Maybe it's the extra motivation that drives the MSU hockey team to win games its critics say the Spartans should lose.
They took the season series away from CCHA regular-season champs Michigan by tying and winning the final two regular-season contests against the then-No. 6 Wolverines.
The Spartans swept then-No.13 Ohio State by scores of 4-2 and 3-0 in Columbus, Ohio, at the end of January to capture their first road sweep since Feb. 22-23, 2002.
They also split a weekend at Alaska, thousands of miles away in a different time zone, on a bigger ice sheet.
So excuse them if the No. 3 seed Spartans are comfortable being the underdogs in Saturday's 3:30 p.m. faceoff against No. 2 seed Minnesota-Duluth in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA tournament.
"We play well in games we're challenged," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "Here, we're going in as underdogs - we've played that role better. So, I think it's good for us."
In games they're supposed to win, however, the Spartans haven't been too successful - most recently against Northern Michigan in the CCHA quarterfinal - and they're not denying it.
"All the guys were a little nervous after last weekend, waiting to see how things got worked out," senior defenseman Joe Markusen said. "(Against Northern), we had a lot of shots on net - you can get 50 shots, but if they're not quality shots, then it's hard to get ahead. You just have to capitalize on opportunities and create more opportunities, and we'll work on that this week.
"I think all the guys, personally, they'll all have a little bit more desperation in them and realize that this is it. There's no more second chances, nothing else to wait for."
The Bulldogs only have one NHL draft pick (defenseman Neil Petruic, 235th overall in 2001 to Ottawa) compared to the Spartans' seven, but that doesn't mean anything in terms of the Bulldogs' ability to win games.
Minnesota-Duluth boasts the top scorer in the nation in forward Junior Lessard and his 59 points, and the Bulldogs are the second-highest scoring team in the country.
"They're smart - they think hockey," Comley said. "So many people get caught up with how many NHL draft picks you have. They're just a collection of college hockey players who can play the game the right way."
MSU is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance following a one-year hiatus after nine straight seasons in the postseason. Minnesota-Duluth is making its first trip to the NCAA tourney after an 11-year drought. After a 2000-01 record of 7-28-4, the Bulldogs finished this season 26-12-4.
"They're skilled; they move the puck; they're not overly physical and they have good goaltending," Comley said. "They're a team that can go all the way."
