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Sports | Ice Hockey

ICE HOCKEY

Icers prepare to battle No. 1 U-M

Yvette Lanier
October 21, 2005

With a big game against No. 1 Michigan coming up this Saturday, the MSU hockey team wasn't found on the ice Thursday night. Instead, head coach Rick Comley canceled practice and took the team bowling. Comley's doing whatever he can to take the pressure off the Spartans (2-0-0 overall) before they travel to Yost Ice Arena to face the Wolverines on Saturday at 7:35 p.m. Last year, the Spartans played two games against U-M at Yost, losing one and tying the other. "They always have a dynamic team that's very good offensively, so we have to play very well," Comley said. Michigan is led by juniors Matt Hunwick and T.J.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers stay unbeaten with exhibition win

Yvette Lanier
October 17, 2005

The MSU hockey team's early success continued this weekend as it defeated Western Ontario 4-2 in a dogfight exhibition game Friday night at Munn Ice Arena. Even though the Spartans (2-0-0 overall) outshot Western Ontario (0-0-0 overall), 40-13, the Mustangs still proved to be a challenge.

ICE HOCKEY

MSU riding high into exhibitioner

Yvette Lanier
October 14, 2005

MSU hockey head coach Rick Comley couldn't ask for a better start to the season. Last weekend, the Spartans went on the road and won the Lefty McFadden Invitational tournament in Dayton, Ohio with commanding victories against Wayne State and North Dakota, last year's national runner-up. It's the first time the Spartans have won their first two games since the 2001-02 season. "I always like to start two and zero," Comley said. The Spartans (2-0-0 overall) will hit the ice again at 7 p.m.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers ascend rankings after tournament win

Esther Gim
October 11, 2005

The MSU hockey team jumped seven spots to No. 10 in the www.uscho.com Division I Poll following wins against Wayne State and last year's national runner-up, North Dakota. With the victories, the Spartans captured the Lefty McFadden Invitational title in Dayton, Ohio, and now stand 2-0.

ICE HOCKEY

Expectations high for Spartans entering 2005-06 season

Eric Fish
October 7, 2005

After compiling a 20-17-4 overall record last season with the expectations and hopes that the program had coming into the 2004-05 campaign, MSU head coach Rick Comley is determined to leave last year in the past. "It was a season obviously, we had good expectations and there was no reason to think we weren't going to do well and then it just didn't work," he said.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers picked 4th in media, coaches poll

Yvette Lanier
September 29, 2005

The coaches and media around the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, or CCHA, are giving early hints that the MSU hockey team will be able to make up for the loss of All-American Jim Slater, who was the team's captain and leading scorer for the last two years. The Spartans were voted fourth in both CCHA preseason polls.

ICE HOCKEY

1st hockey season opening in 2 years gives fans hope for games, new players

It's the middle of the summer and the beginning of August, so it's tough to get excited about the upcoming hockey season, but why not be excited about it? After this weekend, the National Hockey League has a full schedule, rookies from not one year but two - seeing as there was no draft last summer - and the rules are going to be different. Opening night is Oct.

ICE HOCKEY

Icers name volunteer coach for next season

Megan Homanick
June 7, 2005

The MSU hockey team announced in late May that they named former Spartans player Rob Woodward as volunteer assistant coach for the upcoming season. "I believe Rob will be a good fit for our program," MSU head coach Rick Comley said in a written statement.

ICE HOCKEY

Hockey congress gives goalie two awards

Megan Homanick
June 6, 2005

MSU Hockey recruit and incoming freshman goalie Jeff Lerg will be honored with two awards at the 2005 USA Hockey Annual Congress, held June 8-12. Lerg will receive the Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year and USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year awards. The first award is a goaltender chosen from the pool of goalies who attended the USA Hockey National Goaltenders Camp and the USA Hockey Select 16 and Select 17 festivals.

ICE HOCKEY

League changes playoff format

Eric Fish
April 26, 2005

The CCHA is in the process of revising the league's playoff system, which will shorten the regular season by one week and extend the postseason from two to three rounds. The new playoff system will give the top four teams in the regular season first-round byes, and the remaining eight teams would play a best-of-three series with their corresponding seeds. The winners of the eight-team first round will then advance to face the top four teams in the division that were awarded the first-round byes.

ICE HOCKEY

Star-studded event

Eric Fish
April 18, 2005

The last thing on the minds of MSU hockey alumni and professional players that took part in the "Hockey for Hope" all-star charity contest on Saturday at Munn Ice Arena was the final score of the game and the NHL lockout. "Everybody's been disappointed for so long about the NHL," said Kevin Miller, a former MSU star (1984-88) and event organizer.

ICE HOCKEY

Spartans add recruit for fall season

Eric Fish
April 18, 2005

Forward Tim Crowder signed a National Letter of Intent and will make his debut as a Spartan in the fall for the 2005-06 season, head coach Rick Comley announced Friday. "He's the final piece to our recruiting," Comley said.

ICE HOCKEY

Former Spartan sets up charity game

Eric Fish
April 15, 2005

Munn Ice Arena is set to host a charity hockey game at 6 p.m. Saturday featuring MSU hockey alumni and other professional players in an all-star contest. The game has been dubbed "Hockey For Hope," with all proceeds made from the night benefiting the Sparrow Foundation Ron Mason Fund and Ingham Regional Medical Center's cancer and cardiology programs. Kevin Miller, who wore the green and white from 1984-88, has been busy organizing the event ever since the NHL season officially was canceled. "It's been a lot of phone calls, a lot of organizing, but it's for a good cause, and hopefully, it'll be just a great night," Miller said. The other Spartans alumni scheduled to appear on Saturday are Kip Miller, Steve Guolla, Shawn Horcoff, Rem Murray, Bryan Smolinski and Jason Woolley. Woolley said he has been active with Kevin Miller in recruiting players to take part in the game and has helped recruit several big-name NHL players such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Derian Hatcher, Manny Legace, Pat Verbeek, Bryan Berard, Ethan Moreau and Shean Donovan to play. Lidstrom, Hatcher and Legace spent last season with Woolley as members of the Detroit Red Wings, and Verbeek is a retired NHLer who spent two seasons with the Wings. Also scheduled to appear are Darryl Sydor, Brad Lukowich and Chris Dingman from the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. "My hat goes off to these guys," Woolley said.

ICE HOCKEY

Miller unanimously voted captain by team

Eric Fish
April 13, 2005

Forward Drew Miller was voted by his teammates to serve as the MSU hockey team's captain next season for his junior, head coach Rick Comley announced Tuesday. "It's a good group of guys coming back and the freshmen coming in are really talked highly of," Miller said. "I'm excited to lead the team, and I think I have three assistant captains that are all capable of being captain, too, so I think we have a good leadership for the team." Forward Colton Fretter and defensemen Jared Nightingale and Corey Potter will serve as assistants to Miller.

ICE HOCKEY

Recruits to add depth to team next season

Eric Fish
April 7, 2005

MSU head coach Rick Comley said he likes who he has coming back and coming in for the Spartans next season. "We had a lot of young guys gain great experience this year that should be better next year," Comley said last week. "I think we have an outstanding senior class next year that is really going to help the hockey team.

ICE HOCKEY

Not enough

Eric Fish
March 21, 2005

The Spartans missed the tournament cut for the second time in three years and have only been to the dance once since Rick Comley took over the reign of head coach from former head coach and current MSU Athletics Director Ron Mason.