FOOTBALL
Labinjo may star on football field, but began on ice
One of the hardest decisions Mike Labinjo has ever had to make was to play football exclusively, giving up his first love - hockey.
ICE HOCKEY
From Hollywood to U, the iceman has cometh
He was there on business, and his business was ice.And despite the warm weather and the inch of water that topped the rink’s frozen base Wednesday, Al Osterloh donned a full-fledged smile.Osterloh wheels and deals in keeping things frozen.
VOLLEYBALL
Spartans must take new road game to Purdue
Three times this season, the Spartan volleyball team has traveled to play a Big Ten opponent. All three journeys resulted in losses.The Spartans (9-3, 2-3 Big Ten) will try to snap their road-losing streak at 7 p.m.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans ready to drop puck, rewrite history
When archrivals MSU and Michigan face-off in “The Cold War” - the largest hockey spectacle ever - at 7:05 p.m.
SPORTS
Crew travels to OSU
The MSU women’s rowing team will take on 117 teams including U-M, Penn State and Ohio State at the Head of the Ohio on Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Spartans finished strong in their last appearance Sept.
ICE HOCKEY
Game turns from joke to reality
The first time Dave McAuliffe talked to Ron Mason about staging an outdoor hockey game in Spartan Stadium, the longtime MSU head coach just laughed.That was about five years ago, and McAuliffe, an MSU assistant coach, said he chuckled along with Mason.
SPORTS
W-tennis ready for U-M
The women’s tennis team takes on intrastate-rival Michigan at 10 a.m., today at the Wolverine Fall Invitational in Ann Arbor. MSU will send nine members to the tournament - its second of the year - to compete against host U-M, Bowling Green, DePaul and Marquette, among others. Freshman Mandy Caldemeyer will be looking to build on her strong performance last weekend at the MSU Spartan Cup.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans test the ice
A persistent drizzle Friday night forced Michigan to cancel its only scheduled outdoor practice before “The Cold War” and take shelter inside Munn Ice Arena.But the host Spartans braved the elements and skated on the portable rink inside Spartan Stadium for about 30 minutes Friday.
FOOTBALL
Cold War should be no contest, Gators will make Nick Saban cry and other football action
While the minds of MSU fans will be on hockey this weekend, the rest of the nation’s attention will still be turned to football.
FOOTBALL
Cornerback out 8-10 weeks
Redshirt freshman cornerback Jason Harmon broke his right ankle in practice Wednesday and will be out for eight to 10 weeks, MSU Assistant Athletics Director John Lewandowski said. Harmon was participating in seven-on-seven drills and landed on his foot awkwardly. “He planted his foot, and it just broke,” Lewandowski said.
VOLLEYBALL
Spartans take first 2 games, then falter
Ann Arbor - After two hours and four games of volleyball Wednesday at the Cliff Keen Arena, the Michigan Wolverines and the MSU Spartans were right where they started - tied.
SPORTS
Van Haeringen organizes team on field
Although she is only a freshman back, Judith van Haeringen is making her presence felt on the MSU women’s field hockey team. And the Big Ten is noticing.
ICE HOCKEY
Melting ice slows Cold War preparations as planners await cooler weather
Perhaps nobody is looking forward to the expected drop in Lansing area temperatures more than Al Osterloh. Osterloh owns Los Tres Papagayos, the company contracted to ready Spartan Stadium for “The Cold War” hockey game Saturday night - and Wednesday’s sunny, warm weather was giving him cold feet. The rink had some solid ice Wednesday afternoon, but it was submerged in a fair amount of standing water.
VOLLEYBALL
Annual rivalry will test teams depth, composure on the road
When Michigan’s and MSU’s volleyball teams square off at 7 p.m. tonight at Michigan’s Cliff Keen Arena, it will be for more than in-state bragging rights.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers take spectacle seriously
The spectacle surrounding “The Cold War” worries MSU head coach Ron Mason more than anything the Michigan Wolverines are going to throw at his team Saturday. Mason has to make his players look past the daylong tailgate that could take over campus, ignore the scheduled laser light shows and mini-country concerts accompanying the game and somehow forget about the world-record crowd of more than 72,000 expected to jam Spartan Stadium for the 7:05 p.m.
SPORTS
Wolverines wait for U
Matches between MSU and Michigan always warrant attention, but when both teams are ranked in the top 10 in their sport, the game becomes even more interesting.Such will be the case when the No.
VOLLEYBALL
Middle blockers contribute for early team success
The job of a middle blocker is simple - don’t stay in one spot for too long and attack from all angles at the net.
SPORTS
Womens golf moves in poll
After finishing fifth at its first tournament, the Spartan women’s golf team jumped to No. 7 up in the Sagarin Golfweek.com rankings.Fellow Big Ten team Ohio State is No.1 in the poll, and Vanderbilt, Auburn, Texas and Tulsa round out the top five.MSU is 19-4-0 on the season.Two Spartans, senior Emily Bastel (11th) and sophomore Allison Fouch (13th) cracked the Golfweek.com’s top 15 individual rankings.
ICE HOCKEY
Cold War work crew begins transforming Spartan Stadium
Crews have been working through the night transforming Spartan Stadium from a gridiron showroom to a hockey shrine for “The Cold War,” and Associate Athletics Director Mark Hollis said the conversion is ahead of schedule. “Everything is going very smooth, just as planned,” Hollis said.
FOOTBALL
Williams sticks with Smoker; Schaefers kicking spot up for grabs
It’s easy to blame MSU’s kicking game for Saturday’s 27-26 loss at Northwestern since it failed to convert on three field goals and two extra points.It’s also convenient to point a finger at the team’s discipline - the Spartans lead the Big Ten in snafus with 25.