When asked what he’s taking away from the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational, Tom Anastos paused and answered with one word: heartburn. After a shootout loss to Western Michigan on Saturday and a 5-2 loss to rival Michigan on Sunday, the hearts of all MSU hockey (5-11-3 overall, 4-8-1-0 CCHA) players are likely burning along with their head coach.
The consolation game of the Great Lakes Invitational, or GLI, featured rivals MSU and U-M in a heated battle in which U-M prevailed, 5-2. The match up at Joe Louis Arena got off to a quick start, with three goals in the first period — courtesy of U-M’s Lee Moffie and MSU sophomore forwards Tanner Sorenson and Matt Berry. The game slowed down in the second period, with both teams unable to find the back of the net. The third period proved to be a productive one for U-M, netting three goals. An odd-man rush by the Wolverines early in the third tied the game up, and U-M pulled ahead minutes later with a power play goal. With about ten minutes remaining, U-M’s Di Guiseppe netted a goal following a backhanded pass from Moffatt on one knee. After a game misconduct and a five-minute major by Wolverines’ Treais, U-M’s Hyman received a goal after being tripped when rushing an empty net. Western Michigan and Michigan Tech will face off for the GLI Championship at 7 p.m.
Tempe, Ariz. – There are two types of wins, ones that are expected and might even lead to disappointment, and others that thrill, and give hope for the future of a football program.
When MSU head coach Mark Dantonio walked to the podium after his team’s dramatic 17-16 win against Texas Christian University in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Saturday night, he smiled, sighed and spoke with what little voice he had left.
The MSU football team pulled out a win against TCU, 17-16, in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., Saturday night.
With the National Hockey League locked out from play, the Joe Louis Arena found it’s life again Saturday night with a history-making game at the The Great Lakes Invitational. The Great Lakes Invitational kicked off with the MSU and Western Michigan hockey programs, the Broncos besting the Spartans in a shootout.
Just as it has all season, the MSU women’s basketball team relied on a superior rebounding effort and a stout defense Saturday afternoon to pull out a 57-47 win over visiting Temple in the Spartans’ non-conference finale.
Chandler, Ariz. — More than 250 Spartan fans packed into a pep rally waiting to be pumped up for the MSU football team’s Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl matchup with TCU on Saturday night only to fall silent when they got a speech about the departure of an MSU basketball player.
When communication junior Dustin Thaler went home for winter break, he never thought he would get to see his beloved Spartans live before next season at Spartan Stadium.
From the moment head coach Mark Dantonio and the MSU football team arrived in Arizona on Christmas Eve, they’ve been mulling over a season that didn’t go according to plan.
Brandan Kearney reportedly is leaving the MSU basketball program. Head coach Tom Izzo told reporters after practice on Friday the sophomore guard has decided to leave after being unhappy in his role. On numerous occasions, Izzo said Kearney was among the best on the team at understanding his role and how he fits into the scheme of the program.
It’s no secret that Derrick Nix’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. Since his freshman season in 2009, Nix has been embroiled in battles over his weight, his footwork, his conditioning, his maturity within the locker room and, more notably, his highly-publicized personal demons.
One week ago, after a victory over Division II Tuskegee, Tom Izzo said he was excited to enter a “dogfight” every time his basketball team took the court the rest of the season.
From his opening bucket where he drained a hook shot and pumped his fists as he ran back on defense, Derrick Nix was on his game.
The MSU women’s basketball team won’t be returning from Sin City empty-handed. The Spartans claimed the 2012 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic championship in Las Vegas Thursday evening after beating Texas Tech 50-48 in overtime. On Wednesday, the first day of the two-game tournament, MSU (11-1 overall) knocked off Oregon State, 49-35, with a dominating defensive effort. With six minutes left in the game, the Spartans held a 38-31 lead, before Texas Tech (8-2) came storming back and cut the MSU lead to one with less than two minutes to play. Sophomore guard Kiana Johnson, who made her first appearance for MSU this season on Sunday following a nine-game suspension to start the season, came up clutch for the Spartans in the tournament final.
Parker’s announcement means MSU’s 2013 recruiting class still is without any committed players, and it’s possible the Spartans might not bring in any new recruits next season for the first time in head coach Tom Izzo’s tenure. This shouldn’t be a cause for panic among MSU basketball fans.
Standing in front of his friends, family and a large television audience at Chicago Simeon High, the 6-foot-8 small forward Jabari Parker announced his intentions to attend Duke following a long recruiting process.
The MSU women’s basketball team didn’t need help from lady luck Wednesday night in Las Vegas in its first game of the 2012 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic, cruising to a 49-35 win over Oregon State. In Suzy Merchant’s 500th career game as a head coach, the Spartans (10-1 overall) never trailed Oregon State (6-5) at any point in the contest.
After taking the then-No. 5 MSU men’s basketball team into Bowling Green and losing more than 20 years ago, head coach Jud Heathcote vowed he would not return to Anderson Arena, now called the Stroh Center.
“It’s a big week,” Nix said. “We ain’t got no more cupcakes. Let the party start.”