It was the same old song and dance for the MSU hockey team this weekend when they were swept two games in a row by Ferris State.
In the third meeting between the two this season, Ferris State beat MSU hockey, 2-1. Ferris State’s Cory Kane got the game rolling with a shot that made its way through MSU freshman goaltender Jake Hildebrand’s five-hole about midway through the first period.
The MSU hockey team got a taste of sweet victory last weekend, and as Travis Walsh put it, when you get a taste of something good, you’re going to want more.
Record be what it might, this season’s MSU hockey fans are a group that just won’t quit. The crowd has supported MSU (6-13-3 overall, 5-10-1-0 CCHA) through its four wins at home as excitedly as it did for its four home losses.
In a season filled with ups and downs, one thing has remained consistent for the MSU hockey team: Jake Hildebrand’s goaltending. For the first time in his MSU hockey career, the freshman goaltender received acknowledgement for his performance by the CCHA — earning CCHA’s Warrior Goaltender of the Week.
Saturday night, the MSU hockey team took a collective sigh of relief. After winning only one of the past 10 games — two of which were ties — the Spartans (6-13-3 overall, 5-10-1-0 CCHA) headed into this weekend against No.
Hockey, like many sports, is a game that can be considered a “game of inches.” As MSU hockey (5-13-3 overall, 4-10-1-0 CCHA) senior forward Chris Forfar put it, an inch in one direction can make the game work in your favor, but it could just as easily work that way for the other team.
In the first half of the series between the two, Notre Dame beat MSU, 1-0. A series of penalties in the first period resulted in MSU sophomore forward Brent Darnell being sent off the ice for the game with a 5-game major and a game misconduct.
As the losses continue to pile up for the MSU hockey team, the Spartans are looking at this weekend’s home series against one of the country’s top teams as an opportunity to turn the season around.
Despite what the record might say, Chris Forfar said the MSU hockey team is better than the numbers show. About halfway through the 2012-13 season, there might not be much interpretation to take out of the team’s 5-12-3 overall record, with a showing of 4-9-1-0 in the CCHA.
Following another weekend and another heavy loss for the MSU hockey team, Tom Anastos said they had to do some major soul-searching — and for the head coach that meant watching the game “over and over and over again.”
Twenty games into the season, the MSU 2012-13 hockey season has been encapsulated by the word “frustrating.” With a 5-12-3 overall record, 4-9-1-0 in the CCHA, the Spartans have experienced a speedy, downward slip following their 7-2 win against Michigan on Nov. 10.
The last time MSU hockey took the ice against Ferris State, a 3-1 victory made it appear as though better days were ahead for the Spartans. Saturday night, when the two teams faced off for the second time this season, the Spartans (5-12-3 overall, 4-9-1-0 CCHA) headed back to East Lansing with frustrations abound and a 3-0 shutout by the Bulldogs.
In the second half of a split MSU-Ferris State series, the Bulldogs came out victorious by a score of 3-0. The first period was scoreless and both teams were evenly matched with shots equal at seven. Ferris State pulled ahead in the second period when Bulldogs’ Garrett Thompson hit the puck off MSU freshman goaltender Jake Hildebrand’s back to score a power play goal. Less than five minutes later, Thompson struck again with a breakaway goal. Thompson finished off his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 33 seconds left in the game. The Spartans now fall to 5-12-3 overall, 4-9-1-0 in the CCHA. MSU’s next game will be Jan.
When asked what he’s taking away from the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational, Tom Anastos paused and answered with one word: heartburn. After a shootout loss to Western Michigan on Saturday and a 5-2 loss to rival Michigan on Sunday, the hearts of all MSU hockey (5-11-3 overall, 4-8-1-0 CCHA) players are likely burning along with their head coach.
The consolation game of the Great Lakes Invitational, or GLI, featured rivals MSU and U-M in a heated battle in which U-M prevailed, 5-2. The match up at Joe Louis Arena got off to a quick start, with three goals in the first period — courtesy of U-M’s Lee Moffie and MSU sophomore forwards Tanner Sorenson and Matt Berry. The game slowed down in the second period, with both teams unable to find the back of the net. The third period proved to be a productive one for U-M, netting three goals. An odd-man rush by the Wolverines early in the third tied the game up, and U-M pulled ahead minutes later with a power play goal. With about ten minutes remaining, U-M’s Di Guiseppe netted a goal following a backhanded pass from Moffatt on one knee. After a game misconduct and a five-minute major by Wolverines’ Treais, U-M’s Hyman received a goal after being tripped when rushing an empty net. Western Michigan and Michigan Tech will face off for the GLI Championship at 7 p.m.
With the National Hockey League locked out from play, the Joe Louis Arena found it’s life again Saturday night with a history-making game at the The Great Lakes Invitational. The Great Lakes Invitational kicked off with the MSU and Western Michigan hockey programs, the Broncos besting the Spartans in a shootout.
For the last six games, the MSU hockey team lost its offense.
This Friday will mark the end of dreaded week of exams for most of the student body, but for the MSU hockey team, one last test will present itself on Saturday evening – last season’s runner-up for the national championship.
As a kid, Travis Walsh spent an exceptional amount of time at Munn Ice Arena. Grandson of Ron Mason — former MSU hockey head coach, athletics director and one of the most notable names in the game — and son of former Maine hockey head coach, the late Shawn Walsh, Travis was born into a line of strong college hockey blood.