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Sports | Ice Hockey

ICE HOCKEY

Icers split weekend, season series with Buckeyes

The MSU hockey team continued to match its opponents’ intensity level but didn’t register its first sweep of the season in a weekend split with Ohio State. On Friday freshman goalie Will Yanakeff led the Spartans with 32 saves in his second shutout in his past four starts, and junior defenseman Tim Buttery scored his first goal of the season, while sophomore forward Derek Grant tallied an empty netter to lift the Spartans to a 2-0 win.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans look to move up CCHA standings with wins against Ohio State

Moving up the CCHA standings has been about as difficult as walking through a snowdrift as several quality teams occupy the middle of the conference. Moving up will be the MSU hockey team’s objective, however, when they visit Ohio State for a series this weekend to try to climb out of 10th place in the CCHA and continue a 5-3-1 run in its past nine games.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers look to solve inconsistencies

Head coach Rick Comley believes the key to fixing the MSU hockey team’s inconsistencies this season revolves around one thing: scoring early goals. The Spartans (11-13-4 overall, 7-11-2 CCHA) lately have tallied four or more goals in games where they’ve generated an early goal and scored fewer than two in games they haven’t tallied one in the first period. Last weekend, MSU managed to go 1-1 against No.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers spilt weekend, down U-M

The MSU hockey team proved once again this weekend it can hang with the best of the CCHA but still are trying to find consistency. In a packed Joe Louis Arena, the Spartans (11-13-4 overall, 7-11-2 CCHA) dropped No.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers beat Michigan, 2-1, finish season series even

Detroit — If Saturday’s game was any indication of how MSU hockey head coach Rick Comley will finish his final regular season with MSU, the near future looks satisfying. Senior forward Joey Shean scored on a rebound with 7:34 remaining to put the Spartans ahead 2-1, and MSU weathered a 4-on-4, penalty shot and some good Wolverine chances to defeat No.

ICE HOCKEY

Comley's announcement comes at correct time

Upon first glance, MSU hockey head coach Rick Comley’s decision to announce his plans for an end-of-the-season retirement on Tuesday, rather than waiting until later in the season, seems surprising. The Spartans, who have struggled all season and stand in 10th place in the CCHA, are about to square off with Ferris State and No.

ICE HOCKEY

Rick Comley to retire after 9 seasons at MSU

MSU hockey head coach Rick Comley announced Tuesday he will retire at the end of the season, after spending 38 seasons as a college hockey head coach. Comley, currently in his ninth season as the head coach of MSU, won a National Championship with the Spartans in 2007, and is one of five college hockey coaches to win more than 700 games.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers find scoring Friday, lose it Saturday

The MSU hockey team’s seven-goal turnaround from Friday to Saturday demonstrates the importance of early goals. On Friday, the Spartans scored two first-period goals and created all the scoring chances it needed to score a season-high seven goals, but struggled early in Saturday’s game and earned very few good scoring chances in a 4-0 loss in a series split against No.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers tie, lose, 3-2, in shootout

Following a 4-0 win in Friday’s opener, the MSU hockey team could not make it a series sweep as it fell, 3-2, in a shootout at Lake Superior State on Saturday. The game was tied 2-2 before the Lakers scored two shootout goals to the one Spartan goal by freshman forward Greg Wolfe, and the win keeps Lake Superior State ahead of MSU in the CCHA standings. MSU was looking for its first road series sweep in two seasons, but falls to 9-11-4 overall and 5-9-2 in conference. Freshman goalie Will Yanakeff stopped 34 of 36 shots that came his way, and Laker goalie Kevin Kapalka made 31 saves. Junior defenseman Brock Shelgren scored at 5:59 of the first period, and sophomore forward Derek Grant added a power play goal at 16:32 of the period for MSU. The Lakers (6-11-5, 4-8-4-3) scored a shorthanded goal at 15:11 of the first period and scored another goal at 11:26 of the second period, but neither team could score for the rest of regulation and overtime. The Lakers had to go to the fourth round of the shootout to secure victory. MSU managed six goals for the weekend after being shut out in three of four previous CCHA games. It next plays a two-game series against Miami (Ohio) at 7:30 p.m.