A hometown boy hurt the MSU hockey team the most this past weekend.
Forward Marty Guerin collected three points for No. 11 Miami (Ohio) in its 3-1, 2-1 sweep of No. 14 MSU.
In front of friends and family, the Lansing native not only scored an empty-net goal Saturday in the final minute of the game, the freshman also recorded the game-tying goal and assisted on the game-winner by forward Matt Christie on Friday night.
"Especially at this point in the season, every single point is huge," Guerin said. "It's just another game, just another win."
Guerin has been having quite a season with the RedHawks. Along with fellow freshman Christie and Hobey Baker candidate Derek Edwardson, the trio serves as the top unit for Miami.
Friday, the line combined for five points. No other Miami player recorded a point.
"Those two (freshmen) are dynamite," Miami goaltender Brandon Crawford-West said. "They're going to lead our team for the next four years, if they don't go pro."
Crawford-West was close to dynamite himself, setting aside 61 MSU shots in the two-game series. He credited his defense for continuously bailing him out by covering a Spartan player when he gave up big rebounds, a key reason why MSU lost.
"They cover my butt all the time. They've made life really easy on me," Crawford-West said.
MSU head coach Rick Comley said he couldn't have asked for better effort out of his players against Miami - the bounces just didn't go in the Spartans' favor.
"The kids worked hard all weekend, just nothing to show for it," he said. "It takes so much energy to fight from behind, that's why this game is so much easier if you win."
Junior forward Adam Nightingale put the Spartans up early, 1-0, in game one. But two goals in the third period by Guerin and Christie earned Miami the win.
The next night, junior forward Mike Lalonde tied the game for MSU, which Comley described as "almost miraculous," but Miami regained its lead with a goal by Andy Nelson.
"We only had two goals over the weekend, which is kind of embarrassing," sophomore forward David Booth said. "You can't have two goals over the whole weekend and expect to win."
Dominic Vicari returned in net for the Spartans after suffering a leg injury two weekends ago. Although he was solid Friday despite the loss, Comley admitted he thought about not starting the freshman goaltender for the next day's game.
"Vicari struggled like crazy, but I thought he fought through. He stayed in it," Comley said. "He's had trouble winning back-to-back."
With the sweep, the RedHawks retain their first-place position in the CCHA. Miami now has a five-point advantage over MSU and is one ahead of Michigan. MSU is tied for third with Alaska-Fairbanks, its opponent in two weeks.
Booth was a bit bitter after his team's losses because, according to him, Miami isn't a first-place type of team.
"I don't see how they're in first place," he said. "Michigan's better than them - once we get going we can beat them. But it'll come up in the end, when March comes up, how good everybody is."
It is that kind of mentality Miami has been dealing with all season long - no one expected them to succeed and everyone's waiting for them to fall.
"I know everybody's waiting for us to fold," Miami head coach Enrico Blasi said. "They've been waiting for us to fold all year, and we just keep doing what we do."
Christie said critics can say whatever they want because it only adds extra motivation for him and his teammates from the Buckeye State.
"We pick up the paper, and we see that we're not supposed to win. We thrive off that," he said. "Our whole team is scrappers. Everybody in there wants to play for each other."
