The MSU hockey team's hopes of dressing its current full roster for the next series against Michigan vanished after this past weekend. Freshman forward Drew Miller and junior forward Kevin Estrada are ineligible to compete in game one of the U-M series at 8:05 p.m.
With a satisfied look on his face, head coach Rick Comley stood on the ice, clapping as his players acknowledged the crowd following their 5-0 shutout over Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday night. After struggling since the beginning of the season to string together back-to-back wins, the MSU hockey team finally completed its first home sweep of the season.
For the MSU hockey team (18-5-1 overall, 14-9-1 CCHA), wins at Munn Ice Arena this season have been tough to come by. Three games remain on the Spartans' home schedule, starting with today's matchup against Nebraska-Omaha at 7 p.m., and the icers are close to finishing below .500 at home. Currently, MSU has lost three straight games at home to carry an 8-10-1 record.
Junior forward Mike Lalonde says his game of hockey is simple. He doesn't have to be the fastest skater, nothing about his game is flashy - it's the little things he does that make him the Spartans' leading goal-scorer with 18, tying him for the lead in the CCHA with Miami (Ohio) freshman Matt Christie. Overall, his 31 points rank second behind junior captain Jim Slater, who is the Spartans' candidate for the Hobey Baker Award, given to Division I hockey's top college player. Even with a handful of underclassmen searching for their role on the team, Lalonde, an assistant captain, doesn't feel the pressure from others to perform a notch higher - he puts plenty on himself. "I don't feel as much pressure as much as I put on myself to have a solid, clean game," Lalonde said.
The MSU hockey team spent the weekend trying to rally back after falling behind in both of its games against Alaska-Fairbanks. The Spartans were partly successful in doing so, settling for the split at Alaska - losing, 5-4, in overtime on Friday while winning, 3-2, on Saturday. MSU (18-15-1, 14-9-1 CCHA) found itself in a 4-2 hole at one point in the second period of the first game of the conference matchup.
MSU hockey gained another recruit for the 2004 season when they picked up Minnesota's Jim McKenzie. Nicknamed "Big Mac," McKenzie stands at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 205 pounds.
The MSU hockey team has been close to perfect in holding its opponents off the score sheet when the Spartans play with one man down. MSU is killing off penalties at a rate of 94.6 percent (35 out of 37) since the UMass-Lowell series on Jan.
On this day three years ago, the MSU hockey team was No. 1 in the nation, Ron Mason was head coach and then-sophomore goaltender Ryan Miller was having his Hobey Baker Memorial Award-winning season. The team is now 16-13-1 as of yesterday afternoon, Mason is MSU athletics director, and Miller is in his second year with the Rochester (N.Y.) Americans, the minor-league affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. But this weekend, the former Spartans standout returns to his home state to represent the American Hockey League in its 2004 AHL All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids.
This weekend marks the start of a crucial matchup between two of the top three teams in the CCHA.
Columbus, Ohio - Paced by freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen's 4-point weekend, the MSU hockey team swept No.
Junior captain Jim Slater knows Ohio State has MSU's number. In their last six meetings with the Spartans, the Buckeyes hold a 4-0-2 advantage, including two wins earlier this season.
Old habits are hard to break. But even though the MSU hockey team failed again to sweep this past weekend's series at Bowling Green, the split was a bit different, as the Spartans played close to a complete game.
At one point this season, the MSU hockey team was riding high on a six-game unbeaten streak. Now, they're struggling to win games and desperately searching for points.
Students left campus for winter break and three Spartan hockey players left for the World Junior Championships in Finland, but the rest of the team still had points to earn.
Productivity is the name of the game.For the MSU hockey team (8-7-1 overall, 6-3-1 CCHA), "production" was missed after grossing just two goals in as many games in the 11th annual College Hockey Showcase this past weekend.
There will be little time to rest for the MSU hockey team (8-5-1 overall, 6-3-1 CCHA) after eating turkey and stuffing on Thursday.Friday marks the start of the 11th Annual College Hockey Showcase at Munn Ice Arena, with the Spartans playing host to defending national champion Minnesota (4-7-1, 3-6-1 WCHA) in game one of the showcase.
In his third season, MSU junior forward Mike Lalonde finally pulled the rabbit from his hat. Lalonde was awarded the game's No.
The No. 14 MSU hockey team is tired.That's not a knock, but an expectation from a roster full of student-athletes.
One minute and 33 seconds. That's the time that separated MSU freshman goaltender Dominic Vicari from his second career shutout Saturday night in Oxford, Ohio.
The Spartans head to the unfamiliar confines of Goggin Ice Arena in Oxford, Ohio, in their CCHA series, testing their six-game unbeaten streak. During the Spartans' surge, which put them in the rankings after a five-week hiatus, they have only played two games away from Munn Ice Arena.