[box score] The Wayne State University men's hockey team rallied for a 3-2 win over Bemidji State in the 2003 College Hockey America championship game at the Tri-City Arena in Kearney, Nebraska.

The Warriors receive the CHA's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The pairings for the NCAA tournament will be announced on March 23 at 5:30 pm on ESPN. The Beavers struck first 6:29 into the game as Myles Kuharski tallied his ninth of the season.

WSU rallied as Jon Brink (Portage, Mich./West Michigan Warriors) lit the lamp at the 8:41 mark. Brink's seventh of the campaign was assisted by Nathan Rosychuk (Athabasca, Alb./Grande Prairie Storm).

BSU regained a one-goal with 8:43 remaining in the first period on a power-play goal by Jeff McGill. Both teams had five shots on goal in the opening stanza.

The lone goal of the middle period came off the stick of Warrior blueliner Marc St. Jean (Orleans, Ont./Hawkesbury Hawks) at the 11:05 mark during a Wayne State man-advantage. St. Jean's eighth of the season, and third in the last two games, was assisted by Steve Kovalchik (Riverview, Mich./Omaha Lancers).

Just 4:44 later senior forward Maxim Starchenko (Kharkov, Ukraine/Powell River Kings) was the recipient of hard work behind from linemates Chris Vail (Nashua, N.H./Vernon Vipers) and Jack Redwood (Trenton, Mich./Compuware Ambassadors). Starchenko's 11th of the year was assisted by Vail and was Starchenko's first game-winning goal of the season.

The game was a defensive struggle as both teams were playing their third game in three days. Wayne State senior goaltender David Guerrera (St. Leonard, Que./Estevan Bruins) finished with 16 saves, while Beaver netminder Grady Hunt turned aside 12 WSU shots.

Bemidji had 13:40 of power play time and scored once in eight opportunities. The Warriors had 10:24 of power play time and scored once in six chances.

NOTES
Wayne State has now won the CHA tournament the last three seasons and becomes the first college hockey team to win three consecutive league tournaments since Lake Superior won back-to-back-to-back Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoff championships in 1991-92-93.

The Warriors now have a season-best seven-game winning streak along with a 15-1 mark in March in the four-year history of the program. WSU has won its last 15 games in March since a 5-3 loss at St. Lawrence on March 3, 2000.

In the four-year history of the CHA, the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament won the playoff title in 2000 (Niagara) and 2002 (Wayne State), while the No. 3 seed won in 2001 (Wayne State) and 2003 (Wayne State).

WSU heads into the NCAA tournament with a 17-1-0 record this season when leading after two periods. The Warriors are 13-7 this year in games decided by two goals or less.

The 2003 CHA All-Tournament Team consisted of Wayne State forwards Jason Durbin and Dustin Kingston, Bemidji State forward Andrew Murray, Niagara forward Barret Ehgoetz, BSU defenseman Bryce Methven and WSU goalie David Guerrera. Warrior defenseman Marc St. Jean was the tournament Most Valuable Player as well as an all-tournament blueliner.