ICE HOCKEY
Player of the week
JEFF LERG Freshman goaltender Livonia Last weekend against Wayne State, Lerg stopped 42 of 44 shots in 3-1, and 5-1 wins, respectively.
ICE HOCKEY
Freshman trio gels with on-ice chemistry, off-ice friendship
They've combined for 14 goals and 25 total points this season. They combined for two huge goals in the 3-3 CCHA-opening tie at Michigan, and they've all been drafted by various NHL clubs. But the greatest part about the trio of Justin Abdelkader, Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder is that they're all just freshmen. "They have good chemistry; they seem to mesh really well," MSU head coach Rick Comley said of the line.
SPORTS
Team in 'best physical shape' but injuries thin lineup to 11 athletes
Tumbling mats and balance beams have sprained ligaments, pulled muscles and fractured bones for the MSU women's gymnastics team. While these types of injuries are expected on football fields, head coach Kathie Klages said that gymnasts, like the gridiron giants, put their bodies through abuse for the love of sport. "They go through intense training all through high school and their bodies get a little beat up when they get to the college level," Klages said.
SPORTS
Two-time victor dealing with depleted roster
My fantasy basketball team, Give and Go, faced some pretty big expectations coming into this season.
SPORTS
Guard trio could spell trouble for Badgers
The No. 9 MSU women's basketball team continues a three-game road trip tonight against Wisconsin.
SPORTS
Sports talk: Reporters debate Spartans, NFL playoffs
State News sports reporters Matt Bishop and Steve Highfield had a sit-down discussion on topics such as the MSU men's basketball team and the NFL playoffs.
SPORTS
1st pick doesn't mean 1st in points
I had the No. 1 overall pick of 12 teams in my league, and thought I assembled a team that would ride above the others.
SPORTS
Women's golf team adds Okemos native
The MSU women's golf team will resume play in February with the addition of freshman Jen Domagalski of Okemos. Domagalski is a premedical and business major and came to MSU after earning a spot on the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 All-State team. During her senior year, she averaged 80.6 on the links and a 4.0 grade-point average in the classroom. Domagalski is taking over a roster spot left open by Kelly Collier, who recently graduated.
BASKETBALL
Here's the good, the bad and the ugly for No. 14 Spartans
The bad news: The No. 14 MSU men's basketball team lost its first two Big Ten games and is in danger of falling out of the conference race before it even starts. The worse news: The Spartans have to right the ship tonight against No.
ICE HOCKEY
First collegiate goal renews rookie's confidence after slow start
Nick Sucharski's college hockey career didn't start the way he had originally hoped. After missing the start of the season because of mononucleosis, the freshman forward made his Spartans debut in a Nov.
SPORTS
From the road
After every MSU road game, State News reporters will share tales from their travels. Men's basketball reporter Tom Keller discusses the highs and lows of the Badger State. The bad news from this past weekend: The MSU men's basketball team kind of, you know, lost twice. The good news: State News photographer Mike Itchue, fellow reporter Matt Bishop and I had a great time on our road trip covering them! All right, so maybe that didn't make you feel any better.
BASKETBALL
Izzo disheartened by performances, not results
MSU head coach Tom Izzo isn't necessarily disappointed that his team lost its opening Big Ten games to Illinois and Wisconsin.
FOOTBALL
WEB EXTRA: Former high school standout receiver to play for MSU
The MSU football team added another speedy receiver when T.J. Williams, who was originally set to attend Clemson, signed a national letter of intent with the Spartans on Saturday. Williams spent a semester at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia after failing to academically qualify.
SPORTS
Young Spartans lose close meet
Despite a high-scoring performance by freshman Katlyn Roggensack, the MSU women's gymnastics team fell a few points shy to Kentucky. The meet was the season opener for both squads, and they were encouraged by a spirited Jenison Field House crowd of about 250 fans.
SPORTS
Monday musings
A different take on the sports world. • Former U.S. Olympic skier Bode Miller announced in an interview with 60 Minutes this week that on several occasions, he has skied drunk. And you thought it was hard just walking home from the bar. • According to several NFL sources, the Houston Texans will select Southern Cal running back Reggie Bush with the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft. When news broke that Bush would be the top choice, Al Gore immediately called for a recount. • Virginia Tech quarterback/problem child Marcus Vick was dismissed from the team this week for repeated disciplinary problems, most recently when he stomped on the leg of an opposing player during the team's bowl game. So, uh, Marcus, seeing how you still have a year of eligibility left, we were kind of, you know, wondering … can you kick? • The Detroit Pistons sold out their 100th consecutive home game on Friday. To celebrate the occasion, Ben Wallace has promised to get a nice crewcut. • So, let's get this straight.
SPORTS
Icers earn 2-game sweep vs. Wayne St.
The Spartans have good reason to feel optimistic heading back into CCHA play this weekend. Not only were they able to sweep Wayne State in a two-game series at Munn Ice Arena, but they found ease in the fact that they were able to do something that hasn't always come easy this season — score goals. "You want them to leave and feel like they've accomplished something and maybe they're building on something," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
SPORTS
John L. Smith adds on JuCo players; Spartans receive verbal from Hyde
The MSU football team bolstered its 2006 recruiting class during winter break by signing four junior college players to national letters of intent and receiving verbal commitments from a top prep school cornerback and high school athlete.
SPORTS
MSU gets monkey off its back with win
There was a clear trend in the MSU women's basketball team's first 14 games of the season: If they played an average team, the Spartans would win in blowout fashion.
SPORTS
Here's what happened during winter break
Women's basketball Dec. 17 — MSU 76, Houston 53 Four Spartans scored in double figures, led by senior forward Liz Shimek's 24, as No.
SPORTS
Editor's note
The life of a sports fan is tough. Our emotions are constantly fluctuating depending on the success, or lack thereof, of "our teams" — the four or five teams we've grown up following and we'd live and die by.