MSU, Ohio State desperate to win weekend series

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As Tom Anastos looks ahead to the series with No. 10 Ohio State, he recognizes a lot of similarities with his own team.

Both the MSU hockey team and the Buckeyes had strong openings to their respective seasons, and both saw a considerable rise in their spot in the USCHO rankings. In the second half of the season, both have had trouble picking up wins to maintain the early season momentum and are in a dog fight to the finish in the CCHA.

Of the similarities that link the two squads at this point in the season, Anastos said one brings them together more than all others — desperation.

“Obviously (OSU) had a real good first half, and they’re going though a bit of a lull, not winning in eight games,” Anastos said. “They’re going to be very hungry and desperate to win, and we have plenty of desperation if we want to make any kind of move in the standings.”

The cluster in the conference standings continues late in the season, as nine teams are separated by a margin of nine points or less.

Despite the recent drag, the Buckeyes are in a three-way tie for second place in the CCHA standings with Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio). As it stands, the Spartans are in eighth place in the conference with 29 points, trailing first place Ferris State by eight points.

Earlier in the season, MSU picked up tallies from junior defenseman Torey Krug, junior forward Anthony Hayes and senior forward Trevor Nill to beat the Buckeyes 3-0 in the season’s home opener before dropping the second game 5-2 to split the October series at Munn Ice Arena.

With last weekend’s sweep at the hands of Ferris State still fresh in their minds and six points up for grabs, the Spartans have an opportunity to make a leap in the CCHA standings this weekend against a hungry conference opponent.

“It’s always a hard-fought battle with (OSU),” junior forward Dean Chelios said. “Both of our teams, I feel like, are a little bit similar. We like to attack and have a good offense. I don’t know why (the teams always split), but that’s the way it is.”
 
It’s the size that matters
A week after playing in the CCHA’s smallest venue, MSU will flip the script in the conference’s largest arena this weekend against the Buckeyes.

The differences in atmosphere are palpable between Ferris State’s 2,493-seat Ewigleben Ice Arena and OSU’s massive 17,500-seat Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.

Although both arenas feature the same 200-by-85 sheet of ice, Chelios said the team is excited to compete in an arena that rivals an NHL venue.

“Ohio State is a lot of fun to go to. The crowd usually gets pretty into it, and it’s a big rink,” Chelios said. “It’s kind of an NHL atmosphere. Obviously not as many people, but the rink is nice, and it will be a good trip.”

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