with the Toronto Furies, including winning a Clarkson Cup in 2014.
Wayne State only had two coaches in their program history with Tom O'Malley coaching for the first four seasons. He was succeeded by Jim Fetter who coached for eight seasons until the Warriors were disbanded. O'Malley was Wayne State's inaugural head coach. He lef the program following the 2002-03 season taking over as head coach for Sacred Heart's women's hockey program. O'Malley continues to hold that role 24 years later. Fetter, who spent three years as an assistant for Canada's U-18 national team, including during his tenure with Wayne State, coached briefly with St. Cloud State following Wayne State shuttering their program, but is not currently coaching.
A Season To Remember
The 2007-08 season was Wayne State's best. They finished with a 22-9-3 record, the best in program history. That season, the Wayne State Warriors had three of the top scorers in NCAA hockey, including the top three in the nation in points per game. Melissa Boal (69 points in 32 games), Samantha Poyton (66 in 34 games), and Lindsay DiPietro (64 points in 34 games) sat atop the national scoring charts finishing first, second, and fourth overall.
The only player who disrupted their scoring run was conference rival Meghan Agosta of Mercyhurst, who would go on to be one of Canada's most decorated Olympians and World Champions. The three names that followed Wayne State's trio would also go on to become Olympic and World Championship gold medalists in Sarah Vaillancourt, Haley Irwin, and Gigi Marvin. It was elite company for the Wayne State trio.
Ultimately, Wayne State's best chance for a conference title was again stopped by the Mercyhust Lakers who were in the midst of a nine-year run as conference champions.
After falling 4-1 to Mercyhurst in the championship game in 2007, the Warriors took Mercyhurst to overtime in 2008 falling 2-1, and fell by a wider margin of 6-1 in 2009. The 2008 title game saw Meghan Agosta score her 39th of the season and Samantha Poyton score her 38th. Ultimately it was Mercyhurt's senior captain, Stephanie Jones, who ended the game in overtime.
When The Program Was Cancelled
Citing the state of Michigan's reduced funding for higher education, Wayne State announced their women's hockey program would not return to the ice again on May 27, 2011.
“With all the successes we have enjoyed recently with championships, high academic achievement and graduation rates this action leaves an empty feeling and is a disappointment for our women’s hockey student-athletes, our alumni and the department,” said Wayne State Director of Athletics Rob Fournier at the time. “This last resort consequence only underscores the economic reality that confronts higher education in the State of Michigan today. In the end, the cost and expenditures of our most expensive operating program determined this difficult decision. Importantly however, the educational objectives of our women’s hockey student-athletes will be protected.”
For the players, the cancellation of the women's hockey program came as a surprise.
"That's probably one of the hardest things, to think that we played our last game and didn't even know it," said assistant captain Ciara Lee at the time. "It was the last time we worked out together, and had no idea. It was the last time we were as a team together, and you had no idea, and all that's taken away."
Captain Alyssa Baldin believed didn't believe her team deserved to be cut by Wayne State.
"As a team, we've done so many community service hours. We've totaled approximately 2,500 hours in the past two years. And our team GPA has increased and is now one of the highest of all the teams at Wayne State. So, to me, those aren't the qualities of a team that deserves to be cut," said Baldin.
The State Of Women's Hockey In Michigan Today
Fifteen years later, after Wayne State's women's hockey program was shuttered, there are still no NCAA Division 1 women's hockey programs in the state of Michigan. The University of Michigan is seemingly the only program facing public pressure to launch a program, and the only program undergoing feasibility studies and steps to examine adding a program.
Michigan is home to seven NCAA Division 1 men's hockey programs at Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, and Ferris State.
When Wayne State left Michigan, it left a void, one that today could have been a top producer in PWHL talent as Michigan continues to develop and produce elite professional players and national team members.
