Michigan State University Athletics
#4 Spartan Hockey vs. Alaska Fairbanks: Game Notes
11/5/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 5, 1999
Date November 5, 1999
Site Carlson Center (4,324)
Time 11:05 p.m. EST
Hear the game live on WVFN-AM 730 or at www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/MichiganState
Note of the Night
Ripley?s note ? Michigan State has allowed just one goal in its last four games combined, the best defensive four-game stretch in school history.
Five More Notes No Media Person Should Be Without
1. Power surge ? Michigan State?s power play, which finished fifth in the CCHA in league games last year (15.6 percent), leads the league thus far at 32.4 percent in conference games. Some other notes on MSU?s red-hot power play:
? MSU has scored at least one power-play goal in all six conference games.
? The power play has started the scoring for MSU in four of the last five games.
? Eight different players have combined to score MSU?s 12 power-play goals.
? Senior C Shawn Horcoff has had a goal and seven assists (eight points) on the power play, contributing to 67 percent of MSU?s PPGs.
? MSU has scored two or more PPGs in a game three times and three or more PPGs twice.
? Through six games, MSU has scored nearly half as many power-play goals in CCHA games as it did all of last year (12 to 26).
2. Power outage ? Michigan State has led the nation in penalty killing each of the last two years, and continues to excel at a man disadvantage this season. Some notes on the PK:
? MSU is outscoring CCHA opponents while short-handed, with three short-handed goals and only two power-play goals allowed.
? Ferris State snapped a string of 32 consecutive penalty kills last Friday night.
? MSU has killed off 40 of its last 41 short-handed situations (97.6 percent).
? MSU has enjoyed success on the PK despite being assessed the fifth-most penalties in the CCHA.
3. Start me up ? Michigan State is enjoying a better start in CCHA play than in either of the last two years, when the Spartans won both regular-season titles. In fact, this is MSU?s best conference start since 1986-87, when it opened with an 8-0 CCHA mark.
4. Triple threat ? MSU has scored three times as many goals as its opponents (27-9).
5. Balancing act ? Eight Spartans have scored at least two goals through seven games, and four Spartans are averaging a point per game.
Others Receiving Votes
Follow the leader ? Senior center and team captain Shawn Horcoff leads the team in scoring with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists). He also leads the CCHA in points in conference games. His third goal of last weekend, late in the second period Saturday night, made him the 55th Spartan to record 100 career points. Horcoff has a hand in 48 percent of MSU?s goals this season (13 of 27).
The power-play guy ? Senior center Shawn Horcoff has had eight (1-7-8) of his 13 points this season on the power play. Horcoff has had a hand in eight of MSU?s 12 power-play goals. Fifteen of his 39 career goals have come on the power play.
The short-handed guy ? Junior center Rustyn Dolyny has had a hand in all three of Michigan State?s short-handed goals this year (1-2-3). Three of his nine points on the year have come while short-handed. Last year, Dolyny led the CCHA and finished second in the nation with four short-handed goals, including three he scored in the three-game series at Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 1-3). Two of those, plus a short-handed assist, came in the first period of the 5-0 win on Jan. 3.
Great goalies ? Junior Joe Blackburn and freshman Ryan Miller, who in 1997 and ?98 were back-to-back winners of the USA Hockey Goaltender of the Year award, have split time in the Spartan net almost 50-50. They have combined for a goals-against average of 1.29, a save percentage of .942 and three shutouts. Miller and Blackburn are first and second, respectively, in the CCHA in conference GAA and save percentage.
Blank stare ? Freshman goaltender Ryan Miller ? this week?s CCHA Defensive Player of the Week and last week?s Rookie of the Week ? is just the second MSU goalie in history and the first in 17 years to post back-to-back shutouts. Ron Scott also achieved the feat in his junior season, Oct. 22-23, 1982 (both against Illinois-Chicago).
Miller carries a shutout streak of 121:09 into this weekend, 35:13 shy of Scott?s school-record shutout streak of 156:22 set from Oct. 16 to Oct. 29, 1982.
Y2K? Not yet ? Michigan State has made its last three visits to Fairbanks ? including each of the last two years ? over New Year?s.
Give me a second ? Michigan State is outscoring opponents, 12-2, in the second period this season.
Damon?s: the place for wins ? Junior left wing Damon Whitten has played through injuries which include a fractured right toe to record four goals and two assists (six points) in six games. He had goals in each game last weekend, including a backhand goal on Saturday with a defenseman draped all over him. Whitten, who was a walk-on as a freshman, played goaltender until switching to forward in his junior year of high school.
Rating the rookies ? Michigan State?s large freshman class has contributed greatly to the Spartans? 6-1 start. All five Spartan rookies who have played in all seven games have at least one point. The freshman class has had at least a point in every game.
Big ice ? The Spartans lost at Colorado College this year, 4-1, on an Olympic-sized ice surface, but were 5-1 on big ice surfaces last year.
