Colton Fretter can still remember the feeling he had after he scored the game-winning goal in the 2004 Great Lakes Invitational championship game to beat Michigan, 2-1.
"That was just crazy because no one here on this team had won any kind of championship or anything," he said. "It was just exciting."
Saturday at Munn Ice Arena, all memories and accomplishments will be formally honored for five MSU seniors — Fretter, Jared Nightingale, David Booth, Chad Hontvet and Corey Potter — prior to the final regular-season home game against No. 2 Miami (Ohio).
"It's weird," Fretter said. "It feels like yesterday when I was sitting on the bench watching (John-Michael) Liles and (Brad) Fast and those guys go around and take their lap.
"Now, the four years just flew by and it's my turn."
The five seniors say they have no regrets about playing four years of college hockey rather than participate in other leagues.
"I was on the border between the (OHL) and coming to college and nothing can compare to college," Booth said. "The fans, the attention you get (and) you get an academic career as well — there's just so many other opportunities that you get from college than just the OHL."
Although Hontvet occasionally made the lineup in his four years, he has had no second thoughts about his decision to go to practice every day not knowing whether he'd be in uniform on the weekend.
"If I wouldn't have been playing hockey, I would have went to college anyway," he said. "You might as well play hockey while you're getting your degree so it worked out good."
If not for off-season shoulder surgery, Potter may have left the Spartans early to sign with the New York Rangers, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Instead, Potter is having a career-best season with three goals and 11 assists.
"I'm just going to remember all the people we've played for and all the great support," Nightingale said. "I've met a lot of special people and had a lot of special memories. If I could go back, I'd play the same cards."
Although Potter (New York Rangers), Booth (Florida), and Fretter (Atlanta) likely will report to their respective NHL-drafted clubs next season, both Hontvet and Nightingale each want to stay involved in hockey as well.
"I want to continue to try and play hockey at the highest level as I can," Nightingale said. "I don't think I want to keep on playing unless I think I have a shot at playing at a higher level."
But while each of the five seniors will take a final lap to celebrate their respective careers on Saturday, they realize they still have an important conference game to play against the RedHawks.
"I'm really not trying to think about it too much that it's coming to an end, as bad as I don't want it to," Booth said. "I'm just going to keep my mind away from that and just keep on playing hockey."
