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Sports

ICE HOCKEY

The real deal

Eric Fish
February 20, 2006

As the final minute ticked down for the No. 10 Spartans in their 3-1 Saturday win over No. 2 Miami (Ohio), MSU head coach Rick Comley sent his five seniors onto the ice to a standing ovation from the Munn Ice Arena crowd. Forwards David Booth, Colton Fretter and Chad Hontvet along with defensemen Corey Potter and Jared Nightingale — who were honored in a Senior Night ceremony prior to the game — capped off an emotional night with a weekend sweep against Miami (21-7-4 overall, 18-6-2 CCHA) in MSU's final regular season home game.

SPORTS

Catch up with...

Get the lowdown on how the next men's hoops class fared recently. Isaiah Dahlman Shooting guard/small forward 6 foot 6, 175 pounds Braham Area High School (Braham, Minn.) Dahlman led Braham with 31 points but that was not enough as Minneapolis Henry defeated the Bombers, 70-62 on Monday, the Isanti County News reported.

BASKETBALL

MSU's most overlooked athlete back to old self

It had not been a good week for Drew Neitzel. The sophomore guard played arguably his worst game of the season against Minnesota last Saturday, missing seven of eight shots and recording more turnovers (four) than points (three). He followed that with another frustrating game at Iowa on Tuesday, finishing with his fewest assists in more than a month. And sadly, that wasn't the worst part.

SPORTS

From the road

Men's hoops reporter Tom Keller discusses the highs and lows of Iowa. But mostly lows. Of all the places I wanted to spend Valentine's Day, Iowa City was obviously at the top of the list.

BASKETBALL

Still in the hunt

Matt Bishop
February 20, 2006

Three things made MSU head coach Tom Izzo smile after Saturday's game at Breslin Center. The first: Regaining dominance over archrival Michigan, courtesy of a 90-71 win. The second: The re-emerging possibility of winning the Big Ten.

SPORTS

Monday musings

Tom Keller
February 20, 2006

A different take on the sports world. The MSU men's basketball team dominated the University of Michigan on Saturday, reasserting itself as the premier team in the state. In a related story, ESPN broadcaster Rick Majerus repeatedly referred to MSU forward Matt Trannon as a tight end, reasserting himself as the dumbest TV analyst in the country. The Spartans' win was overshadowed, however, by a pre-game incident in which little-used U-M center Amadou Ba got into a verbal altercation with an Izzone member and pushed him to the ground. The fan is reportedly being charged with assault and Ba-ttery. 5-foot-9 New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson won the NBA dunk contest on Saturday, beating out 6-foot-6 Andre Iguodala, among others. Hear that, DeMarcus Ducre?

SOFTBALL

10 returning starters bolster Spartans as tourney kicks off season

By Becky Johns For The State News As the MSU softball team prepares for a new season, players and coaches are keeping one objective in mind: "Play the game, not the jersey." MSU head coach Jacquie Joseph said the philosophy of focusing on its own game, not the opponent's, is what keeps the players working toward a common goal.

ICE HOCKEY

MSU to honor its 5 seniors

Eric Fish
February 17, 2006

Colton Fretter can still remember the feeling he had after he scored the game-winning goal in the 2004 Great Lakes Invitational championship game to beat Michigan, 2-1. "That was just crazy because no one here on this team had won any kind of championship or anything," he said.

SPORTS

Seniors' last hurrah at Breslin tonight

Ethan Conley
February 16, 2006

The No. 14 MSU women's basketball team faces Iowa tonight at 7 p.m. at Breslin Center. The Hawkeyes (14-9 overall, 7-5 Big Ten) topped the Spartans (19-7, 9-4) in the previous meeting between the two teams, 75-64, on Jan.

ICE HOCKEY

Home ice within reach

Eric Fish
February 16, 2006

While the No. 10 Spartans might not be able to catch CCHA-leading and No. 2 Miami (Ohio) in the conference standings, beating the RedHawks in a two-game series at Munn Ice Arena this weekend would be immense. For one, the Spartans (17-10-7 overall, 11-7-6 CCHA) could create some space in the close CCHA race and further the attempt to lock up home ice in the playoffs as well as a first-round playoff bye. Secondly, wins against a highly ranked team like Miami (20-5-4, 17-4-2) would mean more sway for MSU in terms of seeding for the NCAA Tournament next month. "We're fighting for a first-round bye so that's the only thing we're kind of thinking about, talking about — just as we've done over the last couple of months is just try to put wins on the board," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. Miami clinched the CCHA regular-season title with a 6-3 win Tuesday against Ohio State.

SPORTS

Big weekend looming ahead for Spartans sports teams

State News sports reporters Eric Fish and Matt Bishop discuss Olympics and MSU hockey and basketball. How the United States will fare in men's Olympic hockey … Eric Fish: I think they'll do better than people expect them to do, but not as good as they could have if they would have kept John Grahame or Robert Esche at home and brought goaltender Ryan Miller instead. Even so, I like the American team, and I like how it's not being hyped up.

SPORTS

Shimek, Bowen fuel comeback on Senior Day

Ethan Conley
February 14, 2006

Two of the most impressive players in MSU women's basketball history were given their moment in the spotlight after Sunday's 53-47 over Wisconsin. Senior forward Liz Shimek and senior guard Lindsay Bowen, playing in their second-to-last home game as Spartans, were honored in front of teammates, coaches and a crowd of more than 9,000 — the sixth-largest in MSU women's basketball history. They are two of only three players in MSU history to score more than 1,600 career points and will likely be racing neck and neck for the MSU career scoring record as the season comes to a close. Given the circumstances under which the then-No.

BASKETBALL

Wanted: Player to assume leadership role

Tom Keller
February 14, 2006

In years past, when MSU head coach Tom Izzo wanted to get a feel for how his team was doing, there were certain players he knew he could talk to and find out. Right now, he's not sure where to turn. "The last three or four years, it's been harder for me to gauge our team because we haven't had that true, true leader," Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference.

BASKETBALL

Izzo: MSU lacked preparation

Matt Bishop
February 13, 2006

Minneapolis — It's not often MSU head coach Tom Izzo throws around words like "outcoached" and "outplayed," no matter what the circumstance. That is what made Saturday's 69-55 loss to Minnesota that much more surprising.