The No. 5 Spartans extended their unbeaten streak to eight games and spoiled Lake Superior State's Senior Night festivities with a 3-2 win Thursday in Sault Ste.
Although No. 5 MSU clinched a first-round CCHA playoff bye and is a lock to finish no lower than fourth in the conference with last weekend's sweep, the Spartans know there are bigger goals to accomplish. Heading into its final two regular-season games against Lake Superior, the Spartans want to claim second place in the CCHA and ride out the season on a winning streak. "Everybody knows the significance of the games and the time of the year," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
They work hard all week in practice with the uncertainty of whether or not they will be in uniform during the weekend. They compete with each other for playing time on the fourth line and have shown how much depth the No.
Although Munn Ice Arena still isn't selling out games as consistently as it used to, the venue has given the Spartans more of a home-ice advantage throughout MSU's 11-2-2 run since the new year. Since the Spartan Brass attended the Jan.
As the final minute ticked down for the No. 10 Spartans in their 3-1 Saturday win over No. 2 Miami (Ohio), MSU head coach Rick Comley sent his five seniors onto the ice to a standing ovation from the Munn Ice Arena crowd. Forwards David Booth, Colton Fretter and Chad Hontvet along with defensemen Corey Potter and Jared Nightingale — who were honored in a Senior Night ceremony prior to the game — capped off an emotional night with a weekend sweep against Miami (21-7-4 overall, 18-6-2 CCHA) in MSU's final regular season home game.
Colton Fretter can still remember the feeling he had after he scored the game-winning goal in the 2004 Great Lakes Invitational championship game to beat Michigan, 2-1. "That was just crazy because no one here on this team had won any kind of championship or anything," he said.
While the No. 10 Spartans might not be able to catch CCHA-leading and No. 2 Miami (Ohio) in the conference standings, beating the RedHawks in a two-game series at Munn Ice Arena this weekend would be immense. For one, the Spartans (17-10-7 overall, 11-7-6 CCHA) could create some space in the close CCHA race and further the attempt to lock up home ice in the playoffs as well as a first-round playoff bye. Secondly, wins against a highly ranked team like Miami (20-5-4, 17-4-2) would mean more sway for MSU in terms of seeding for the NCAA Tournament next month. "We're fighting for a first-round bye so that's the only thing we're kind of thinking about, talking about — just as we've done over the last couple of months is just try to put wins on the board," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. Miami clinched the CCHA regular-season title with a 6-3 win Tuesday against Ohio State.
For John-Michael Liles, there was no dramatic phone call. Instead, the former Spartans hockey standout heard the news a few days before the official announcement was scheduled to be made Dec.
Trying to win the CCHA is no easy task to live up to, being preseason favorites. But while Ohio State (14-12-4 overall, 10-10-2 CCHA) currently sits in eighth place in the conference — four points behind the No.
It was a familiar experience for MSU senior forward David Booth when he came back to the bench wincing in pain after a collision in an Oct.
With Saturday's game against Notre Dame tied at one heading into the second intermission, the message in the Spartans' locker room was clear. "We just said, 'Those are our two points and we need them,'" senior forward David Booth said.
Hockey reporter Eric Fish spent the evening in South Bend, Ind., where MSU has not lost when he covers a game.
With only seven games left in CCHA regular-season play for the No. 14 Spartans, MSU head coach Rick Comley can't stress enough how crucial each game is in the highly competitive conference race. "It's a log jam and obviously every game is very important," Comley said.
Although he stands between the pipes at a less than intimidating 5-foot-6, freshman goaltender Jeff Lerg has given college hockey teams plenty of reason to fear him. "That's kind of what my point is to everyone when I get on the ice," Lerg said.
You could sense the postgame frustration from the MSU hockey team following Friday's 1-1 tie against Michigan at Munn Ice Arena. "At home, you're disappointed with a tie — bottom line," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. But at times it could be argued that the No.
Both their CCHA and overall records are almost identical. Three of the past four games against each other have ended in draws. Eight of their past nine meetings have been decided by a goal or less. That's just a slight indication of how evenly matched the Wolverines and Spartans are on the ice.
Deep into the NHL season, only one word that can sum up my fantasy hockey team so far — sucky. Fifth out of 12 teams isn't bad, but considering that I had the first overall pick in the draft and tons of expectations to meet when questioned about my abilities to draft a fantasy winner, I'm disappointed. A huge reason for inconsistences is injuries.
After splitting a road series against Nebraska-Omaha last weekend, the No. 16 Spartans are back on home ice tonight against another run-and-gun, up-tempo team in Ferris State. "They skate very well.
Although the No. 19 Spartans' winning streak ended after splitting a pair of games at Nebraska-Omaha this past weekend, the poise and spirit of the team has not been dampened. "You can't get down on one loss," senior forward David Booth said.
Having won five contests in a row, including seven of the past eight, the MSU hockey team is red hot. After making Michigan its latest victim in a 2-0 Tuesday night win, the Spartans (13-8-5 overall, 7-5-4 CCHA) have a quick turnaround and will face Nebraska-Omaha in a road series starting tonight. The Spartans are now in a third-place CCHA tie with Lake Superior and are in the process of playing six times in two weeks. "You just really can't take a night off," senior defenseman Jared Nightingale said.