The MSU hockey team's hopes of dressing its current full roster for the next series against Michigan vanished after this past weekend.
Freshman forward Drew Miller and junior forward Kevin Estrada are ineligible to compete in game one of the U-M series at 8:05 p.m. March 5 at Munn Ice Arena.
After junior forward Lee Falardeau scored MSU's fifth goal Saturday in the third period, Nebraska-Omaha defenseman Bobby Henderson punched Miller from behind and the two got into a scuffle.
Estrada then was involved in a scrummage with Mavericks forward Dan Hacker.
Henderson, Miller, Estrada and Hacker were called for fighting, which turned to game disqualifications.
The rest of the Spartans are defending the actions of their teammates.
"You can't be disappointed in our guys, doing what they did," sophomore forward Colton Fretter said. "Kevin came in right away and helped out - that's why he got kicked out. When your adrenaline is going like that, you can't be disappointed in guys contributing like that.
"Obviously, it's a big loss for us against Michigan."
Junior captain Jim Slater said this situation is just something the team has to get through.
"You're passionate - you want to stick up for your teammates, stick up for yourself," Slater said. "(Miller and Estrada are) a big part of our team, and we're going to miss them against Michigan, but they did a good job sticking up for their teammates.
"We're going to need anybody we can get. (Michigan's) a great team - it's going to be a battle in the next two weeks. It's another bump in the road, and we gotta get through it."
Tri-factor
Tommy Goebel, Jim Slater and Dominic Vicari's respective performances in MSU's 3-0 and 5-0 sweep over Nebraska-Omaha earned the trio the week's top honors.
Goebel was named CCHA Rookie of the Week with his five-point weekend.
In addition, he had a plus-5 rating and got selected as the No. 2 star on Saturday. The freshman from Parma, Ohio, is fourth in team scoring with 27 goals in 29 games.
Slater, Goebel's linemate, was named CCHA Offensive Player of the Week. The junior captain also finished the two games with five points, including three assists on Saturday. The Hobey Baker and All-America candidate is the leading scorer for both the Spartans and the CCHA with 44 points.
"I thought (my linemates and I) were very good earlier in the season, and then I got the mono," Goebel said. "Now that we're back together, we're playing real well."
Goebel, who missed six games with mononucleosis, has been reunited with Slater and junior forward Mike Lalonde as the Spartans' top line since the Lake Superior State series on Feb. 5 and 7. The trio has racked up 25 points in six games since.
"(Goebel's) a freshman to begin with, and then he missed six weeks with mono. He's just kind of getting his confidence back," head coach Rick Comley said.
"You haven't seen the best of Tommy Goebel yet. Certainly (Goebel's linemates) work well together, complement each other."
Vicari's back-to-back shutouts in a 56-save sweep earned the freshman goaltender CCHA Defensive Player of the Week. Vicari set aside 21 shots Friday and 35 shots Saturday.
The Clinton Township native was named No. 1 star for his efforts, which included 15 saves on the Mavericks' power play. Vicari's back-to-back shutouts were the first since Ryan Miller posted two blankings on Nov. 16 and 17, 2001 against Miami (Ohio).
Vicari has a 2.12 goals against average and a .924 save percentage during his 12-11 record.
Breakin' back
The Spartans are back in the national polls, ranked No. 14 by both USA Today/American Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com with 87 and 92 votes, respectively.
Boston College is No. 1 in both polls for the third week in a row. U-M, MSU's opponent in two weeks, is ranked No. 4 in both polls.
