Women's hockey shatters attendance record
Feb. 4, 2002
KALAMAZOO -- The women's club hockey team at WMU drew a record crowd of 1,810 fans to Lawson Ice Arena on Friday, Feb. 1, in a 2-0 loss to Michigan State.
Friday night's attendance for the Mustangs shattered the Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association's previous single-game record of 1,200, set by the University of Michigan.
Helping put the Mustangs over the top for the new attendance record were an estimated 600 Girl Scouts and another 200 parents and Scout leaders, who attended "Be a Hockey Fan Night," sponsored by Girls Scouts of Glowing Embers Council. The Girl Scout program was part of this year's celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The Mustangs failed to capitalize on the enthusiasm of the record crowd. Michigan State scored on goals in the first and third periods for the 2-0 victory. Mustang goaltender Rhonda Sheahan stopped 26 of 28 Spartan shots. The Mustangs managed only 14 shots on goal, despite some excellent scoring opportunities, including a five-on-three power play in the second period.
Western Michigan also dropped a 3-2 decision to the visiting Spartans on Saturday, Feb. 2, giving Michigan State a 3-1 advantage in the 2001-02 season series.
The Mustangs host Northern Michigan for a pair of CCWHA matches Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8 and 9, at Lawson Arena. Both matches are set to start at 10:30 p.m., following the Bronco men's varsity contests those nights, also versus Northern Michigan.
All women's hockey matches are free and open to the public.
Media contact: Thom Myers, 269 387-8400, thomas.myers@wmich.edu