Seven games into the season, the No. 6 MSU hockey team has shown that it is going to be a team that will be there until the end.
The Spartans (5-1-1 overall, 2-0-1 CCHA) are riding on a three-game streak and will look to extend it starting 7:35 p.m. tonight at Ferris State.
"We have had some tough road games already," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "We played our first five on the road in some tough environments and Ferris is another one that is very similar as far as difficulty of play."
Last year, MSU won the two meetings between the two teams.
The Spartans played two games with Northern Michigan this past weekend and had just two days to get ready for Ferris State.
"We take it one game at a time, but the quick turnaround doesn't give us much time to prepare," freshman forward Justin Abdelkader said. "They also played two games this weekend, so they didn't get the extra time to prepare for us, either."
The Spartans are 1-1-1 on the road. They have played games at Michigan and Cornell, two traditionally tough places to play.
"The building makes it difficult sometimes as well because of the low ceiling," Comley said. "But we traditionally play pretty well up there, so we are expecting a good game."
The Spartans understand that they just have to come out and play their style of game and not worry about the building they are playing in.
"The crowd is going to be loud and we are going to have to play a controlled game," Abdelkader said. "The first 10 minutes are going to be big in setting the tempo up for the game."
Special play
The Spartans have relied heavily on their special teams' play on both the power play and the penalty kill. MSU has scored 12 power-play goals in the first seven games and have killed 33-of-41 penalties.
The Spartans needed some of those kills against Northern Michigan in which they netted five power-play goals and allowed two in 13 chances.
Junior forward Tyler Howells leads the team in power-play points with eight.
Draws key
While faceoffs might not seem to be a big a part of the game, often it is a statistic that has a lot to do with the final outcome.
The Spartans have turned to a freshman (Abdelkader) and a sophomore (Bryan Lerg) to take the key draws, whether it be in their own zone or deep in the offensive zone.
"(Both) are kind of hot and cold in that aspect," Comley said. "Some nights they are on and others they struggle, but we are very thin at that position right now in our lineup, so they end up having to take a lot of draws."
Abdelkader has won 46 draws and lost 68 for a 40-percent success rate. Lerg has had a little bit more luck, winning 60 and losing 65 for a 48-percent success rate.
"When the coaches believe in you, then you are going to believe in yourself," Abdelkader said. "It is a little different than last year, because the opposition is better than I am used to."
