The Ron vs. Red era could fade into history this weekend as fifth-ranked MSU tangles with archrival No. 9 Michigan at 7:35 p.m. Saturday at Joe Louis Arena.
Longtime MSU head coach Ron Mason has guided the Spartans against the Wolverines for the last 23 years - the last 18 of which have pitted him against U-M head coach Red Berenson.
But Mason, who is 55-38-8 against the Wolverines with MSU, will leave coaching at the end of the season to become MSU athletics director. Considering Saturday’s contest is the last scheduled meeting between MSU and U-M this season, he could be saying farewell to the rivalry.
“I really don’t think about it,” Mason said. “If it was the very last game of the year and it was against Michigan, then maybe. But chances are, with the positions both of us are in right now, we very well could meet again” in the CCHA or NCAA tournaments.
But with the chance of it being Mason’s last game against U-M, he will be the subject of a short video tribute during a stoppage in the action, Detroit Red Wings spokeswoman Jennie Hagler said.
And Berenson said he doesn’t want Saturday to be the last matchup against his adversary.
“Nobody knows for sure, but it could be (the last time),” Berenson said. “I hope we meet again in the CCHA Tournament.”
Just looking at the schedule, the game Saturday appears to be one of MSU’s most important contests of the regular season. Not only have the teams been utterly deadlocked in head-to-head play this season, they also are tied atop the CCHA standings with just a couple weeks left to play.
So, Saturday’s game should have huge implications on the CCHA title race, right? Not quite.
The catch is there are no league points on the line this weekend.
MSU (20-6-5 overall, 15-5-4 CCHA) and U-M (18-8-5, 15-5-4) are in different scheduling clusters this season, meaning they only meet for two CCHA contests.
With two ties - a 3-3 draw in the season-opening Spartan Stadium spectacle known as “The Cold War,” and a 1-1 deadlock at Yost Ice Arena - already in the books, the rivalry has exhausted its league games for the year.
But the Spartans and Wolverines always treat their fans to at least one showdown on neutral ground in the Joe Louis, so Saturday will be a nonconference tussle. And the Spartans still perceive plenty being at stake - namely state supremacy and NCAA Tournament positioning.
“When we play them, I don’t think it matters whether there’s points there or not - it’s usually one of the best games of the year,” Mason said. “And to play Michigan in another game, hey, we’re trying to establish regional dominance here and it will be neat to kind of play the rubber match. Playing each other is good for both of us because you’re playing a top team.”
MSU comes into the game on a bit of a slide. The Spartans held a four-point CCHA lead over U-M just two weeks ago, but have gone 1-1-2 since then, while the Wolverines are on a five-game winning streak. Both teams have four league games remaining after this weekend - but MSU has three on the road and U-M has three home games.
“Since we let Michigan catch us last weekend, it just puts more pressure to win every game, get every point we can,” sophomore defenseman Joe Markusen said.
MSU, which was riddled by injuries last month, expects to be healthy. The Wolverines will have a big hole in the middle of their lineup, as star center Mike Cammalleri is expected to miss his eighth straight game while recovering from mononucleosis. He sat out on Jan. 19 at Yost after scoring twice against in “The Cold War.”
“You know, we’re playing Michigan. Obviously, we’re not playing just Mike Cammalleri,” junior forward Troy Ferguson said. “Whenever you play a team of that caliber, especially Michigan, there is just something about them and the rivalry that it turns into just such a team thing.
“It’s Michigan State against Michigan - not something like (junior goaltender) Ryan Miller against Mike Cammalleri.”
Ironically, Ferguson, who has played in all 31 of MSU’s games this season, might not even be part of the Spartan team that takes the ice Saturday. He has skated with the reserve line in this week’s practices, and it appears Mason is preparing redshirt-freshman right wing Steve Swistak to play against U-M.
