ICE HOCKEY
Split season
In a season plagued by inconsistencies and the inabilities to string together wins, the MSU hockey team walked away with another split in a home series against No.
ICE HOCKEY
Winter ruined thanks to NHL's Bettman, Goodenow's inabilities to negotiate
During the past few days, I've developed a severe case of sailor mouth. Sailor mouth, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, is when you start cursing like a sailor. I can't even begin to speak of NHL "commissioner" Gary Bettman or NHL Players Association Executive Director Bob Goodenow without letting loose "f-bombs" strung together in an incoherent sentence with names intertwined.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers remain optimistic for season
A tie for eighth place isn't where the Spartans want to be in the CCHA standings with six games left.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans swept by Nanooks
It was a difficult weekend of play for the MSU hockey team as the Spartans were unable to pick up any points on their trip to Alaska-Fairbanks and were swept courtesy of the Nanooks for the first time in history. After a heartbreaking 6-5 overtime loss Friday, and a 1-0 loss the next night, the Spartans are left in a tough spot in the CCHA standings, where they are tied for eighth place, and would have to go on the road for the playoffs if the postseason were to start today. "We play hard, we work hard and the positive is that we're not going to quit playing," MSU head coach Rick Comley said after Saturday's game. "The one thing we've done all year is play hard.
ICE HOCKEY
WEB ONLY: Icers adjust to wider ice surface at Alaska for 2-game series
After two ties against CCHA-leading Michigan last weekend, the MSU hockey team will again play a challenging series this weekend when the Spartans travel to Alaska-Fairbanks to take on the Nanooks for a two-game set. Aside from the competition, the Spartans (13-11-4 overall, 8-9-3 CCHA) will also be battling the flu that has spread through the team, as well as adjusting to the four-hour time difference and the Olympic-size ice surface the Nanooks play on. If there is a bright side to making the long road trip, it's that Alaska-Fairbanks (9-12-3, 8-11-3) was on the road against Northern Michigan last weekend and will also have to make the haul back. "That's a lot better than them being home a month waiting for us," MSU head coach Rick Comley said of the Nanooks' travel back from Northern.
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Q&A Player of the week: Dominic Vicari
The sophomore from Clinton Township, Mich. was named the defensive player of the week for both the CCHA and USCHO/ITECH following his performances against Michigan, while he also fought the flu.
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Spartans hit with sickness; travel to Great White North
The competition that the MSU hockey team has faced in the remaining games of the season hasn't been the only force the team has had to combat. Starting with junior forward David Booth, the Spartans have been hampered by the flu.
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Icers' late comebacks earn points over rival
Detroit - Time was running out for the MSU hockey team when the Spartans found themselves behind late in both games against No.
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WEB ONLY: MSU takes on U-M in key weekend series
The remaining 10 games of the MSU hockey team's CCHA season don't exactly start off easy. The Spartans (13-11-2, 8-9-1 CCHA) will face off against No.
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Icers gear up for final 10 games
Ten games. That's all that's left for the MSU hockey team in CCHA play, making it ever so crucial for the Spartans to string together some wins. It's no mystery that the season thus far has been plagued with inconsistency and misfortune for MSU, but finding itself in a sixth-place conference tie and the thought of not having home ice for the CCHA playoffs is not something the Spartans want to welcome. "As games diminish, your chances to affect where you are obviously start to evaporate," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
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Under-18 team gets best of MSU
It was the same old story for the MSU hockey team when the Spartans met the US National Under-18 team in exhibition play Friday at Munn Ice Arena. They outshot USA 49 to 23 but lost, 4-3, and although the game won't count in the standings, senior captain Jim Slater called the loss "embarrassing." "I'll admit it - I'm embarrassed to really talk about it," he said.
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WEB-ONLY: Icers face Under-18 team in exhibition game
The MSU hockey team will meet the US National Under-18 Team, a team partially responsible for the development of five current Spartans, at 7:05 p.m.
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Booth shines after returning to lineup
Junior forward David Booth picked up flu-like symptoms on a road trip to Miami (Ohio) earlier in the month and sat out the series against Western Michigan due to his illness.
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Spartans settle for tie after 8 goals on Friday
At a time of year when the MSU hockey team is in dire need of a sweep, the Spartans were only able to take three of the available four points their home weekend series had to offer against Lake Superior State. In a season where goal scoring has been hard to come by for the Spartans, they were able to score a total of 10 goals in the series.
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WEB ONLY: Lake Superior invades Munn for 2 weekend games
The goal remains simple for the MSU hockey team - win three out of every four games the remainder of the regular season. After a split last weekend with Western Michigan, the Spartans (12-11-1 overall, 7-9-0 CCHA) will be forced to win both games this weekend, when they welcome Lake Superior for a two-game series at Munn Ice Arena, in order to accomplish their goal. "We know we have to win every game at home," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "It's plain and simple and none of them are going to be easy.
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Lalonde 'comfortable, confident' after recovering from knee injury
After scoring a team-leading 22 goals in the 2003-04 season, forward Mike Lalonde was expected to pick up where he left off to start his senior year at MSU. After a slow start, Lalonde suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for the majority of December, only posting one goal at the time of his injury. Lalonde's return to the lineup for the first game of the Great Lakes Invitational tournament against New Hampshire was well received when he scored a goal in MSU's 4-3 overtime win - and he didn't stop there. In the six games that Lalonde has played since returning from injury, he has scored in three of them, including a huge game-winning tally last Saturday over Western Michigan. "I definitely feel like the injury is healed," Lalonde said following Saturday's 3-1 win.
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Injured icers making progress for return
Injured icers making progress for return Junior forward David Booth and senior forward Kevin Estrada were scratched from the lineup last weekend because of sickness, which they picked up on a recent road trip to Miami (Ohio). Booth's illness was taken more seriously than originally diagnosed, when he lost more than 20 pounds and wasn't eating.
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Split indicative of team's up-and-down year
MSU head coach Rick Comley said he didn't sleep Friday night. After watching his Spartans fall 5-4, despite a hat trick off the stick of sophomore forward Drew Miller, and registering 50 shots to Western Michigan's 25, Comley and the Spartans were heartbroken and looking for answers. Comley said the loss was frustrating "more than you can possibly imagine." Normally, when a team doubles the shots of its opponent, it wins.
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Spartans still streaking with 8th straight home win
The No. 8 MSU women's basketball team ran their home record to 8-0 after defeating No. 12 Minnesota on Sunday, 62-49. The Spartans (15-2 overall, 4-1 Big Ten) were led by junior guard Lindsay Bowen, who had 20 points after only scoring two in the first half, and senior center Kelli Roehrig led the team in rebounds with nine. "Lindsay was much more aggressive in the second half," MSU head coach Joanne P.
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Howells' 3-point night ensures win, weekend split vs. Falcons
Bowling Green, Ohio - Lately, it has been feast or famine for the MSU hockey team. After scoring one goal in a 2-1 loss to Bowling Green on Friday, the MSU offense exploded for six goals, defeating the Falcons, 6-4, Saturday at BGSU Ice Arena. "I know our record's not very good, but honest to God, our quality of play has not been that bad," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.