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.
Before this hockey season started, Tom Anastos said he picked Notre Dame’s program to be one of the top teams in the country.
When Travis Walsh was growing up, he was taught that going unnoticed as a defenseman sometimes can be a positive attribute.
The beginning of a new chapter always warrants an adjustment period. Whether it’s a new job, moving to a new city or, in the case of MSU hockey (4-8-2 overall, 3-6-1 CCHA), bringing in 12 new players, getting into a groove takes time.
When Ohio State (7-4-3 overall, 6-2-2-1 CCHA) traveled to East Lansing this weekend for an away series, the players brought with them six periods of consistent, strong hockey.
After Saturday night’s 3-1 loss to Ohio State (7-4-3 overall, 6-2-2-1 CCHA), MSU’s Matt Grassi noted the Spartans only made two or three mistakes that night.
Tom Anastos said he didn’t want to compare Friday night’s game to a heavyweight boxing match, but it’s difficult to find a better analogy to describe the MSU hockey team’s (4-7-2 overall, 3-5-1 CCHA) 1-0 loss to Ohio State. For 60 minutes, both teams clawed, fought and battled at a mostly even keel, exchanging punch after punch. Almost 58 minutes into the game, the Buckeyes threw a punch that knocked the Spartans out of the match, as Ohio State’s Ryan Dzingel picked up a rebound off MSU freshman goaltender Jake Hildebrand to put away the only score of the night. “It was a style of game that we prepared for,” Anastos, the second-year MSU head coach, said.
When Ohio State hockey took Spartan ice for its first ever match up at MSU in 1970, the Buckeyes were handed a 4-2 loss. The pattern continued for almost 25 years, as MSU went 29-0-1 against Ohio State at home until Feb. 4, 1994 when the Spartans were defeated, 5-4, by the Buckeyes on home turf.
With the holiday season ahead, the MSU hockey team (4-6-2 overall, 3-4-1 CCHA) is taking time off the ice to turn its attention to those in need in Greater Lansing.
In the hockey world, Thanksgiving weekend is a notorious one for tournaments. Rinks are ready for the influx of teams and players, and most hockey families grow accustomed to spending the days following the holiday circled around a sheet of ice.
Twelve games into the regular season, MSU hockey’s (4-6-2 overall, 3-4-1 CCHA) sophomore forward Matt Berry has emerged as an offensive powerhouse for the Spartans.
With a roster flush with fresh faces, the MSU hockey team struggled to find consistency in its weekend road series against No. 4 Miami (Ohio).
MSU hockey rounded out the first half of the Miami (Ohio) series with one point after maintaining a score of 2-2 through overtime.
Coming off a split weekend with Michigan, the MSU hockey team (4-5-1 overall, 3-3-0 CCHA) now must lace up its skates to take on CCHA opponent and nationally ranked Miami (Ohio) (6-2-1 overall, 3-2-1-1 CCHA) in Oxford, Ohio, this weekend.
When Jake Hildebrand was looking at different college hockey programs, he wanted to know if he would have the opportunity to play. The MSU hockey freshman goaltender said he asked head coach Tom Anastos if he would be given that chance as a Spartan, and Anastos said he responded by telling him if he earned ice time, he would be given it.