Michigan State University Athletics
#5 Spartan Hockey vs. Ohio State: Game Notes
10/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 21, 1999
Date Friday, October 22, 1999
Site Munn Ice Arena
Time 7:05 p.m.
See the game live on Fox Sports Detroit (DirecTV Ch. 636). Hear it live on WVFN-AM 730 or at www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/MichiganState
Note of the Night
Renewing the rivalry ? The first Michigan State-Ohio State hockey game was played in 1957, but the rivalry that currently exists truly began in a week in March 31 years later. March 21, 1998, in the longest CCHA championship game in history, the Spartans produced a 3-2 double-overtime victory. March 28, 1998, in Yost Ice Arena, the top-seeded Spartans met the Buckeyes in the NCAA quarterfinals, MSU?s first game since the double-overtime win. Ohio State won in overtime, 4-3, to advance to the Frozen Four.
From March 21, 1998, on, the series is tied, 2-2-1, and four of the five games have been tied or decided by one goal.
Five More Notes No Media Person Should Be Without
1. Fantastic freshmen ? Head coach Ron Mason?s lineup has featured seven or eight freshmen every night, and they have contributed significantly to this point. All five freshmen who have played in every game have at least one point. Two (defensemen Brad Fast and John-Michael Liles) are averaging a point per game and a third (Brian Maloney) shares the team lead in goals with two. Freshmen combined for 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the two-game sweep of Nebraska-Omaha last weekend.
2. More rookies ? Freshmen have accounted for 42 percent (five of 12) of Michigan State?s goals and 34 percent of MSU?s points (11 of 32). Michigan State freshmen accounted for four goals in the Spartans final win of 1998-99 (vs. Colorado College in the NCAA quarterfinals) and its first win of 1999-2000 (vs. Nebraska-Omaha).
3. Munn-believable ? Michigan State is 4-3-2 in home openers in the 1990s and 32-21-3 all-time.
4. The ALCS could have used some of these guys ? Tonight marks Michigan State?s first experience with the CCHA?s experiemental four-man officiating system. The system, which utilizes two referees and two linesmen, is tentatively scheduled for use in 16 games this year. MSU will see it in both games this weekend and tentatively Nov. 12 vs. Bowling Green.
5. Coaching connection ? Ohio State head coach John Markell played for MSU head coach Ron Mason at Bowling Green and was a teammate of Spartan assistant coach Tom Newton. Mason coached three CCHA coaches in college (Markell, Northern Michigan?s Rick Comley and Ferris State?s Bob Daniels).
Others Receiving Votes
Balancing act ? Six different Spartans are averaging at least a point per game through three games this season. Four different players share the team lead in goals with two each.
Give me a second ? Michigan State is outscoring opponents 6-1 in the second period, but is being outscored, 7-6, in the first and third periods.
This little piggy had two goals ? Head coach Ron Mason said the absence of junior left wing Damon Whitten from the Spartan lineup at Colorado College played a big role in the Spartans? disappointing performance. Whitten?s return last weekend reinforced that theory. Playing on a fractured right pinky toe suffered while blocking a shot in the Oct. 1 Green & White Game, Whitten had an assist Friday night and two goals Saturday night. It marked the first multiple-goal game in the career of the left wing, who had played goaltender until his junior year of high school.
Special effects ? Michigan State?s power play and penalty killing keyed the sweep of Nebraska-Omaha. The Spartans killed off 19-of-20 UNO power plays and scored a short-handed goals of their own, while producing a five-for-15 power play. Saturday, MSU?s power play was four-for-nine, its first four-goal outburst since Jan. 10, 1998 (four-for-eight vs. Northern Michigan).
Blue-line boys ? Michigan State?s freshman defensemen Brad Fast and John-Michael Liles have both been impressive early, with solid defensive instincts and an ability to jump into the offense. Both stand tied for second on the team in scoring and lead all defensemen with a goal and two assists (three points).
Fast had a short-handed goal Friday and added an assist. Saturday, Liles contributed a goal and two assists (all in the third period), including a goal and an assist in four-on-four situations.
Making his mark ? Freshman left wing Brian Maloney had two goals Friday night (including the game-winner) and tied the Michigan State school record for penalties in a game Saturday night with six. Maloney, who had three goals and an assist in the exhibition game against Guelph, leads the Spartans with 10 penalties for 28 minutes.
Familiar faces ? Michigan State?s six former members of the U.S. Under-18 Team (Troy Ferguson, Joe Goodenow, Adam Hall, Andrew Hutchinson, Jon Insana and John-Michael Liles) will face former teammate Scott Titus vs. Ohio State.
Ohio State backup goaltender Chris Newman was the backup to MSU?s Ryan Miller with the Soo Indians of the NAHL last year.
Great goalies ? Michigan State played both of its goaltenders, junior Joe Blackburn and freshman Ryan Miller, for the second weekend in a row. Blackburn and Miller were back-to-back winners of the USA Hockey Goaltender of the Year award in 1997 and ?98, respectively.
