Despite a 4-3-0 record in its last seven games, the MSU hockey team is the top-ranked squad in the land for the 15th straight week.
The Spartans (25-4-4 overall, 18-4-3 CCHA) garnered 32 of 40 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll and 15 of 18 in this week’s USA Today rankings.
MSU has held the top spot in the USCHO.com poll since Nov. 13 and in the USA Today poll since Nov. 27.
“We’re right where we want to be,” sophomore defenseman John-Michael Liles said. “We’re in first place and we’re ranked number one in the country. I don’t think you could ask for anything more right now.”
Boston College (23-8-1) is still No. 2, snagging two first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll, followed by North Dakota (21-5-8) in third place. The Fighting Sioux have four first-place votes in the online poll and two in the USA Today.
Minnesota (24-7-2) joined the top 5 in fourth place this week, taking a first-place vote in both polls. Michigan (21-9-5, 15-7-3) held steady at No. 5 after losing to the Spartans on Saturday.
Other CCHA teams listed this week are Western Michigan (17-9-6, 10-8-6) at No. 12 in the USCHO.com and No. 13 in USA Today, and Nebraska-Omaha (18-13-3, 13-10-3) at No. 15 in both rankings.
Miami and Northern Michigan received votes in both polls, and MSU’s competition this weekend, Ohio State, received votes in the USCHO.com poll.
Charity total
Putting their talents to good work for the Lansing community, the Spartans raised about $5,000 at their 25th annual charity broomball game, said Kevin Gray, a development manager with the Sparrow Foundation.
Some of the money will help fund a new pediatric emergency room at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, and the rest will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network.
Gray said checks are still trickling in, which could add to the total.
The charity event was held the same night as the MSU versus U-M basketball game in Ann Arbor, probably resulting in lower-than-expected attendance.
“That was poor planning, by me probably,” head coach Ron Mason said. “But (the total) is pretty darn good for the first year Sparrow’s taken it over and it’s still a pretty good bump for the Children’s Miracle Network.”
The team skated to a 3-3 tie with the Legal Eagles, a men’s league team comprised of area lawyers, on Jan. 30.
Fourth line gettin’ some ice time
Sophomore left wing Steve Clark, freshman center Tim Hearon and sophomore right wing Steve Jackson have jelled as MSU’s fourth line, giving Mason a solid lineup heading into the playoffs.
After only getting a few shifts a game through most of December and January, the fourth line has logged a lot more time and become a valuable weapon for the Spartans this month.
“It’s getting late in the season and the first three lines are getting kind of tired, so we’re relieving a bit of the pressure,” Clark said. “The extra time on the ice is showing - our line is having quality shifts.
“(The fourth line) kind of pumps up the other lines a little bit and gets the tempo up.”
