Brad Fast and John-Michael Liles get more ice than Jay-Z's girlfriend.
The multitalented senior defensemen have been MSU's main workhorses this year, logging far more minutes than any other Spartan not wearing goalie pads.
Fast and Liles are MSU's top defensive pairing in that they play most of the important 5-on-5 shifts every game. Factor in special teams and their minutes leap above those of everyone else.
They are on MSU head coach Rick Comley's No. 1 power-play unit, and they also kill off nearly every penalty whistled on a Spartan. Whenever possible, Comley keeps them on the ice for the entire two-minute man disadvantage.
In short, "They play as much as they can," Comley said.
MSU statisticians don't keep track of ice minutes, but Fast and Liles probably play around 30 minutes of the 60-minute game. By comparison, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom gets the most time of any NHL player, averaging 29 minutes and 41 seconds a game.
"It's a lot," Fast said. "Some nights feel worse than others. Nights when you're hemmed up in your own zone, those are long. But the way we've been playing lately, it's made it a lot easier on us.
"What we're learning this season
