ICE HOCKEY
No. 9 Spartans still have room to grow offensively
The No. 9 Spartans hockey team is idle this weekend before taking on Nebraska-Omaha in a road series Feb.
ICE HOCKEY
Increased crowds at Munn have No. 9 MSU energized, excited
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers find ways to win
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Comley receives gag gift to celebrate 60th birthday Saturday
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers look to gain CCHA ground in key series against Lake Superior
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.
ICE HOCKEY
No. 11 MSU finds balance, depth in new lines
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.
ICE HOCKEY
No. 10 MSU returns home for series against gritty Nanooks
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Vukovic proves to be steady force on Spartans blueline
Judging by the laughter from his teammates in Monday's press conference at Munn Ice Arena, junior defenseman Daniel Vukovic's CCHA Defensive Player of the Week award was somewhat unexpected.
ICE HOCKEY
Abdelkader brings bronze medal back to MSU
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Vukovic scores first-time CCHA honors
Junior defenseman Daniel Vukovic was named CCHA Defensive Player of the Week for his first career time.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers earn split at No. 6 Miami
Oxford, Ohio — The No. 10 MSU hockey team stayed in contention for the top CCHA spot by bouncing back from its 5-2 defeat against No.
ICE HOCKEY
U.P. trip a homecoming for Comley
The city of Marquette still holds a special place in the heart of MSU hockey head coach Rick Comley. Not only did he coach at Northern Michigan from 1976 to 2002, but he was the first head coach in Wildcats history and was pivotally involved in the construction of their hockey rink. Comley's grandest coaching achievement with the Wildcats came in the 1990-91 season, when he guided the team to a 38-5-4 overall record and a national championship. This weekend, Comley will take his No.
ICE HOCKEY
Abdelkader picked for U.S. squad
Sophomore forward Justin Abdelkader will be temporarily trading in his green and white sweater for a red, white and blue one later this month. Abdelkader was selected Tuesday to represent Team USA at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Championships from Dec.
ICE HOCKEY
Up-and-down Spartans search for continuity
The MSU hockey team is almost at the halfway point of the season, and there have been 15 games of mixed emotions for head coach Rick Comley. The positive: The Spartans have defeated top national teams Michigan and Notre Dame. The negative: MSU's spotty offense and shallow lineup have prevented it from consistently carrying over quality play from game to game and have left the Spartans with a .500 overall record. "We don't need excuses — we just have to get better," Comley said Monday at his weekly press conference.
ICE HOCKEY
Special teams struggles limit Spartans to split
The story of the season so far for the No. 12 Spartans has been inconsistency of play and inability to carry momentum from game to game. After splitting a home weekend series with Ohio State, the Spartans aren't any closer to solving those problems. Following a 4-1 win against Ohio State in the series opener Friday night, MSU gave up two shorthanded goals and two power-play goals in a 4-1 loss Saturday — the Spartans' first regular-season loss at Munn Ice Arena this season. "I was hoping we would take a step (Saturday) and take the game to them," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "I didn't see that." Friday's contest could have been called The Tim Kennedy and Chris Mueller Show.
ICE HOCKEY
WEB EXTRA: Goebel returns to East Lansing as Buckeye
It will be somewhat of a homecoming for Ohio State junior forward Tommy Goebel when the Buckeyes invade Munn Ice Arena on Friday and Saturday for a two-game series. Goebel donned the green and white at MSU for two seasons, from 2003 to 2005, before transferring to Ohio State following his sophomore year. In his freshman season at MSU, Goebel earned a spot on the CCHA All-Rookie Team after scoring 15 goals and tallying 32 points.
ICE HOCKEY
Young Spartans still searching for identity
Last week, the Spartans' record slipped from 6-3-1 to 6-6-1 and their ranking fell from No. 6 to No.
ICE HOCKEY
Don't worry about weekend struggles Spartans still fine
Three quality opponents in one week. Three losses. It's exactly what the No. 6 MSU hockey team didn't want heading into a tough stretch of late-November games.
ICE HOCKEY
Blue streak
Ann Arbor — The Spartans had not lost a single matchup against the Wolverines in the past nine games they played against them leading up to Nov.
ICE HOCKEY
Pass on the turkey: MSU will be busy during holiday break
The No. 6 MSU hockey team can forget about heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday to enjoy a home-cooked meal with the family. Instead, the Spartans will be playing three road games in six days and will be spending the holiday weekend with their relatives on the ice. "We consider this our family, too," senior captain Chris Lawrence said.