[media-credit name=’Ben Smidt’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team will attempt to start their season off on the right foot tonight when they welcome Wayne State (Detroit, Mich.) to the Kohl Center for the first half of a Friday-Saturday series.

The meeting tonight will be only the second between the two squads and the first game of the season for both. Wisconsin was the first home opponent ever for the Warriors, who are in their fifth year of existence. The Badgers shut out the Warriors 5-0 Oct. 23, 1999 in Detroit.

However, the Wayne State team Wisconsin will go up against this year will be much improved from the squad UW took on in ’99.

The Warriors are coming off their best season, much like the Badgers. Wayne State set a school record with 15 wins and is predicted to finish third in the four-team College Hockey America conference according to a preseason coaches poll.

The Warriors also set team records for goals, assists, points, power-play goals, fewest goals allowed and fewest losses last season, and are definitely a school on the rise.

“The staff is excited about the upcoming season as it is our first recruiting class at Wayne State,” head coach Jim Fetter said. “We are looking to our returning players to step up and lead the way. We hope our incoming players make the adjustment quickly to the college game.”

The Wayne State defense lost two major contributors last season, but brings back four letter-winners. The team also features three newcomers, including junior defensemen Sarah Campbell, who is expected to jump right in and lead the Wayne State defense alongside senior Krissy Langley.

Offensively, Wayne State returns three of their top four scorers from a year ago, including the school’s all-time leading scorer, senior Kelly Zamora, who has tallied 60 points in her career. Zamora will team up with junior Emily McGrath-Agg, who led the Warriors with 15 goals last year.

The Warriors will also benefit from the addition of sophomore Laura Monk, who transferred from CHA rival Findlay after making the CHA All-Rookie team a year ago, when she scored 33 points, including 13 goals.

Between the pipes, Wayne State has a brewing position battle after the graduation of last year’s starter Anna VanderMarliere. Senior goaltender Tina Thibideau, last season’s top reserve, and freshman Val Turcotte will compete for playing time. UW will likely see both goaltenders during the course of the weekend series.

“Tina (Thibideau) comes back with three years of experience,” Fetter said. “She played well down the stretch and will be pushed for the starting spot by freshman Val Turcotte, who brings size and experience to the crease.”

Since Wisconsin has not faced Wayne State in the Mark Johnson era, the Badgers don’t know exactly what to expect from the CHA opponent.

“I haven’t seen them,” UW head coach Mark Johnson said. “I know they have a good coach (Jim Fetter), who they brought over from Mercyhurst. In his first year he brings them to .500 and they have their best record ever. They bring a lot of players back from last year’s team, so I anticipate them being very competitive.”

Although Wayne State should not be taken lightly, Wisconsin looks to be the overwhelming favorite in this series. The Badgers hold a decisive advantage in the defensive and goaltending phases of the game, even with senior captain Carla MacLeod in Kitchener, Ontario, trying out for the Canadian National Team in the hope of competing in this year’s world championships and next year’s Olympics.

The Badger offense on paper looks to matchup fairly evenly with the Warriors, but UW players played a much more difficult schedule than Wayne State last season. For his part, Johnson hopes to see his team shake off the rust that can accumulate from a seven month lay-off.

“I would like to see them compete and compete for 60 minutes,” Johnson said. “A big challenge is to play out an entire game when it is your first game, especially with no exhibition games and we’ve only had intrasquad games. So, to get them to compete for 60 minutes will be what I’m looking for. If we do that, we’ll be alright.”