Head coach Ron Mason calls the team?s depth at goaltender its best since the days of Bob Essensa and Norm Foster in the mid-1980s.
Long time no see ? Michigan State and Ohio State haven?t played each other since Nov. 13, 1998, the longest the Spartans have gone without seeing one of the other CCHA teams. The two teams won?t see each other again in the 1999-2000 regular season, as MSU still will not have visited the Buckeyes? Value City Arena.
Patch things up ? Junior wing Sean Patchell owns the Spartans? longest point-scoring streak (four games) and is just one shy of his goal total from all of last year. He scored his third goal of 1998-99 in the NCAA semifinal game against New Hampshire and already has two goals and an assist this season.
INJURY REPORT ? Fr. F Pat Brush (left knee injury, out indefinitely), So. F Joe Goodenow (left hip injury, out indefinitely), Sr. G Mike Gresl (left hand fracture, out 5-7 weeks).
The fries at the bottom of the bag ? Jon Insana didn?t score a goal all year last year, but had one vs. Guelph ... Michigan State?s exhibition game against Guelph, had it been a real game, would have marked the Spartans? most goals in a game since 1991 (12 vs. Ohio State) and largest margin of victory since 1990 (12 goals vs. Ferris State) ... the only other time Michigan State opened the season against Colorado College was 1965-66 (a 4-0 loss), the year MSU won its first national championship ... Michigan State?s hockey team (No. 5), football team (AP No. 11) and men?s basketball team (preseason No. 1 by many publications) are all ranked in the nation?s top five.
Say This About Our Players...
1 ? Mike Gresl (Sr., G)
? a solid backup goalie, he will miss the start of the season with a fractured left hand
2 ? Jon Insana (So., D)
? MSU?s Most Improved Player a year ago
? after not scoring a goal all of last season, had one against Guelph
3 ? Brody Brandstatter (Jr., D)
? the ninth E. Lansing native to play for MSU
4 ? John-Michael Liles (Fr., D)
? a talented freshman defenseman who brings offensive skill to the blue line
? had a goal and two assists ? all in the third period ? vs. UNO Saturday
5 ? Mike Weaver (Sr., D)
? first-team All-CCHA, second-team All-America and CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman last year
? posted a +23 rating last season
? had two assists in the Green & White Game
6 ? Steve Clark (Fr., F)
? recorded his first career goal at UNO
? had 44-66-100 in 51 GP for the Streetsville Derbys last year
7 ? Brad Hodgins (Sr., D)
? leader among MSU defensemen in career points with 9-46-55
? eight of his nine career goals are PPGs
9 ? Sean Patchell (Jr., W)
? has at least a point in each of the last four games, dating back to the NCAA semifinals
? led MSU in penalties last year with 37
10 ? Shawn Horcoff (Sr., C)
? MSU?s top active scorer (36-55-91) as he nears 100 career points
? team captain this season
? 15 of his 36 career goals have come in the third period or OT
? MSU was 10-0-1 last year when he scored a goal
? Hockey News rates him the Edmonton Oilers?s No. 4 prospect and a sure-fire NHLer
14 ? Damon Whitten (Jr., LW)
? had 2-1-3 last weekend despite playing on a fractured right pinky toe
? enjoyed his first career multi-goal game on Saturday at UNO
? sixth on the team last year with nine goals
17 ? Troy Ferguson (Fr., F)
? had two assists Oct. 16 vs. UNO
? co-captain for the U.S. Under-18 Team last season
18 ? Adam Hall (So., RW)
? had a goal in each game at UNO
? led the CCHA with six goals in the 1999 postseason
? three-time CCHA Rookie of the Week in 1998-99 and a finalist for Rookie of the Year
19 ? Rustyn Dolyny (Jr., C)
? leads active Spartans in career goals (38)
? his four SHGs last year led the CCHA and were second in the NCAA
? scored MSU?s first goal seven times last year
? can play RW or C
20 ? Brian Maloney (Fr., LW)
? had two goals last Friday at UNO, including the game-winner
? 21-year-old freshman with great touch around the net
? had a goal in the Green & White Game and 3-1-4 vs. Guelph
22 ? Andrew Bogle (So., RW/C)
? had two goals and two assists last year
? had three goals and an assist in the Green & White Game and vs. Guelph
24 ? Andrew Hutchinson (So., D)
? a strong two-way defenseman who was picked by Nashville in this summer?s NHL Draft
? had 13 of his 15 points and 48 of his 67 shots on goal last year after Christmas
26 ? Joe Goodenow (So., LW)
? will miss the start of the season with a hip injury suffered at U.S. Junior National Team tryouts in August
27 ? Brad Fast (Fr., D)
? had his first career point vs. CC and first career goal in next game at UNO
