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.
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.
The last time Michigan and MSU met on Oct. 22 in Ann Arbor, no winner was decided, and the two teams skated to a 3-3 tie.
They've combined for 14 goals and 25 total points this season. They combined for two huge goals in the 3-3 CCHA-opening tie at Michigan, and they've all been drafted by various NHL clubs. But the greatest part about the trio of Justin Abdelkader, Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder is that they're all just freshmen. "They have good chemistry; they seem to mesh really well," MSU head coach Rick Comley said of the line.
JEFF LERG Freshman goaltender Livonia Last weekend against Wayne State, Lerg stopped 42 of 44 shots in 3-1, and 5-1 wins, respectively.
Nick Sucharski's college hockey career didn't start the way he had originally hoped. After missing the start of the season because of mononucleosis, the freshman forward made his Spartans debut in a Nov.
The Spartans just can't seem to buy a break when they've had to make the long, dreaded trek to Alaska-Fairbanks. When the Spartans (6-7-4 overall, 3-5-3 CCHA) made the journey last February, they were stricken with sickness.
MSU head coach Rick Comley has watched his injury-stricken team go from 5-1-1 through seven games to its current 6-7-4 record.
Bowling Green, Ohio — After breaking an eight-game winless streak Friday with a 3-0 win over Bowling Green, the MSU hockey team was outhustled and outplayed Saturday night as the Falcons salvaged a split with a 4-2 win at BGSU Ice Arena. MSU (6-7-4 overall, 3-5-3 CCHA) was without the services of junior captain Drew Miller (shoulder) and senior defenseman Jared Nightingale (sick), forcing MSU head coach Rick Comley into some lineup changes.
Having gone 0-5-3 in the past eight games, the MSU hockey team is in dire need of a sweep as the Spartans play Bowling Green in a home-and-home series starting tonight. The winless streak is MSU's longest since the 1980-81 season.
After a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to No. 2 Wisconsin on Friday night, the No. 18 MSU hockey team bounced back to tie No.
With less than a minute remaining, MSU scores a tie-breaking goal. Fans cheer and players celebrate. But wait — the referees have to review the play. Munn Ice Arena goes dead silent. The ref turns around and gives a signal.
Despite losing its past three games, the No. 13 Spartans hockey team remains focused and upbeat about its chances to get back into the CCHA race as it prepares to meet last-place Western Michigan in a home-and-home series this weekend.