While the basketball team's loss Tuesday will make it tougher to claim a share of the title, the No. 14 hockey team controls its own destiny as No. 6 Michigan comes to East Lansing on Friday at 8:05 p.m.
In order for the icers (20-15-1 overall, 16-9-1 CCHA) to take over first place in the league, they need to sweep the Wolverines (23-10-1, 18-7-1) and No. 9 Miami (Ohio) must split, at best, with Ohio State.
If the scenario plays out, MSU, U-M and Miami would be in a three-way tie for first. MSU would win the tie-breaker because it has the advantage in conference wins during the season.
"It's kind of rewarding to be playing for a championship," head coach Rick Comley said. "It proves the point that you're moving in the right direction."
The Spartans earned the possibility of winning the conference for the first time since 2000-01 after their sweep over Nebraska-Omaha two weekends ago. U-M also lost its games against Notre Dame, giving the Spartans an open window to become champs.
"You go from losing games where we should've won and talking about how this year was kind of a waste to now - we're fighting for first place," freshman goaltender Dominic Vicari said.
But a lot of things have to go right for the Spartans. With the solid netminders in the league, Comley said this will come tougher than expected.
He pointed out Wolverines forward Jeff Tambellini leads the country in shots with 143 but has scored only 11 goals.
"Scoring's tough - there's so many good goalies in college hockey," Comley said. "And in our league especially - you go from Brown at Notre Dame to Brown at Ferris State to Sigalet to Kowalski to Vicari to Betz - holy mackerel, there's a lot of nights you're lucky to get on the board."
If the rivalry against the maize and blue is the fiercest competition in the state of Michigan according to Sports Illustrated, the stakes this weekend have been raised a few notches higher.
"Every time I've played them, it's a big game - a lot of hype," senior defenseman Joe Markusen said. "This year, it's even more so because this could determine which place you finish in the league and nationally."
Stuck at 14
After a week off, the Spartans remained ranked No. 14 in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll. U-M's two losses to Notre Dame moved the Wolverines down two spots to No. 6.
North Dakota, Boston College, Maine, Wisconsin and Minnesota-Duluth hold the top five spots.
The Top 10 goaltending statistics for CCHA games only. Goaltenders must have played at least 30 percent of the team's minutes.
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| Goaltender | School | Record | Goals against | Save percentage | Shutouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominic Vicari | MSU | 11-7 | 1.87 | .933 | 5 |
| David Brown | Notre Dame | 11-4-3 | 2.09 | .932 | 3 |
| Jeff Jakaitis | Lake Superior State | 3-6-4 | 2.10 | .933 | 2 |
| Al Montoya | Michigan | 18-6-1 | 2.21 | .918 | 5 |
| Mike Betz | Ohio State | 12-9 | 2.24 | .919 | 3 |
| B. Crawford-West | Miami (Ohio) | 15-4-2 | 2.51 | .908 | 1 |
| Matt Migliaccio | MSU | 5-2-1 | 2.70 | .914 | 1 |
| Jordan Sigalet | Bowling Green | 8-12-6 | 2.77 | .919 | 2 |
| Keith Bartusch | Alaska-Fairbanks | 6-5 | 2.80 | 9.12 | 1 |
| Craig Kowalski | Northern Michigan | 11-12-2 | 2.81 | .917 | 3 |
