While MSU hockey (3-6 overall ) certainly had its highlights throughout the 2013-14 season, there weren’t many that came against Ohio State.mr The Spartans went 0-2-3 against the Buckeyes last season, including a 2-1 loss in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals. With two games against OSU (3-6-1 overall) set for this weekend, MSU will be looking to get even with the Buckeyes and get ahead in the Big Ten standings.
Being the Spartans’ first Big Ten game of the season, head coach Tom Anastos feels he has a good gauge on how his team is playing at the moment. With nine non-conference games already in the books, MSU has seen its share of quality opponents. While the results might not be there, Anastos said he is pleased with MSU’s overall play.
“I like our group,” Anastos said. “I want our group to find some success, and I think that’s coming. But in that (Boston College) game, what was disappointing to me is the way we gave up goals. We found a way to lose.”
While finding ways to lose a game is all too familiar for Metro Detroit sports fans, the Spartans don’t want to get caught on the wrong side of that trend. Since the beginning of last year, the Spartans have lost 12 one-goal games, including five this year alone.
“I think this tough schedule has prepared us for what’s yet to come,” Anastos said. “There’s lots of opportunity in the conference this season. ... But I think this has helped us get better. We just haven’t got the results yet, and that’s the key: we’ve got to figure out how to get over the hump to get the results.”
In the preseason Big Ten poll, OSU and MSU were picked to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference. With many experts picking Minnesota as the clear-cut favorite, the bottom five teams will be left to fight amongst themselves for respect and standings. The Buckeyes will provide the first test — a scrappy team who found timely scoring against the Spartans last season.
“In every game we played against them, it was a very tight game,” Anastos said. “We match up well with them, they match up well with us. They have home-ice advantage, But I think this is a good opportunity for us to go open the season on the road against this opponent.”
Of the five games against OSU, four went to overtime and three went to a shootout. Furthermore, MSU’s current seven game winless streak against the Buckeyes is the longest of the series between the two schools dating back to 1957. OSU still has some work to do to tie the series up though, as MSU is 84-30-11 against the Buckeyes.
None of these Spartans are thinking about those numbers. Their main focus is beating the team that ended their season just a year ago.
“It sticks with you for a while through the summer,” junior forward and captain Michael Ferrantino said. “You keep thinking about it, but it’s a new year and definitely didn’t forget and definitely looking for something when we go down there this week.”
