The No. 6 Spartans hope tonight's rematch with Ferris State doesn't seem like deja vu. After a frustrating 2-1 overtime victory over the struggling Bulldogs (9-19-3 overall, 6-15-2 CCHA) Friday, the Spartans (18-8-3, 14-6-3) will be looking for a more convincing win.
Detroit — The No. 6 Spartans should credit their three points this weekend to sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg. Lerg stood tall, stopping 33 shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime victory over Ferris State and stopping a career-high 54 shots in Saturday's 3-3 tie against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena to extend MSU's unbeaten streak to a nation-leading nine games. "He was excellent," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
The No. 6-ranked Spartans are getting ready for their rivalry matchup against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday, the fifth game between the two teams this season. Oh, and they also are preparing for tonight's home game against Ferris State. It's not difficult for MSU (17-8-2 overall, 13-6-2 CCHA) to treat the Bulldogs (9-18-3, 6-14-2) as an afterthought to a key matchup with the No.
The Spartans have looked at their schedule and seen the remaining games. But they're not getting ahead of themselves. With two games apiece against CCHA bottom-feeders Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Ferris State, MSU seemingly could declare a first-round CCHA playoff bye right now.
Junior forward Bryan Lerg was named CCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for his four-point performance in last weekend's series against Nebraska-Omaha.
As soon as the Spartans took the ice Friday in Omaha, it was clear they left their travel legs on the airplane. MSU (17-8-2 overall, 13-6-2 CCHA) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Friday's game against Nebraska-Omaha and ended up winning, 5-1, in a penalty-free game.
After games against low-scoring, physical teams in recent weeks, the Spartans may feel like they've been cast into a Monty Python movie this weekend against Nebraska-Omaha.
Sometimes, just going with the flow can be a good thing. The no-questions-asked mentality of versatile senior Tyler Howells has made MSU head coach Rick Comley's job much easier. When the team was riddled with illness and injury, Comley tried a number of different line combinations. He tried senior forward Brandon Warner — with a career total of nine points — on the top line.
According to television reports, last week's NHL All-Star game, which took place on a Wednesday night in an attempt to boost ratings, experienced a 76 percent drop in viewership compared with the 2004 game. The all-star game and skills competition from Dallas was televised nationally on Versus as opposed to 2004's All-Star game, which was shown on ABC on a Sunday afternoon.
MSU senior forward Tyler Howells has been named a finalist for the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge.
While the bye week was a restful one, the MSU hockey team did more moving than it would have liked. The Spartans, who have 25 points in the CCHA so far this year, dropped from third to fourth in the league standings during their idle weekend, while Michigan surpassed MSU with a pair of conference wins. "It doesn't really matter until all games have been played," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
Even with a few old faces, this is a new MSU defense on the ice. Junior Jeff Dunne and sophomore Brandon Gentile are finally healthy.
The No. 9 Spartans hockey team is idle this weekend before taking on Nebraska-Omaha in a road series Feb.
First MSU hockey game attendance this season against Western Michigan — 4,497. Saturday's attendance against Lake Superior — 6,653. The cheering, the chants and the overall crowds have galvanized the Spartans at Munn Ice Arena in their last four home games, creating more of a buzz around the arena than there has been in recent years. Winning nine of the past 10 games most likely helps attendance, but even some of the players aren't quite accustomed to the fan activity yet. "The crowds are into it from the start," freshman defenseman Mike Ratchuk said.
No matter how they do it, the Spartans are winning. Now victors of nine out of 10 games and back into contention for the CCHA regular-season title, the way the No.
It was a night of milestones on Saturday, but not of the statistical variety. MSU head coach Rick Comley turned 60 years old, and junior forward Bryan Lerg turned 21. Before the game started, Comley received a gift from an old friend. "Two of our jesters got me a birthday cake, an ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins," Comley said.
The No. 11 Spartans achieved sole possession of third place in the CCHA standings with last weekend's home sweep over Alaska. Now, Lake Superior comes to Munn Ice Arena, where the Spartans boast a stellar 8-1-1 home record, for a weekend series beginning tonight. The Lakers (13-8-3 overall, 7-6-3 CCHA) come into East Lansing with a chance to tie the Spartans (14-8-1, 10-6-1) in conference standings if they get a weekend sweep, prompting a competitive weekend of play. "(The Lakers) had a pretty good start to the year," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
MSU head coach Rick Comley was caught in an unfamiliar situation during the weekend — he actually got to toy with a healthy lineup. Comley moved sophomore forward Nick Sucharski to left wing on a line with junior center Bryan Lerg and junior right wing Jim McKenzie in Saturday night's 4-3 win against Alaska.
It's been a lot of traveling, sickness and road venues, but the Spartans are finally home. After winning five of their last six games — all of which were away from East Lansing — MSU plays its first games at Munn Ice Arena since Dec.
Sophomore forward Justin Abdelkader knew he wasn't at home, but he didn't expect every game at the 2007 World Junior Hockey Championships in Leksand, Sweden to feel like an away game.