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 1-2 weeks).
The fries at the bottom of the bag ? Michigan State traveled for over 16 hours and approximately 3,500 miles on Wednesday to get to Fairbanks ... 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 last national championship came when the Frozen Four was in Providence, R.I., as it is this season.
Say This About Our Players...
1 ? Mike Gresl (Sr., G)
? a solid backup goalie, he is out 1-2 more weeks with a fractured catching 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)
? Scored his first career goal at Ferris State last Saturday
4 ? John-Michael Liles (Fr., D)
? MSU?s top-scoring freshman (2-3-5)
? 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 Oct. 16
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
6 ? Steve Clark (Fr., F)
? recorded his first career goal at UNO
7 ? Brad Hodgins (Sr., D)
? leader among MSU defensemen in career points with 10-49-59
? tied for second among CCHA defensemen in conference scoring (2-4-6)
? eight of his 10 career goals are PPGs
9 ? Sean Patchell (Jr., W)
? had a recent four-game point-scoring streak, dating back to the NCAA semifinals
? led MSU in penalties last year with 37
10 ? Shawn Horcoff (Sr., C)
? MSU?s top active scorer (39-61-100) and the 55th Spartan to record 100 points
? eight of his 13 points this year have come on the power play
? MSU?s leading scorer with a hand in 48% of MSU?s goals (13 of 27)
? has had two games with three or more assists this year (Oct. 16, Oct. 23)
? 16 of his 39 career goals have come in the third period or OT
? Hockey News rates him the Edmonton Oilers?s No. 4 prospect and a sure-fire NHLer
14 ? Damon Whitten (Jr., LW)
? has 4-2-6 in 6 GP despite playing on a fractured right pinky toe
? enjoyed his first career multi-goal game Oct. 16 at UNO
? had a goal in each game last weekend
17 ? Troy Ferguson (Fr., F)
? had two assists Oct. 16 vs. UNO and added his third of the year last Friday night
? co-captain of U.S. Under-18 Team last year
18 ? Adam Hall (So., RW)
? has at least a goal in five of his last six games and 12 goals in last 12 games
? leads MSU with three GWGs
? led the CCHA with six goals in the 1999 postseason
19 ? Rustyn Dolyny (Jr., C)
? leads active Spartans in career goals (40)
? has had a hand in all three MSU SHGs this season
? scored MSU?s first goal seven times last year
? can play RW or C
20 ? Brian Maloney (Fr., LW)
? had two goals Oct. 15 at UNO, including the game-winner
? 21-year-old freshman with great touch around the net
22 ? Andrew Bogle (So., C)
? scored first goal of the year last Friday
? had three goals and an assist in the Green & White Game and vs. Guelph
24 ? Andrew Hutchinson (So., D)
? was picked by Nashville in the second round of last 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)
? out indefinitely with an 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 who has split time with rookie Ryan Miller
? owns a 1.71 GAA and .918 save pct.
? set CCHA and MSU single-season records in GAA and save percentage last year
? owns the best career GAA (1.63) and save percentage (.923) in MSU history
? has four career shutouts (one this year)
? 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 0.86 GAA and .964 save percentage
? first MSU goalie since Ron Scott (Oct. 22-23, 1982) to post back-to-back shutouts and 35:13 shy of Scott?s school-record shutout streak (156:22)
? an East Lansing native and cousins of Kip, Kevin and Kelly Miller
SERIES INFORMATION vs. ALASKA FAIRBANKS:
? 18th meeting: MSU leads, 13-4-0
? In Fairbanks: MSU leads, 7-1-0
? First meeting: MSU 13, UAF 3 (1/8/85)
? Last meeting: MSU 5, UAF 0 (1/3/99, Mike Gresl posted the shutout while Rustyn Dolyny had two goals and an assist ? all short-handed and all in the first period)
? Last UAF win: UAF 6, MSU 4 (1/2/98)
? Last 10 meetings: MSU leads, 8-2-0
? Last year?s series: MSU won, 3-0-0
? MSU is 10-2-0 in the last 12 meetings overall and has won four in a row on the road
? MSU has only allowed three goals in the last four meetings
MSU CAREER LEADERS vs. UAF Player (Yr., Pos.) GP, G-A-P Rustyn Dolyny (Jr., C) 6 GP, 5-6-11 Shawn Horcoff (Sr., C) 8 GP, 5-4-9 Sean Patchell (Jr., W) 6 GP, 3-2-5 Brad Hodgins (Sr., D) 9 GP, 1-3-4 Mike Weaver (Sr., D) 9 GP, 0-4-4 Goaltenders (Yr.) W-L-T, GAA, Sv.% Mike Gresl (Sr.) 3-0-0, 0.63, .967 Joe Blackburn (Jr.) 1-0-0, 1.18, .938
