ICE HOCKEY
Coach looks for 1st win
If he weren't teaching the game of hockey to a group of college kids, MSU head coach Rick Comley isn't sure what he'd be doing with his life.
ICE HOCKEY
Athletics director named Hobey Baker 'legend'
MSU athletics director and former Spartans ice hockey coach Ron Mason will be honored as the Hobey Baker Award Foundation's 2004 "Legend of Hockey" at the Frozen Four on April 10 in Boston. The award is given to the person who has committed a significant amount of time and energy in promoting college hockey.
ICE HOCKEY
Pep rally to kick off before Icers' game
Fans are encouraged to attend a pre-game rally for the MSU hockey team Saturday at 11 a.m. at The BOB, 20 Monroe Ave.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers content in underdog role
Maybe it's the extra motivation that drives the MSU hockey team to win games its critics say the Spartans should lose. They took the season series away from CCHA regular-season champs Michigan by tying and winning the final two regular-season contests against the then-No.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans earn No. 3 tournament seed
For any regular bystander, it looked like a normal Sunday afternoon at a local bar - small tables of people watching the basketball games and a few shooting pool or throwing darts. But in the back area of Reno's East Side Sportsbar & Grill, 1310 Abbott Road, members of the MSU hockey team and their families waited anxiously to hear the Spartans' NCAA Tournament fate. Toward the end of the half-hour selection show, MSU finally was announced, prompting the fight song to break out - with "ball" replaced by "hockey." No.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers tourney run ended in Super Six loss
Detroit - The Spartans knew they couldn't keep digging themselves into a hole early in games because sooner or later they wouldn't be able to crawl out of it. Thursday was the night they fell behind and stayed behind. Just 6:05 into the CCHA Super Six quarterfinal game, the MSU hockey team was down, 2-0, to Northern Michigan.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers to face pesky Wildcats squad
Northern Michigan always seems to get in the way of the MSU hockey team's quest for a CCHA championship. This year is no exception. The No.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans sweep weekly CCHA awards; 2 suspended for fights
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers find rhythm in shutouts
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Munn a roadblock for Icers
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Lalonde comes in a quiet 2nd
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers salvage split with Goldie's game-winner
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartan hockey picks up recruit for '04 season
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans shine when forced to play down
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Former Spartan returns home for all-star classic
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans seek to clip 'Hawks in homestand
This weekend marks the start of a crucial matchup between two of the top three teams in the CCHA.
ICE HOCKEY
Sweet sweep
Columbus, Ohio - Paced by freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen's 4-point weekend, the MSU hockey team swept No.
ICE HOCKEY
'U' looks to lose Ohio State woes
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers earn weekend split, still search for sweep
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.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers head to Buckeye state in search of consistency
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.