Let the countdown to “The Cold War” officially begin.
The Spartans breezed through two exhibition games this weekend - a 1-0 Green and White intrasquad scrimmage Friday and a 14-1 rout of Queen’s University (Ontario) on Saturday - in their only tune-ups leading up to the season-opening contest against Michigan at 7:05 p.m. Saturday in Spartan Stadium.
Both exhibition games were held at Munn Ice Arena.
Sophomore center Tim Hearon, playing for the Green team, scored Friday’s only goal - a redirection over junior goaltender Ryan Miller’s shoulder - with 6:05 remaining. On the whole, the scrimmage was sluggish, but it gave the Spartans an opportunity to work on areas of concern in a game setting.
“There were a lot of good things and a lot of bad things, like any Green and White game,” senior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson said. “It was a good game, guys getting at each other, but we got to iron out all the details and stuff like that.
“It was a good effort and as the game went on, we started clicking together better.”
Saturday’s exhibition was a 180-degree transformation from Friday’s defensive gridlock, as the MSU offense exploded for 14 goals - the most by a Spartan team since a 14-1 win over Illinois-Chicago on Oct. 28, 1989.
Twelve different Spartans scored goals and 18, including Miller, recorded points as MSU improved to 12-0-1 against Canadian universities since 1983. Senior left wing Joe Goodenow led the charge with two goals and three assists and freshman forward Lee Falardeau added a pair of goals and an assist.
“As a team, we had a great game,” said Falardeau, who was a member of the U.S. Under-18 National Development team that upset the Spartans 6-4 in an exhibition last season. “We maintained our composure pretty good. We kept moving the puck and nobody got selfish during the game.”
MSU head coach Ron Mason said he was pleased with the Spartans’ performance Saturday but by no means was he satisfied.
“It was a fun game for us,” said Mason, who missed Friday’s scrimmage to attend his former son-in-law’s funeral. “A game like this can help, as long as we’re smart about it.
“Obviously, we have some things we have to do to get our team ready for next Saturday. We can’t get away with the things we got away with tonight. We made a lot of low-percentage plays tonight that looked like high-percentage plays. (Those) get gobbled up against a team that can really play.”
Mason also said the Spartans’ ice balance was “a far cry from where it needed to be” at times Saturday.
Goodenow also rattled off a list of improvements the Spartans still need to make.
“Coverage in front of our own net, coverage on point shots by the other team, face-off assignments in our own end - things I just noticed overall,” Goodenow ticked off. “Basically team things that wouldn’t show up tonight, but would show up against Michigan.”
Ah, the M-word. MSU can finally officially turn its attention to the big game - now less than a week away.
“Everyone’s kind of got their mind into it and they’re ready for the game,” Hutchinson said. “Regardless of how much we’ve practiced or not, everyone’s going to be jacked up and ready to go.”
Injury note: Freshman center Jim Slater missed both contests with a groin injury sustained during practice last week. His status for “The Cold War” has yet to be determined.
