Seven of the Spartan hockey team’s eight freshmen are on campus, going to class, skating at Munn Ice Arena and generally getting acclimated to college life.

The only rookie missing is Nenad Gajic, a skilled forward from Burnaby, British Columbia, who is still with his club lacrosse team that’s fighting for the Canadian junior national championship.

Gajic, who is also a forward in lacrosse, is pursuing the Minto Cup with the rest of his Burnaby Lakers teammates. The Lakers are up 3-1 over St. Catharines (Ontario) in the best-of-seven series. Game five is tonight in Burnaby.

In 23 games this season with the Lakers, Gajic had 35 goals and 44 assists, which ranked him fourth on the team with 79 points. He also led the team with 81 penalty minutes. So far against St. Catharines, Gajic has one goal and four assists in four games.

“I’m a fairly good lacrosse player, but I don’t want to pump my own tires, you know?” Gajic said. “I definitely like hockey a lot more, but it’s just two completely different things I play.”

If the Minto Cup series goes the full seven games it will end Saturday. Gajic will then come straight to MSU to catch up on classes and hockey. He said he doesn’t know how far behind he will be considering he’s never been to college before.

“My brother said it won’t be anything I can’t handle with a little catch-up reading,” Gajic said, referring to his brother, Milan Gajic, who plays hockey for Michigan and is also on the Lakers lacrosse team. “I’m excited to get to campus and get things settled, but while I’m here, I’m just trying to enjoy it and spend a little time with my family.”

The style of lacrosse in the Minto Cup is called “box lacrosse,” which is a lot different than the “field” lacrosse most Americans are familiar with. Box lacrosse is played in a hockey-rink sized indoor arena and is 5-on-5 with a goalie on each team. Gajic is an offensive player, so when the Lakers lose possession of the ball, he has to sprint off the field to allow a defensive player to enter.

Gajic said lacrosse and hockey skills only cross at the most basic physical levels.

“Lacrosse sharpens your hand-eye coordination and it keeps you in really good shape, but the basic motor skills of the two sports are completely different,” Gajic said. MSU assistant coach Tom Newton said he wishes Gajic was on campus with the rest of the team, but the experience of chasing a national championship is also beneficial.

“Just the experience of winning a national championship is something you can’t underestimate,” Newton said. “Of course, it’s at a different level and in a different sport, but to go after an ultimate prize like that is an experience that can only help him when he gets here.”

Walk-on, Walks off

Goaltender Ryan Miller wasn’t the only hometown boy to leave the MSU hockey team during the off-season. Seldom-used defenseman Aaron Hundt, a Lansing native, decided to transfer to Wayne State.

Hundt, a walk-on who would have been a junior this season, played in 11 games during his two-year MSU career, scoring one goal. His lone tally came in a 5-1 win at Notre Dame on Oct. 26, 2000.

“I loved playing here,” said Hundt, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound graduate of Lansing’s Eastern High School. “Nothing against Michigan State, but I had to do this to better my situation. I kind of want to play and it’s tough being a local kid sitting in the stands.

“Things just looked better for me at Wayne State.”

Under NCAA transfer rules, Hundt has to sit out this season and will have two years of eligibility left with the Warriors.

“It won’t be too bad to sit out a year, I’m used to it,” Hundt mused.

Offensive

Asked Tuesday to describe freshman goaltender Justin Tobe’s strengths, coach Newton started down the list - athleticism, quickness, skating.

Then he got to an interesting one - stick-handling.

“He scored a goal last year,” Newton said. “He had a goal and six assists or five assists (five). I think we have a couple of defensemen coming in that didn’t have that many.”

Newton’s comment was tongue-in-cheek, however, considering freshman Evan Shaw was the team’s lowest-scoring defensive recruit with 10 points last year. Shaw had three goals and seven assists while playing for the Under-18 U.S. National Development Team.

‘Rudy’ on ice

The Spartan team is welcoming walk-ons this season. Those interested in trying out for the team should go to an informational meeting at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in the Arena Club seating area at Munn.

The actual on-ice tryout will be 6-7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Munn.

For more information, call (517)355-1639.