? a speedy, skilled defenseman and a third-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes
30 ? Joe Blackburn (Jr., G)
? returning first-team All-American
? set CCHA and MSU single-season records in GAA and save percentage last year
? owns the best career GAA (1.69) and save percentage (.921) in MSU history
? has three career shutouts
? an outstanding student who hopes to become a teacher after hockey
39 ? Ryan Miller (Fr., G)
? has shared time in net with Blackburn to this point, with a 2.02 GAA and .927 save percentage
? an East Lansing native and cousins of Kip, Kevin and Kelly Miller
? grew up watching his cousins and MSU goalies Bob Essensa and Norm Foster
SERIES INFORMATION vs. OHIO STATE:
? 82nd meeting: MSU leads, 64-12-5
? In East Lansing: MSU leads, 33-2-2
? First meeting: MSU 18, OSU 0 (12/7/57)
? Last meeting: OSU 3, MSU 2 (11/13/98)
? Last 10 meetings: OSU leads, 5-4-1
? Last year?s series: Tied, 1-1-1
? Four of the last five meetings have been tied of decided by one goal
MSU CAREER LEADERS vs. OSU Player (Yr., Pos.) GP, G-A-P Brad Hodgins (Sr., D) 11 GP, 3-6-9 Rustyn Dolyny (Jr., C/W) 7 GP, 4-2-6 Shawn Horcoff (Sr., C) 9 GP, 3-3-6 Mike Weaver (Sr., D) 11 GP, 1-2-3 Goaltenders (Yr.) W-L-T, GAA, Sv.% Joe Blackburn (Jr.) 1-1-1, 2.60, .843
MSU vs. OSU ... so what'cha want
MSU Category OSU t-2nd CCHA Standing t-8th 2-1-0 Overall Record 2-3-0 2-0-0 League Record 1-3-0 3rd National Rank (USCHO) -- 2-1-0 Last 10 Games 2-3-0 0-0-0/2-1-0 Home/Away Record 1-2-0/1-1-0 12 (4.0) Goals (Avg.) 14 (2.8) 8 (2.7) Goals Against (Avg.) 16 (3.2) 5-23 (21.7%) Power Play (Pct.) 5-32 (15.6%) 2nd Overall PP CCHA Rank 8th 4-29 (86.2%) Pen. Killing (Pct.) 34-41 (82.9%) 5th Pen. Killing CCHA Rank 11th 94 (31.3) Shots on Goal (Avg.) 146 (29.2) 80 (26.7) Shots Against (Avg.) 156 (31.2) 43 (14.3) Penalties (Avg.) 61 (12.2) 97 (32.3) Penalty Minutes (Avg.) 132 (26.4)
HOLDOVER NOTES (If you?ve been with us all season, you?ve probably seen these notes...if not, we hope they help)
Everybody?s All-Americans ? Junior goaltender Joe Blackburn and senior defenseman Mike Weaver are the only two returning All-Americans in the CCHA or WCHA. Blackburn was a first-team All-America last year after establishing school and conference records for goals-against average and save percentage. Weaver was a second-team selection, as well as a first-team All-CCHA pick and the CCHA?s Best Defensive Defenseman.
Who?s gone? ? Among Michigan State?s nine lost letterwinners is 1998-99 CCHA Player of the Year, three-time MSU leading scorer and two-time Hobey Baker finalist Mike York, who scored his first career NHL goal for the New York Rangers last Saturday night. Also departed are MSU?s second-leading goal scorer in 1998-99, Bryan Adams, and mainstay defensemen Chris Bogas and Jeff Kozakowski.
Under construction ? Munn Ice Arena, home of 234 consecutive regular-season sellouts, is undergoing its biggest renovation since opening in 1974. Luxury boxes, club seating and a new press box are being added to the facility, while the women?s restrooms on the concourse level have already been expanded and renovated. The rest of the project is set to be completed Jan. 1, and will expand the arena from 6,170 capacity to 6,470. Fourteen luxury suites (eight 12-seat suites, six eight-seat suites) will be above the north concourse, while a 150-seat club seating area and the new press box will be above the south concourse.
Dominant defenses ? Each of the last three seasons, Michigan State has improved upon its school records for goals against per game and penalty killing. Last year, the Spartans allowed just 1.52 goals per game (the second-best average in college hockey since the Great Depression) and killed off 92.0 percent of opponents? power plays.
Two years at the top ? Michigan State has had more All-Americans in the past two years (seven) than any other team in college hockey and has the second-best winning percentage in that time (.791, second to North Dakota?s .804).
Guiding goalies ? Since MSU joined the CCHA in 1981-82, every one of Ron Mason?s starting goaltenders has earned first- or second-team all-league honors at some point during their career.
Indecisive ? Michigan State?s last 13 regular-season overtime games have all ended in ties (0-0-7 this year), dating back to a last-second loss at Western Michigan Jan. 31, 1997. The Spartans have had three playoff overtime games in that time.
Pro producer ? New York Rangers center Mike York is the 41st former Spartan who has played under Ron Mason to reach the NHL.
