The remaining 10 games of the MSU hockey team's CCHA season don't exactly start off easy. The Spartans (13-11-2, 8-9-1 CCHA) will face off against No.
Ten games. That's all that's left for the MSU hockey team in CCHA play, making it ever so crucial for the Spartans to string together some wins. It's no mystery that the season thus far has been plagued with inconsistency and misfortune for MSU, but finding itself in a sixth-place conference tie and the thought of not having home ice for the CCHA playoffs is not something the Spartans want to welcome. "As games diminish, your chances to affect where you are obviously start to evaporate," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
It was the same old story for the MSU hockey team when the Spartans met the US National Under-18 team in exhibition play Friday at Munn Ice Arena. They outshot USA 49 to 23 but lost, 4-3, and although the game won't count in the standings, senior captain Jim Slater called the loss "embarrassing." "I'll admit it - I'm embarrassed to really talk about it," he said.
The MSU hockey team will meet the US National Under-18 Team, a team partially responsible for the development of five current Spartans, at 7:05 p.m.
Junior forward David Booth picked up flu-like symptoms on a road trip to Miami (Ohio) earlier in the month and sat out the series against Western Michigan due to his illness.
At a time of year when the MSU hockey team is in dire need of a sweep, the Spartans were only able to take three of the available four points their home weekend series had to offer against Lake Superior State. In a season where goal scoring has been hard to come by for the Spartans, they were able to score a total of 10 goals in the series.
The goal remains simple for the MSU hockey team - win three out of every four games the remainder of the regular season. After a split last weekend with Western Michigan, the Spartans (12-11-1 overall, 7-9-0 CCHA) will be forced to win both games this weekend, when they welcome Lake Superior for a two-game series at Munn Ice Arena, in order to accomplish their goal. "We know we have to win every game at home," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "It's plain and simple and none of them are going to be easy.
After scoring a team-leading 22 goals in the 2003-04 season, forward Mike Lalonde was expected to pick up where he left off to start his senior year at MSU. After a slow start, Lalonde suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for the majority of December, only posting one goal at the time of his injury. Lalonde's return to the lineup for the first game of the Great Lakes Invitational tournament against New Hampshire was well received when he scored a goal in MSU's 4-3 overtime win - and he didn't stop there. In the six games that Lalonde has played since returning from injury, he has scored in three of them, including a huge game-winning tally last Saturday over Western Michigan. "I definitely feel like the injury is healed," Lalonde said following Saturday's 3-1 win.
Injured icers making progress for return Junior forward David Booth and senior forward Kevin Estrada were scratched from the lineup last weekend because of sickness, which they picked up on a recent road trip to Miami (Ohio). Booth's illness was taken more seriously than originally diagnosed, when he lost more than 20 pounds and wasn't eating.
MSU head coach Rick Comley said he didn't sleep Friday night. After watching his Spartans fall 5-4, despite a hat trick off the stick of sophomore forward Drew Miller, and registering 50 shots to Western Michigan's 25, Comley and the Spartans were heartbroken and looking for answers. Comley said the loss was frustrating "more than you can possibly imagine." Normally, when a team doubles the shots of its opponent, it wins.
The No. 8 MSU women's basketball team ran their home record to 8-0 after defeating No. 12 Minnesota on Sunday, 62-49. The Spartans (15-2 overall, 4-1 Big Ten) were led by junior guard Lindsay Bowen, who had 20 points after only scoring two in the first half, and senior center Kelli Roehrig led the team in rebounds with nine. "Lindsay was much more aggressive in the second half," MSU head coach Joanne P.
Bowling Green, Ohio - Lately, it has been feast or famine for the MSU hockey team. After scoring one goal in a 2-1 loss to Bowling Green on Friday, the MSU offense exploded for six goals, defeating the Falcons, 6-4, Saturday at BGSU Ice Arena. "I know our record's not very good, but honest to God, our quality of play has not been that bad," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
It was yet another odd weekend for the MSU hockey team. After routing No. 2 Wisconsin 4-0 on Friday, the Spartans had the favor returned to them by No.
It was a refreshing day for the MSU hockey team, led by two freshmen forwards in a 2-0 win over No. 8 Cornell on Sunday in front of 5,534 fans at Munn Ice Arena.
Big Rapids - Riding the coattails of sophomore goaltender Dominic Vicari and the line of sophomore Drew Miller, freshman Chris Mueller and junior Colton Fretter, the MSU hockey team continued its dominance of Ferris State with a weekend sweep. "That line has been an outstanding line for us," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
You know things aren't going well when, for the first 55 minutes of Saturday's hockey game, the loudest cheer came when Jason Teague took a 3-yard plunge into the end zone for a touchdown. That was the case for Spartans (2-4-0, 1-3-0 CCHA) as they were romped, 5-2, by Nebraska-Omaha (5-1-0, 3-1-0) in front of only 4,946 fans at Munn Ice Arena. "(I'm) confused," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
Marquette - It was a struggle all weekend for the MSU hockey team as the Spartans limped through a sweep at the hands of Northern Michigan.
After a split this past weekend with St. Lawrence and New Hampshire, the No. 9 MSU hockey team will travel to Marquette to play Northern Michigan. An oddity of the Wildcats' home, the Berry Events Center, is that it hosts an Olympic-sized ice sheet.
Senior forward Ash Goldie had a goal and two assists and senior forward Kevin Estrada had a goal and an assist to lead the MSU hockey team to a 7-2 victory over Toronto on Sunday at Munn Ice Arena. "Tonight, I thought two of our better forwards were Goldie and Estrada," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
After a week of intense practices, the MSU hockey team will finally hit the ice to open the 2004-05 season with a pair of exhibition games this weekend at Munn Ice Arena. "We want to get the team going," junior forward David Booth said.