Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Hockey Shoots For Fourth Straight GLI Title
12/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 27, 2000
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THIS WEEK: Top-ranked Michigan State ends its holiday break as the Spartans (No. 1 U.S. College Hockey Online poll/No. 1 USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll) face second-ranked Boston College in the first round of the 36th annual Great Lakes Invitational tournament at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit Friday. The Spartans will take on either Michigan or Michigan Tech the follwoing day.
GLI ON THE RADIO: Both games at the Great Lakes Invitational, and all MSU home and road games, can be heard live on WVFN-AM 730 "The Fan." Play-by-play man Scott Moore, in his fourth season as the radio voice of MSU hockey, will call the action. Spartan volunteer assistant coach Jim Mullin provides color commentary for the second straight season.
Spartan fans can also hear live play-by-play action of MSU hockey via the Internet. Broadcasts can be accessed by logging on to www.msuspartans.com, the official website of Spartan athletics, or www.espn.com.
GLI ON TELEVISION: All four Great Lakes Invitational games will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit as part of the regional sports outlet's Central Collegiate Hockey Association television package. Josh Lewin will handle play-by-play duties and is joined by analyst Fred Pletsch and rinkside reporter Jim Blaney.
MSU HEAD COACH RON MASON: MSU head coach Ron Mason (St. Lawrence '64) is in his 22nd season with the Spartans and 35th year as a college hockey mentor. The winningest coach in college hockey history, Mason, who coached in his 900th game at MSU Nov. 10 vs. Northern Michigan, has piloted the Spartans to a 587-257-64 (.682) mark since taking over for the legendary Amo Bessone in 1979. His overall record currently stands at 876-367-78 (.693).
Mason guided MSU to its second NCAA hockey championship in 1986 and his 20 NCAA Tournament appearances are an all-time record. The seven-time Central Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year led the Spartans to league regular-season titles in 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1998 and 1999 and CCHA playoff crowns in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1998 and 2000.
Mason, who won the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year in 1992, has coached 19 Spartans to All-American honors and seen 44 of his former MSU skaters move on to the NHL.
BOSTON COLLEGE AT A GLANCE (12-3-1 overall, 6-1-1 HOCKEY EAST
THE COACH: Jerry York (Boston College '67) is in his seventh season as head coach at his alma mater and in his 29th season of coaching in the college ranks. The sixth-winningest coach in NCAA hockey history, York enters the Great Lakes Invitational with a career record of 605-439-54 (.576), including a 138-94-20 (.587) mark with the Eagles. He spent 15 years as head coach at Bowling Green and was the bench boss at Clarkson for seven seasons.
York, who has led BC to three straight NCAA Frozen Four appearances, will coach in his 1,100th game as a college head coach during the GLI's Saturday session. He took over for Ron Mason as Bowling Green head coach in 1979 after Mason departed for MSU and led the Falcons to an NCAA title in 1984. He won the American Hockey Coaches Association Spencer Penrose Award as the country's Division I Coach of the Year in 1977 after guiding Clarkson to a 26-8-0 record and an ECAC championship.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Boston College comes into the Great Lakes Invitational ranked second in both the U.S. College Hockey Online and USA Today/American Hockey Magazine polls. The Eagles boast one of the nation's top offenses - a HOCKEY EAST-best 4.38 goals per game - and have their conference's stingiest defenses, giving up 2.25 goals per contest.
The Eagles are paced offensively by sophomore Krys Kolanos. The Calgary native, who attended tryouts for the Canadian entry into the 2001 World Junior Championships but did not make the final roster, leads HOCKEY EAST skaters in goals, assists and points with 12-16--28 in 15 games. The first-round choice of the Phoenix Coyotes in last summer's NHL Entry Draft is one of four BC players among the top 10 in the HOCKEY EAST scoring race. Seniors Brian Gionta (10-10--20) and Mike Lephart (8-12--20) are tied for fourth in points while freshman Chuck Kobasew (9-8--17) is ninth overall and leads all conference rookies in scoring.
Senior Scott Clemmensen has started all but one game in goal for Boston College this season. The Eagles' career leader with 79 career victories and the 2000 HOCKEY EAST Goaltender of the Year, Clemmensen enters the GLI second among HOCKEY EAST netminders with a 1.76 goals against average and third in the league with a .922 saves percentage in addition to a 10-2-1 record.
