At one point this season, the MSU hockey team was riding high on a six-game unbeaten streak. Now, they're struggling to win games and desperately searching for points.
But time is running out. Instead of looking down at teams in the CCHA standings, the Spartans are almost unnoticeable in the middle of the pack.
MSU head coach Rick Comley said he is thankful his players are traveling to Ohio for two consecutive weeks, leaving the distractions of home behind. MSU plays seven of its last 14 games on the road.
The Falcons are last in the CCHA - the Spartans are fourth - but six of Bowling Green's 11 losses were decided by two goals or less. Bowling Green brings in a record of six ties as well.
Comley said this weekend's opponent is better than what its record suggests. He noted MSU's record at BGSU Arena (19-15) and reveled at Bowling Green's goaltending, an aspect he said matters most besides scoring.
"They're in last place, but how much of a difference is there? They look like a better team than they are," Comley said.
The Spartans head to BGSU Arena carrying a 12-11-1 record.
Comley said the team's lack of physical players contributes to its struggles.
"It's not that they don't want to do well, it's just we have a lot of players that aren't real physical," he said. "Two things excite a crowd: hits and scoring. And when you're not as physical as we are, you have to score - and scoring's the hardest thing to do."
Cheap talk
Sophomore forward Colton Fretter is fed up with the talking going on in the locker room, especially after the Spartans split wins against UMass-Lowell this past weekend.
The hockey team has not swept a series since Oct. 31 against Ferris State.
"Everyone talks a lot in the dressing room and you think these guys are going to come out flying, but sometimes people talk and don't do what they say," Fretter said after Saturday's loss. "I'm not saying everyone, I do the same thing. You can only talk a good game, but it's a lot different once you get out there."
The coach can only do so much, Fretter said.
"We need some players to step up on the bench and mean people out," the Harrow, Ontario0, native said. "We have 25 cheerleaders on our team going, 'Let's go boys,' but we don't have anyone who picks it up, yelling at each other. That's what we need the most."
High class
The National Hockey League released its Central Scouting Report yesterday, which ranks players that are eligible for the Entry Draft in June.
MSU freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen and sophomore forward David Booth are the 16th and 24th projected overall draft picks, respectively. The report includes five CCHA players to be picked up in the first three rounds, with Thelen ranked the highest.
Thelen has the fourth-leading point total for the Spartans, with six goals and 12 assists in 23 games. The Savage, Minn., native was this week's Spartan Player of the Week after recording two points in last weekend's split over UMass-Lowell.
Booth, fresh off earning a gold medal for the U.S. at the World Junior Championships, has seven points in 12 games. The Washington, Mich., native missed eight games with a knee injury earlier in the season.
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft is June 25-27 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.
