Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Alabama-Huntsville
Hockey Cruises Past Alabama-Huntsville, 5-0
12/11/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 11, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State closed out the first half of its hockey season with one of its easiest wins of the season, 5-0 over Alabama-Huntsville.
The Spartans did it with a dynamic offense led by Shawn Horcoff and Adam Hall and a suffocating defense anchored by Ryan Miller -- all of which were trademarks of the season to this point.
MSU improves to 13-5-0 overall entering the Great Lakes Invitational (11-3-0 and in first place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association). Alabama-Huntsville, and emerging program in the College Hockey America conference, is 7-4-2 overall (4-2-0 CHA).
The Spartans started strong and made sure the game would never be in doubt with two goals in the first 6:05.
Hall scored on his second shift of the game, a power-play tally at the 1:28 mark. He followed with his second less than five minutes later, and the game was quickly in the Spartans' back pocket.
"We jumped on them right away," said Horcoff, who assisted on both of Hall's goals. "If we came out in the first period and let them skate, they might have gotten some confidence and it could have been a much different game."
Junior right wing Rustyn Dolyny scored his fifth goal of the year at the 18-minute mark of the first to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead.
By the time Horcoff and senior defenseman Brad Hodgins scored 34 seconds apart near the middle fo the second period, the only questioned which remained was whether Miller could preserve the shutout.
As it was, the Spartans only surrendered 10 shots on goal, and Miller stopped them all for his fourth shutout of the year. He is tied for second all-time in single-season shutouts at MSU, trailing only Chad Alban (six in 1997-98).
The Spartans enjoy two weeks off before the GLI, opportunity for the players to take exams and then get home for the holidays. MSU is back in action Dec. 29 against Michigan Tech at Joe Louis Arena.
"We feel like we're in a pretty good position at this point," Horcoff said. "We've lost some games we feel that we shouldn't have lost, but I think we all knew we wouldn't have as good of a record as we did last year. Overall we feel good about where we are because we are in first place."
"I never thought we would win 10 in a row," head coach Ron Mason said of the CCHA streak which gave the Spartans the league lead, "but I never thought we'd lose three in a row, either. The important thing is that we are in first place. It's going to be a real grind in the second half."
