It's no longer just paranoid conspiracy theory. It's now in the realm of a full-fledged phenomenon. This year's MSU hockey team is 2-6-1 in the first game of a series and 7-2-0 on the second night.
Brandon Warner, a 6-foot, 170-pound defenseman from Huntertown, Ind., verbally committed to the MSU hockey team Wednesday.Warner has four goals, nine assists and 54 penalty minutes in 32 games this season for the Pittsburgh Forge of the North American Hockey League.
By nature, Steve Clark is usually quick with a quip. And the talkative senior hockey player apparently amused head coach Rick Comley with a comment during a game this weekend at Lake Superior State. "We all laughed because he said he played more that particular night than he did his first three years here," Comley said with a chuckle. Of course, that's a huge hyperbole on Clark's part.
Senior defenseman Brad Fast is one of 15 finalists for the eighth annual Hockey Humanitarian Award, which will be awarded at an April 11 ceremony at the Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y. The award recognizes college hockey's "finest citizen" for his or her contributions to society.
It's the new year, and as "Auld Lang Syne" says, it's time for old acquaintances to be forgotten.That motto rings especially true nowadays for the MSU hockey team, which saw two defensemen leave the team in December.
Sault Ste. Marie - The only constant with the MSU hockey team this year has been its inconsistency. The Spartans (9-9-1 overall, 5-6-0 CCHA) went 3-3 in their six games during semester break, including a split at woeful Lake Superior State (4-15-1, 1-13-0) this weekend.
Detroit - Playing in its first Great Lakes Invitational consolation game in six years, the MSU hockey team salvaged some pride with a 6-2 win over Michigan Tech on Sunday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena.The Spartans didn't score a single 5-on-5 goal, but they scored twice 4-on-4, and also notched three power-play goals and a short-handed marker in defeating the Huskies.Freshman goaltender Justin Tobe made 29 saves for the Spartans (8-8-1 overall, 4-5-0 CCHA) on Sunday.
Detroit - In its first action since two defensemen left the team to further their careers in Canada, the MSU hockey team was rocked by Boston University in a Great Lakes Invitational semifinal Saturday afternoon.The 13th-ranked Terriers blitzed the Spartans with four goals in the first period and then coasted to an easy 6-1 win at Joe Louis Arena.MSU (7-8-1 overall, 4-5-0 CCHA) plays Michigan Tech in the consolation game at 1:35 p.m.
Big Rapids - After a convincing 6-2 win over first-place Ferris State on Friday at Ewigleben Ice Arena, MSU players and coaches asserted they have turned the corner on their season."I thought we played really well," sophomore left wing Kevin Estrada said.
A day after a determined, focused MSU hockey team pummeled No. 9 Ferris State in Big Rapids, the Spartans lost 5-3 to the Bulldogs at Munn Ice Arena on Saturday.The teams started the third period tied at 3-3, but Ferris scored a pair of goals midway through the frame - and the sluggish Spartans didn't mount much of an offensive attack afterward.Fatigue was a major factor in MSU's offensive incapability, as the Spartans were playing with only 10 forwards by the end of the game.
A day after a determined, focused MSU hockey team pummeled No. 9 Ferris State in Big Rapids, the Spartans lost 5-3 to the Bulldogs at Munn Ice Arena onSaturday.The teams started the third period tied at 3-3, but Ferris scored a pair of goals midway through the frame - and the sluggish Spartans didn't mount much of an offensive attack afterward.Fatigue was a major factor in MSU's offensive incapability, as the Spartans were playing with only 10 forwards by the end of the game.
To students not from the state of Michigan, Ferris State University can be something of a mystery."I don't know anything about it," said MSU hockey freshman defenseman Evan Shaw, who is from Rhode Island.
Colton Fretter would have been a perfect son a few generations ago because he tends not to speak unless spoken to.The freshman right wing's quiet demeanor is in stark contrast to most MSU hockey players - generally a vociferous bunch.
Despite earning three points in the College Hockey Showcase this weekend, the Spartan hockey team (6-6-1 overall, 3-4-0 CCHA) still doesn't have a single vote in either of this week's national polls. But there's no shortage of MSU's CCHA rivals in the rankings.
If there is such a thing as good news regarding a broken collarbone, this might be it. Freshman defenseman Corey Potter broke his right clavicle Friday night and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
After back-to-back weeks of riding home on a deathly silent bus, the MSU hockey players were finally cheery enough to chatter as they returned from a road series this weekend, freshman left wing David Booth said. For a struggling team, getting three points in the College Hockey Showcase spawns such liveliness. On the ice, the Spartans let their play do the talking - tying 5-5 at Minnesota on Friday and winning 2-1 in overtime at Wisconsin on Saturday.
The MSU hockey team has some things to be thankful for this weekend - a healthy roster, a slew of home games next semester and the fact that the NCAA Tournament will expand to 16 teams this year. But the Spartans are not at all pleased at this point in late November.
After a two-game stint in the NHL, former MSU goaltender Ryan Miller was sent back to the minor-league Rochester Americans on Sunday. Miller went 1-0-0-1 in his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres, but he allowed eight total goals to the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Bowling Green, Ohio - The MSU hockey team traveled south Friday, hoping to get an easy win over a conference doormat before starting a tough stretch of games next weekend.Instead, the Spartans' surprisingly difficult season took another downturn.At MSU's expense, the lowly Bowling Green Falcons notched their first league win - by an overtime score of 3-2 at the BGSU Ice Arena.The Spartans (5-6-0 overall, 3-4-0 CCHA) grabbed a 2-1 lead with less than four minutes to go, but once again, they couldn't hold a late-game advantage.Falcon right wing Tyler Knight scored with 1:54 left in regulation and then center D'Arcy McConvey tallied a controversial goal with 1:50 left in overtime to seal the upset for Bowling Green (3-8-1, 1-7-1).MSU had blown similar late leads to Lake Superior State and Niagara earlier this season, but the Spartans came back to win both of those games.
Bowling Green, Ohio - Bad luck and a lack of goal-scoring doomed the MSU hockey team again Friday night.The Spartans took a 2-1 lead with less than four minutes to play against Bowling Green, but the Falcons tied the score with 1:54 to play and then won it in overtime at BGSU Ice Arena. The 3-2 loss dropped MSU's record to 5-6-0 overall and 3-4-0 in the CCHA.