Miami (Ohio) rolls into East Lansing tonight with a high-octane offense and one of the CCHA’s premier players in forward Jason Deskins. But the RedHawks (6-3-1 overall, 4-1-1 CCHA), who finished second to MSU in the CCHA last year, were the pupils of a Spartan defensive clinic in the teams’ last meeting.
Within MSU’s new offensive scheme, the Spartan forwards are darting all over the ice and generating plenty of goals for head coach Ron Mason.But fourth-ranked MSU’s offensive glory doesn’t start and end with centers and wings.
For the second straight week, MSU went unbeaten and untied for a weekend and still slipped in one of the national polls. This time, the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine rankings dropped MSU from No.
There are players who lead on the ice - scoring goals, directing players, giving pep talks on the bench - and there are players who lead away from the rink - going to class, getting good grades and being an upstanding member of the community.For his teammates and coaches, MSU senior right wing and team captain Adam Hall fills both roles.Hall was an on-ice leader in MSU’s 6-1 win over UMass-Amherst on Friday at Munn Ice Arena - notching his first career hat trick and recording his 100th career point.But Hall, an assistant captain last season, is also a CCHA All-Academic honoree and is no stranger to team volunteer activities - such as speaking at local schools through the D.A.R.E.
Weekends generally aren’t very relaxing for the fourth-ranked Spartans, who usually face a challenging two-game weekend series.But MSU (6-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 CCHA) eased to a 6-1 win over UMass-Amherst on Friday at Munn Ice Arena and kept things light for the rest of the weekend.The Spartans held a moderate practice Saturday after defeating their first nonconference foe of the season and then observed their traditional off-day Sunday.“I like it,” senior left wing Joe Goodenow said.
MSU senior right wing Adam Hall knocked in two power play goals less than eight minutes into the game and recorded his first career hat trick as the Spartans breezed past UMass-Amherst 6-1 Friday night at Munn Ice Arena.Hall’s second man-advantage tally was his 100th career point, and his four-point night Friday took his career totals to 66 goals and 36 assists.The fourth-ranked Spartans (6-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 CCHA) outshot the Minutemen (3-4) 34-29 and MSU junior goaltender Ryan Miller made 22 saves for the win.Hall, who missed considerable practice time this week while nursing a “skate bite” above his ankle, showed no ill effects Friday.
Head coach Ron Mason and his fourth-ranked Spartans rarely look too far down the road. But for tonight’s nonconference matchup against UMass-Amherst at 7:05 at Munn Ice Arena, MSU admits it’s thinking ahead a little bit.
A two-game sweep of Bowling Green couldn’t keep the Spartans from falling a spot in this week’s USCHO.com national rankings. MSU (5-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 CCHA) fell from No.
A little more than a month into the season, freshman left wing Kevin Estrada finally feels his game is catching up to his teammates.Estrada, who was shut out in his first six collegiate games, scored his first goal as a Spartan on Thursday and then popped in two more in No.
After out-racing Bowling Green 6-3 on Thursday, No. 3 MSU looked more like last season’s defensive juggernaut in a 4-0 win over the Falcons at Munn Ice Arena on Friday.The Spartan defensemen came up big across the board and junior goaltender Ryan Miller was outstanding, making 30 saves for the shutout.Freshman left wing Kevin Estrada led the offensive charge with two goals, helping the Spartans (5-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 CCHA) complete a sweep of Bowling Green (1-5-2, 1-4-1).With the win, MSU extends its home unbeaten streak to 22 games (20-0-2) since Oct.
Don’t let Jim Slater’s smallish stature and youthful appearance fool you.The 6-foot, 186-pound freshman center from Lapeer may be built like a kicker, but he hits like a linebacker.His father, a former NFL defensive end, said Slater quit youth soccer because there wasn’t enough body-on-body contact for his taste.And Bill Slater also remembers young Jim returning from hard-fought street hockey games, covered in blood and loving every minute of it.“I’ve heard I’m real tough out there, just like throwing my body around and everything,” Jim Slater said.
The wounded Spartans return to the comfort of Munn Ice Arena tonight, confident they can bounce back from their first two losses of the season. No.
The Spartans fell to No. 3 in this week’s USCHO.com national poll and No. 4 in the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine rankings after being swept in their weekend series with Nebraska-Omaha.MSU (3-2-1 overall, 3-2-1 CCHA) entered the series at No.
MSU traveled to its first road series of the season undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation. But any sense of Spartan invincibility was shattered by No.
Sophomore center Tim Hearon knows exactly what MSU is heading into this weekend. For two years, Hearon played junior hockey in Omaha, Neb.
It’s not an uncommon hockey strategy, but it seems to have penetrated the top-ranked Spartans’ consciousness more than usual in the early stages of this season. “Just get the puck to the net and see what happens,” junior left wing Brian Maloney repeated again and again after practice Monday. The Spartans won’t call it their season motto, but it’s close.
The CCHA named freshman defenseman Duncan Keith the league’s Rookie of the Week for his two-assist effort against Ferris State on Saturday. Keith, from Penticton, British Columbia, is tied for the team lead with six points this season.
Ron Mason was in familiar territory Saturday night. MSU’s legendary head coach took his spot behind the Spartans’ bench at Munn Ice Arena and surveyed the action on the rink as he has done so many times before.
The top-ranked Spartans took care of business on the final date of their four-game season-opening homestand with a 2-0 win over Ferris State on Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena.Goals from senior right wing Adam Hall and freshman center Ash Goldie provided plenty of support for junior goaltender Ryan Miller, who made 23 saves Saturday and recorded his second shutout of the season.“We were up against a high-speed team that was getting a lot of chances,” said Miller, who earned his 20th career shutout.
A dose of déjà vu nearly befell Munn Ice Arena on Saturday night, as a Zamboni mishap delayed the start of the second period by about 15 minutes. During the first intermission, a Munn employee sitting on the Zamboni attempted to throw a giveaway T-shirt into the crowd, but his toss failed to clear the glass in the northeast corner of the rink.