The unknowns of christening a new hockey venue are now in MSU’s rearview mirror, but the Spartans still don’t know exactly what to expect in their next series.
After tying Michigan 3-3 in “The Cold War” at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, top-ranked MSU (0-0-1 overall, 0-0-1 CCHA) returns to Munn Ice Arena for a two-game set with Lake Superior State today and Friday. Both games start at 7:05 p.m.
Though the Spartans and Lakers met four times last season (MSU swept the series 4-0), Spartan head coach Ron Mason doesn’t know what effect the return of Lake Superior head coach Frank Anzalone will have on the boys from Sault Ste. Marie.
Anzalone first took over as the Lakers’ coach midway through the 1982-83 season and coached them to the 1988 national championship. Lake Superior didn’t renew his contract after the 1989-90 season, but he was rehired in April after the school fired Scott Borek.
“To be honest, I don’t know how they’re going to play,” said Mason, who started his coaching career at Lake Superior 36 years ago. “(Anzalone) plays a really disciplined style of game, and he always gets a lot out of his players.”
The MSU players don’t seem any more clued in about the Lakers than Mason.
“I don’t know what to expect,” junior right wing Steve Jackson said. “Their other coach last year definitely liked the physical game, and they’ll probably stick with that. I don’t know really what to expect offensively but, other than that, I don’t know much.
“They’re kind of a hit-and-grind team, sort of like we are - they just seem to hit a lot more.”
The Lakers won their first preseason game 5-2 over Lakehead University and then tied the Under-18 U.S. National Development team 3-3 in their second exhibition match-up.
But Lake Superior was ravaged by injuries last season. Still, the Lakers surprised many people by sinking to the bottom of the CCHA and missing the league’s playoffs for the first time in 18 years.
MSU junior goaltender Ryan Miller had a lot to do with MSU’s dominance over the Lakers last year, only allowing one goal in four starts against them. Miller has shut out the Lakers four times in his career - the most he’s recorded against any other school.
“As a team, we were able to shut them down last year,” Miller said. “This year is a different story, and we’ll have to see how it plays out. I think if we put together two good defensive games, we’ll come out of here with two wins.”
One positive that came from Lake Superior’s injury-plagued 2000-2001 season is that the young Lakers got plenty of playing experience.
Anzalone has a deep corps of seasoned forwards and defensemen, led by forwards Aaron Davis, Jeremy Bachusz, and brothers Adam and Jason Nightingale.
In goal, Scott Murray and Terry Denike will battle for the starting nod.
But the Lakers might not be MSU’s toughest foe this week. The Spartans have to guard against a possible letdown after the mega hype surrounding “The Cold War.”
“A lot of people are expecting that,” ,junior left wing Steve Clark said. “But I think the chemistry on this team is so good, and we’re so hard working that I don’t think that can happen to us,” “There’s always the chance that could happen, I guess, but (the coaches) are going to do everything they can to keep us focused.”
