Grand Rapids — Once the Spartans regained their breath, celebration ensued. While watching failed attempts at scoring empty-net goals and Notre Dame controlling with a six-on-four power play in the final seconds, MSU fans and players could only hope to cling onto the 2-1 lead. When the puck trickled by a Notre Dame defenseman and into neutral territory, everybody knew it — with their 2-1 victory over the No.
What started out as a joke has now taken on a sort of truth for junior defenseman Daniel Vukovic. When Vukovic scored his first goal of the season to lift MSU in a come-from-behind victory over Miami (Ohio) on Jan.
Athletes probably get used to being overlooked when they're 5-foot-6. But not sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg. Lerg, who was named the team's Most Valuable Player on Monday, may be forgotten among Hobey Baker candidates such as Notre Dame goaltender David Brown and Boston goaltender John Curry.
The MSU hockey team prepares to play Boston tonight in Grand Rapids in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Grand Rapids — It shouldn't surprise many people that Boston and MSU have similar hockey teams.
THEY HAVE: Rhett the Terrier WE HAVE: Sparty the … Spartan? THEY HAVE: Campus located parallel to the Charles River in Boston, Mass. WE HAVE: Campus along the Red Cedar River in East Lansing, Mich.
Eleven MSU players earned team honors at the annual hockey banquet on Monday. Sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg earned the 2007 Spartan Hockey Most Valuable Player Award.
Finally, the pressure to get in is gone. MSU is in the NCAA Tournament, and one could only imagine the metaphorical sigh of relief the entire team released when it found out. After weeks of struggling, there is indeed a silver lining. There's a postseason. But still, the team has a longing to play as it did in its run that spanned more than two months.
Detroit — After Friday's 5-2 loss to Michigan in the CCHA semifinals, MSU knew its NCAA Tournament hopes rested on its performance in Saturday's third-place consolation game against Lake Superior. "We have to put this disappointment behind us," MSU head coach Rick Comley said after Friday's game.
MSU won't have to travel far for its first-round NCAA Tournament matchup, but at least it won't be sitting at home watching. After a lackluster end to the regular season and a CCHA Tournament semifinal loss to Michigan, the Spartans earned a No.
The State News caught up with the hockey team's resident funny man, junior forward Zak McClellan.
Lake Superior State Relies on goaltender Jeff Jakaitis, who posted a 2.17 goals-against average and .935 save percentage on the season.
The green 2006 CCHA Championship banner that hangs from the rafters at Joe Louis Arena bears great significance to the MSU hockey team.
Tonight's matchup between MSU and Michigan is something that happens in movies, not real life. Playoff game.
MSU shouldn't have any trouble slipping past the Joe Louis Arena metal detectors entering Friday's semifinals matchup against Michigan. The Spartans failed to receive nominations for CCHA individual and team honors, which will make Thursday's CCHA awards banquet at the Fox Theatre in Detroit a forgettable one. But the Spartans maintain that lack of recognition makes their performance in the CCHA tournament and their national ranking more impressive from a team perspective. "We didn't have a single player who made the top three in any of the league awards or any of the all-star teams or anything," MSU head coach Rick Comley said after Saturday's 4-1 win over Nebraska-Omaha.
All questions surrounding the No. 13 MSU hockey team were put to rest Saturday. Does home ice matter?
MSU won't find out who its second-round CCHA playoff opponent is until Saturday at the earliest, but it's counting on playing Nebraska-Omaha anyway. The Mavericks host last-place Bowling Green this weekend.
Spartans hockey fans may be criticizing the team's recent play, and MSU head coach Rick Comley probably won't blame them. "I've known all along that we have some good points and that we have some deficiencies," Comley said.
The No. 13 Spartans knocked one thing off their to-do list by guaranteeing themselves a fourth-place conference finish and clinching a first-round playoff bye with Friday's 5-3 win at Bowling Green.
Senior forward Tyler Howells learned a few things on the ice during his four years at MSU that he never would have acquired from in a classroom. Howells has played every position — except for goaltender — in a Spartans' uniform, and he considers the experience valuable beyond the rink. "Going out into the work world, you've gotten used to being moved around and learning new things very quickly, accepting new roles," Howells said.