While the bye week was a restful one, the MSU hockey team did more moving than it would have liked.
The Spartans, who have 25 points in the CCHA so far this year, dropped from third to fourth in the league standings during their idle weekend, while Michigan surpassed MSU with a pair of conference wins.
"It doesn't really matter until all games have been played," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "Everybody is looking at everybody's schedule."
According to USCHO.com's PairWise Rankings, MSU is tied with Maine for seventh place in the nation. This ranking slates the Spartans as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament if it were to begin today.
Additionally, if MSU finishes in the top four spots of the CCHA, it earns a first-round playoff bye when the conference begins the postseason in early March.
Just because the Spartans are currently fourth in the division and in the running for a bye doesn't mean they're done chasing the division leaders. Notre Dame has a virtual stranglehold of the division with 32 points. But second place Miami (Ohio), who has 29 points, recently has slid and has played two more games than MSU. U-M has played one more game than the Spartans.
"They'll be tough to catch for sure, but whatever chasing can be fun, too," Comley said.
And just as the fans do, MSU coaches and players continuously check league scoreboards, standings and schedules.
"I always try to be well aware of who (conference leaders are) playing and where they're going," Comley said. "You start to get a number (of wins) in your head as to what it might take (to get a playoff bye)."
The schedule appears favorable for the Spartans. Although traveling to Nebraska-Omaha this weekend and playing a game on neutral ice against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena will be difficult, the competition becomes somewhat easier when the Spartans play two games apiece against the CCHA's struggling squads Ferris State, Bowling Green and Western Michigan.
On second thought
Last week, Comley said that sophomore forward Tim Crowder missed the Jan. 20 game against Lake Superior because of swelling in his neck caused by a hit he received against Alaska.
Comley said Monday the reason Crowder missed the game was because a lymph node became infected while Crowder had the flu.
Crowder is expected to play this weekend.