ALBANY, N.Y. - A year ago at this time, Joe Markusen was sitting on the edge of his couch, cheering as North Dakota claimed its seventh national hockey championship.
A native of Grafton, N.D., a small town that adores the Fighting Sioux hockey team, he graduated from Park River High and naturally became a fan of the school down the road in Grand Forks, N.D.
Theres no professional league in North Dakota, so college hockey is pretty big, said Markusen, a 6-foot, 186-pound freshman defenseman. I used to watch (the Sioux) all the time when I was a little kid.
Now, a year and a strange twist of fate later, Markusen and his Spartan teammates are set to tangle with North Dakota in the Frozen Four, which starts at 1:35 p.m. today at the Pepsi Arena in Albany.
Markusen, 20, developed into a very steady - but not jaw-droppingly awesome - defenseman while playing for the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League after high school.
He readily admits he would have jumped at the chance to become a Fighting Sioux, but a scholarship offer never came from head coach Dean Blais.
Leaving high school, my first thought was to go to North Dakota, Markusen said. But when I went to juniors, I started looking elsewhere in case things didnt work out. At the time, I had never looked anywhere other than North Dakota.
Enter MSU head coach Ron Mason.
Mason and his assistants recognized Markusens talents in Lincoln and offered him a scholarship, which he gladly accepted.
Markusen fit our need and we were really happy to get him at that point after (former recruit) Joey Hopes grades went bad, Mason said.
A lot of times defensemen dont stand out and its hard to find them. Its easy to find the Lileses that are wheeling and dealing, Mason said of offensively gifted sophomore defenseman John-Michael Liles. But its hard to find the guys who just play the game and are smart with the puck.
And both parties seem thrilled with the way the signing worked out.
Hes been a very, very steady freshman defenseman, and Ive had some good ones in my day, said Mason, MSUs coach of 22 years. Hes done everything weve asked of him and blended in very well with our guys. Hes probably been a better defenseman than I thought hed be.
When recruiting Markusen, Mason knew he wasnt pursuing an offensive-minded defenseman who would post forward-like point totals.
In fact, Markusen has only notched one goal and three assists this season. But scoring is not one of the tasks the team asks him to complete.
More importantly, hes become the top-ranked Spartans vital fifth defenseman in his rookie season, complementing and resting MSUs four veteran blueliners.
Hes really progressed well, junior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson said. Hes getting more ice time, getting more shots and playing better, stronger defense. Hes been a great addition to our team.
Hes also been a key contributor in MSUs run to Albany, playing in all but one of MSUs games this season - and his absence was painfully evident in the one contest he missed.
With Markusen serving a one-game mandatory suspension for a questionable fighting penalty earlier in the week, MSU played with only four defensemen against archrival Michigan on Jan. 27.
The Wolverines wore down MSUs depleted defensive troop and skated away from Joe Louis Arena with a 4-3 overtime victory that snapped MSUs 23-game unbeaten streak.
It was also the only blemish on MSUs 4-1-0 record against U-M this season. But Markusen will surely be in the lineup today, and he plans to go back to North Dakota for at least a few weeks this summer.
But the question is, if Markusen helps MSU eliminate the Fighting Sioux from the NCAA Tournament today, will his friends and family welcome him back?
Itll be fine, Markusen laughed. Everyones cool about it back home. There are a lot of Sioux fans, but also a lot of people who are glad Im here.
Im sure therell be a lot of people who dont really know who to root for this weekend.