Nothing that happens this weekend will show up on the MSU hockey team’s record, but the pair of exhibition games on the docket still are quite important as the Spartans prepare for the start of the regular season next week.
MSU officially opens its schedule today with the Green and White intrasquad scrimmage. On Saturday, the Spartans finally will face someone other than themselves as the Under-18 U.S. National Development Team visits Munn Ice Arena.
This weekend will be the first chance for new head coach Rick Comley to watch his players perform in a truly competitive setting. What he sees tonight and Saturday will be a major factor in deciding who plays when No. 7 MSU plays No. 2 Denver in the Maverick Stampede in Omaha, Neb., next week.
“We still aren’t sure who our fifth and sixth defensemen are going to be, and the fourth line is still very much up for grabs,” Comley said. “I’ll rotate some people in and out these two games to see where we’re at.”
Tonight’s game will have a slightly different format than in previous years. According to assistant coach Dave McAuliffe, the two teams will play a regular first period, followed by a special teams-laden second period in which the coaches will randomly put one team on a power play.
Comley also said there will be significant three-on-three and four-on-four play in the second so he can see players move in open ice.
After the second period, there will be a shootout with seven players from each team.
“It should be very exciting for the fans,” McAuliffe said. “It’s just something different, and it’ll give us some different looks at guys.”
But Saturday’s exhibition game is the one MSU is really anticipating. The U.S. team shocked the Spartans 6-4 in October 2000, and MSU has been waiting two years for a chance to rectify itself.
“Obviously, it’s going to be in the back of a few guys’ minds,” senior defenseman John-Michael Liles said. “But half the team wasn’t even here then.
“When you lose a game, you never really forget it, but I don’t think it’ll be the foremost thing on our minds.”
The U.S. team is 3-3 this season against junior teams, and is 1-0 versus college competition with a win over Drexel. The squad is comprised of some of the best players in the nation younger than 18 years of age.
Six current Spartans - Liles, senior forward Troy Ferguson, sophomore center Lee Falardeau, freshman forward David Booth and freshman defensemen Corey Potter and Evan Shaw - are graduates of the U.S. program.
Thirteen of the 24 members of this year’s Under-18 team already have verbally committed to Division I colleges. Although MSU hasn’t landed one yet, the Spartans will keep a close eye on forward Kevin Coughlin and defenseman Casey Borer on Saturday.
McAuliffe, one of MSU’s chief recruiters, said watching the U.S. team play against the Spartans is like seeing a sneak preview of what the recruits could do for MSU.
“You always wonder, when you watch a kid in juniors, how he’s going to make the jump,” McAuliffe said. “Hey, now you know.
“Because of their age, strength could be a factor against college competition, but most of these kids are so skilled that they can still accomplish what they want to on the ice.”
Shaw knows firsthand what the U.S. team is capable of.
“I was on the Under-17 team when the 18-year-olds beat Michigan State and it was just the highlight of their season,” Shaw said. “They’re going to be hyped up to play us because they only get to play a couple of college games a year and the rest of the time is just boring junior games.
“And it’s a tough situation for us because, if we win, we were supposed to win. But if we lose, we look like idiots.”
Injury update
Freshman forward Colton Fretter (mononucleosis) has not practiced this year and won’t play this weekend. But Booth, who missed more than a week of practice with a thigh injury, is expected to play.
Senior right wing Kris Koski injured his shoulder in practice Wednesday and his playing status is unclear.
Comley, who planned to cut one or two players before the season started, said he might leave the 26-man active roster intact if injuries continue to take their toll.
Ask Comley
Fans can submit questions to Comley this Wednesday in the first “Ask the Coach” session of the season through the American Hockey Coaches Association.
To submit a question, go to www.ahcahockey.com<
