The MSU Hockey team, coming off its first series sweep of the year against Western Michigan, will play home-and-home contests with last season's CCHA champion Ferris State (2-4-0 overall, 1-3-0 CCHA) this weekend.
Playing at home Friday, the Spartans' game will be televised on the College Sports Television Network at 8:05 p.m.
Golden boy
Junior forward Ash Goldie dictated the Spartans' success this past weekend.
Goldie registered his first goal of the year in the Spartans' 4-2 win over the Broncos on Friday. He also was credited with an assist on freshman defenseman A. J. Thelen's game-tying goal, following that feat with a game-winning, power-play goal in the 14th minute of the third period.
On Saturday, Goldie again launched MSU (3-3-0, 2-2-0) into the winners' column with a second-period, game-winning goal in the 10th minute, giving the Spartans a 4-1 cushion heading into the third.
Getting help
Wanting to get more players involved in the offense has been a regular request for coach Rick Comley this season.
This weekend, Comley was preaching to the choir; six different Spartans registered goals in two games against Western Michigan. The goal-scorers were junior forwards Mike Lalonde (3), Goldie (2), Brock Radunske, sophomore forward David Booth, freshman forward Tommy Goebel and Thelen. Goldie, Booth and Radunske all notched their first goals of the season.
Going for gold
Sophomore defenseman Corey Potter is one of 16 players named by USA Hockey to the preliminary roster for the 2004 United States Hockey Junior Team on Monday.
If Potter, a Mason native, makes the final 22-man roster on Dec. 22, he will compete at the 2004 International Hockey Federation World Junior Championship - a 10-nation competition with the world's best players younger than 20 years old - over winter break in Helsinki and Hameelinna, Finland.
In six games this season, Potter has had one assist. It came in MSU's season opener against Findlay.
Powerful play
The Spartans' power play was clicking at a 50-percent clip in their two games against Western Michigan. MSU scored on a season-best four of seven power plays in Saturday's 7-3 win.
The power-play accuracy was the best since the Spartans went four-for-four at Northern Michigan in October of 2002.
The Spartans' power play ranks second in the CCHA and fourth in the country at 29.4 percent.
