Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Hockey vs. Northern Michigan: Game Notes
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
December 25, 1998
SPARTAN HOCKEY
vs.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN
See the game love on FOX Sports Detroit, FOX Sports New England or nationwide on mini-dish systems
Hear the game live on WVFN-AM 730 or at www.gamecruiser.com/michiganstate/index.htm
The Note of the Night
GLI debut - Sr. C Mike York makes his Great Lakes Invitational debut this year. The Waterford, Mich., native, who watched the tournament growing up, missed the last three GLIs while playing with Team USA at the World Junior Championships. One of only 12 Americans ever to play in three World Junior Championships, York had to keep tabs on his teammates GLI victory last year by phone from Finland.
Five More Notes No Media Person Should Be Without
1. My kind of town - Joe Louis Arena, which was nicknamed "Munn East" in the 1980s, has been very kind to the Spartans of late. MSU was 5-0 last year at "the Joe" and has won eight of its last nine games there. MSUs current five-game winning streak is its second-best run at the facility, behind a 17-game winning streak from 3/12/82 to 3/7/86.
2. Defending champs - Michigan State is the GLI defending champion after winning the tournament for the sixth time last year. MSU won four consecutive GLIs from 1982-85. The Spartans are 27-21-0 in the GLI.
Jr. D Mike Weaver was the GLI MVP last year after registering two goals and two assists in the 5-3 victory over Michigan in the title game. So. F Rustyn Dolyny was also on the all-tournament team.
3. Two few - The Spartans have not allowed more than two goals in a game in eight straight contests (14 of 16 overall), dating back to Nov. 13 (3-2 loss at OSU). Michigan State is allowing just 1.31 goals per game, an improvement over last seasons school-record 1.73.
4. Gresl the great - Jr. G Mike Gresl steps in to the No. 1 goaltending role for the Spartans with the loss of Joe Blackburn to the U.S. National Junior Team (Fr. RW Adam Hall also made the team). Gresl has started just two games thus far in his career (1-1-0), but his most recent one was a 2-0 shutout of Nebraska-Omaha Dec. 4.
5. Get the Sensation! - Sr. C Mike York has scored the game-winning goal in each of MSUs last three games and leads the Spartans with 7-14-21 totals in 16 games. With 21 points, York has had a hand in as many goals as MSU opponents have scored. Other notes:
he has had at least two points in each of the last two games and seven of 16 overall
his last outing, vs. NMU Dec. 12, marked his 50th career multiple-point game
he leads the Spartans with three power-play goals and five power-play points
NMUs goal Dec. 12 marked the first time all year (in around 350 even-strength shifts) that York was on the ice for an opponents even-strength goal
Who is missing? - Two Spartans made the U.S. National Junior Team, which is competing in the World Junior Championship Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Sophomore goaltender Joe Blackburn and freshman right wing Adam Hall will miss the GLI and the three-game trip to Alaska while playing for Team USA. Michigan State is one of three college teams (Maine, Wisconsin) to have two players on the U.S. roster.
Cuts like a knife - Sr. LW Bryan Adams has established a new career high for goals in a season with his team-leading 10. He had nine goals last year. Adams had to miss last years GLI while recovering from a fractured right clavicle.
The tie guys - Eight of Michigan States 16 games have been tied entering the third period, and the Spartans are 5-2-1 in those games. Six of those games have been tied 1-1, including both games against Northern Michigan.
Saturday night special - Michigan State is undefeated on Saturdays this season (6-0-2). The Spartans are 5-3-1 when they play on Fridays or Sundays.
Consistent power source, in one sense - While MSU is next-to-last in the CCHA with a 12.0 percent power play, the Spartans have scored at least one power play goal in 11 of 16 games, including seven of the last nine.
Improving over time - The Spartans goal-by-period chart improves as the game goes on: 12-7 in the first, 16-8 in the second and 18-6 in the third. The Spartans have outshot opponents in the third period by a 180-82 margin (11.3-5.1 average).
Tall hands - Michigan State has scored five short-handed goals while allowing just six power-play goals. The Spartans have successfully killed off 78 of 84 opponents power plays, a league-leading 92.9 percent success rate. Thats an improvement over last years school-record of 90.2 percent.
Whos it gonna be? - "The GLI is a little bit like a two-game season," head coach Ron Mason says. "Different things happen and different players step up. We saw that last year with Weaver, Gaskins and Gemmel, and Id like to see it continue."
Last year in the GLI, Spartans Mike Weaver, Jon Gaskins and Curtis Gemmel combined for four goals. In 95 combined games the rest of the season, the trio combined for two goals.
Oh say can you C - This years GLI field features three CCHA teams (Michigan, Michigan State and Northern Michigan). The GLI has had three CCHA schools three times now in the 1990s, most recently in 1996 (when Lake Superior joined MSU and U-M).
Earning a degree - Michigan State has been led by the "All-Business Line" of Mike York, Bryan Adams and Adam Hall. The trio has accounted for 22 of MSUs 46 goals this year (48 percent), and has combined for one more goal than MSU opponents have scored. The three rank 1-2-3 on the Spartans in shots on goal. Hall will miss the GLI while at the World Junior Championship, however.
Close calls - Michigan States three losses have each come by one goal on the road. They have all been against Big Ten universities (Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State). The Spartans outshot opponents 35-13 in the third periods of the three losses.
The fries at the bottom of the bag - NMU coach Rick Comley was a player and an assistant coach under Ron Mason at Lake Superior. Mason recruited Comley to LSSU, luring him away from Detroit Red Wings training camp ... MSU volunteer assistant coach Willie Mitchell was a goaltender at NMU ... the Spartans enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner in Madison, Wis., with the MSU volleyball team ... the Spartans were 3-0-2 in October, their first unbeaten month since January of 1996 (6-0-0) ... Michigan State set a CCHA league record for team defense last year (1.80 goals against per game) and has actually improved upon it in the early going this year (1.45) ... freshmen scored MSUs first goal in the first four games of the season ... two opponents who MSU had never faced visited Munn Arena this year: Massachusetts and Nebraska-Omaha.
