Columbus, Ohio - Paced by freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen's 4-point weekend, the MSU hockey team swept No. 11 Ohio State for four huge points in the CCHA standings.
"They dominated us the last four times we played them, and coming down here, playing in this atmosphere was real tough," junior captain Jim Slater said.
Slater scored two goals during Friday's 4-2 victory and was named the No. 1 star.
The next night, Thelen found the back of the net twice in a 3-0 shutout to supplement the two assists he had the night before. He was originally awarded an assist on junior forward Adam Nightingale's empty net goal in game two, but the lone assist was given to sophomore forward David Booth.
"A lot of the other weekends we'd come in Saturday and be too loose, but we emphasized on focusing on the game and not letting them get ahead," Thelen said.
The Savage, Minn., native now sits alone on top in scoring among defensemen in the conference with 22. He is third on the team in points.
"I love defense: playing guys one on one, taking it to the corners," Thelen said. "But making passes to get goals and getting goals is another good feeling."
Junior goaltender Mike Migliaccio shut the door on the Buckeyes (15-12-0 overall, 10-9-0 CCHA) with his sixth career shutout.
"I wasn't too up, and I wasn't too down," the Wyandotte native said. "I just wanted to prove to myself and (to) the coaching staff that I could play again. To put me in and have confidence in me means the world to me."
Migliaccio replaced freshman Dominic Vicari on Friday with a little more than a minute left in the second period after Vicari was helped off the ice with an injury.
"As you know, sports is all about opportunities, and he took advantage of it," MSU head coach Rick Comley said of Migliaccio.
Mike Betz hardly looked like the netminder who had broken Ohio State's record for shutouts with 11 the week before. After giving up three goals on 18 shots in game one, Betz was pulled in the third period for Dave Caruso.
The Spartans swept for the first time since the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 series against Ferris State and earned their first road sweep since Feb. 22-23, 2002, against Miami (Ohio), during the era of former head coach Ron Mason.
The victories mean the Spartans (15-12-1, 11-6-1) are only one point behind first place Miami (Ohio) in the conference but hold the third place spot.
Michigan, which swept Western Michigan, has fewer losses than MSU, giving the Wolverines the No. 2 spot. They also have two games in hand.
From Broadway to D.C.
In their first game without former Spartan forward Anson Carter, the New York Rangers gave up nine goals.
The former three-time All-American was traded Friday to the Washington Capitals for Jaromir Jagr. Jagr dressed in the loss to Ottawa.
Since joining the Rangers toward the end of last season, Carter has been struggling offensively. In 54 games, the Toronto native registered 22 points after 55 points in 68 games with Edmonton.
The 1995 Hobey Baker finalist scored 178 points at MSU during his 1992-96 tenure.
