The CCHA named freshman defenseman Duncan Keith the league’s Rookie of the Week for his two-assist effort against Ferris State on Saturday.
Keith, from Penticton, British Columbia, is tied for the team lead with six points this season. He scored his first collegiate goal in “The Cold War” on Oct. 6 and has four assists in MSU’s last two games.
“It’s a good honor,” Keith said. “I was pretty happy about it, I know I put a lot of hard work in over the week.”
But Keith said he expects things to get tougher for him and his teammates as MSU (3-0-1 overall, 3-0-1 CCHA) travels to Nebraska-Omaha (3-1-0, 0-0-0) for its first road series of the season Friday and Saturday.
“We had a good game for the team (against Ferris), but I know we have two hard games this weekend,” Keith said. “Last week is all over and we have to look forward to this week now.”
On top userdefined
The Spartans remain atop both of this week’s national polls.
MSU snatched 32 first-place votes and 591 points in the USCHO.com poll, putting them comfortably ahead of No. 2 Minnesota’s seven votes and 555 points.
No. 3 St. Cloud State (4-0-0) took the final first-place vote and finished with 515 points. North Dakota (3-2-0) and Colorado College (2-2-0) are ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
In the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll, MSU garnered 15 first-place votes and 277 points. The Golden Gophers (3-0-0) are second with four votes and 271 points.
St. Cloud, North Dakota and Denver (2-0-0) round out the top five.
Michigan (2-2-1, 1-1-1), which split its weekend series against Western Michigan, fell to No. 6 in the USCHO poll and a tie for No. 7 in the USA Today ranking.
Other CCHA teams also caught the pollsters’ eyes, led by Nebraska-Omaha at No. 12 in both polls.
Northern Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks also received votes in both polls and Western, Ohio State and Ferris garnered votes in the USCHO.
Postin’ a 4-0
Of junior goaltender Ryan Miller’s 50 career victories, an amazing 40 percent have been shutouts.
“I had no clue,” Miller said after Saturday’s 23-save whitewash of Ferris gave him his 20th career shutout. “You guys get me with a new one every time. I think it’s pretty cool, but it’s not something that I shoot for every night. I’m just shooting for a win.”
Miller, who owns a 50-10-8 career record, became the all-time NCAA shutouts leader last season with his 17th blanking on Feb. 10.
Pointless statistic
Three Spartans have dressed for all four games this season and not registered a point - sophomore center Tim Hearon, senior defenseman Jon Insana and sophomore defenseman Joe Markusen.
Injury report
Junior right wing Troy Ferguson practiced under the protection of a “no-checking” red cross on his jersey Monday and Tuesday.
MSU head coach Ron Mason said Ferguson suffered a hip pointer after a check in the first period Saturday. Ferguson had to be helped off the ice but returned later in the period and finished the game.
Mason said Ferguson “should be” in the line-up this weekend.