THE SERIES VS. THE EAGLES:
Overall: The Spartans lead the series against Boston College by a 14-5-1 (.725) margin.
Neutral Sites: MSU holds a 4-1-0 (.689) edge against the Eagles in neutral-site games.
Current Streak: MSU enters the GLI first round with a two-game losing streak vs. BC.
Longest MSU Win Streak vs. BC: 4, 3x, MR: March 25, 1989-Nov. 16, 1990
Longest MSU Unbeaten Streak vs. BC: 4 (4-0-0), 3x, MR: March 25, 1989-Nov. 16, 1990
Longest MSU Losing Streak vs. BC: 2, Oct. 25, 1996-present
Longest MSU Winless Streak vs. BC: 2 (0-2-0), Oct. 25, 1996-present
First Meeting: Dec. 28, 1958 - The Spartans blanked the host Eagles, 6-0, in Chestnut Hill.
Last Meeting: March 25, 2000 - With junior Sean Patchell in the penalty box serving a five-minute major penalty, Boston College's Jeff Farkas scores the game-winning goal in overtime as the Eagles hand the Spartans a 6-5 defeat and oust MSU from postseason play in the first round of the NCAA West Regional in Minneapolis.
Last Season: At Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis (NCAAs): March 25 - BC 6, MSU 5 (ot)
MSU-BOSTON COLLEGE NOTES:
* Boston College made its lone prior GLI appearance in 1973, when the Eagles lost to Michigan State, 12-5, in a first-round matchup. Steve Colp and John Sturges each scored hat tricks for the Spartans in that game. MSU went on to defeat Michigan Tech, 5-4, in the tournament championship game. BC upended Pennsylvania in the third-place game
* The Spartans' lone neutral-site game of the 2000-01 season took place in Anchorage, Alaska on Oct. 14 as MSU skated to a 1-1 tie with HOCKEY EAST foe Merrimack in the second round of the Johnson Nissan Classic. The game was also the Spartans' only other contest against a HOCKEY EAST school this season.
* The BC game marks the second No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown for the Spartans this season. MSU defeated Minnesota, 3-2, in Minneapolis on Nov. 24 in a game that actually featured two top-ranked teams. The Spartans were No. 1 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll with the Gophers ranked second. Minnesota was rated No. 1 with MSU at No. 2 in that week's USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll.
* The BC contest also marks the Spartans' fourth this season against a team that has held the nation's top ranking at one point this year. BC was ranked first in the Nov. 6 USA Today poll. Other former No. 1's MSU has faced - Michigan (Oct. 31, both polls), Minnesota (Nov. 6 USCHO poll, Nov. 20 USA Today poll) and Wisconsin (Oct. 23, both polls).
JACKSON TO MISS GLI: MSU freshman Jeremy Jackson will not play in the Great Lakes Invitational due to a family matter. The Langley, B.C., native ranks fourth among Spartan skaters with 7-9--16 in 15 games and is also fourth among CCHA freshmen in scoring. Jackson is also among the top five in the conference with five power-play goals. The date of his return to the team has yet to be determined.
GLI SPY
Here are a handful of Spartan Great Lakes Invitational facts as MSU embarks on its quest for a fourth straight GLI title:
* MSU appearances in the GLI prior to this season: 24
* MSU's first GLI appearance: 1966
* Consecutive GLI appearances coming into this season: 20
* MSU's all-time GLI record: 31-21-0 (.596)
* MSU's GLI championships: 1973, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1997, 1998, 1999
* MSU GLI MVPs: Dale Krentz (1982), Dan McFall (1983), Bob Essensa (1984), Don McSween (1985), Mike Weaver (1997), Mike Gresl (1998), Shawn Horcoff (1999)
* Current MSU players who've been named to the GLI all-tournament team: Rustyn Dolyny (1997), Joe Blackburn (1999)
* Record of this year's Spartan seniors at the GLI: 6-0-0
* Michigan players missing the GLI to play in the World Junior Tournament: Three
* BC players missing the GLI to play in the World Junior Tournament: One
* MSU and MTU players missing the GLI to play in the WJC: Zero
* Number of GLI games played by junior Adam Hall: None (He's attended the WJC the last two seasons)
* Last time MSU did not send a player to the WJC: 1995
* Combined record of this year's GLI field: 40-20-9
* Combined NCAA Tournament appearances of BC, U-M, MSU and MTU: 74
* Combined national titles of BC, U-M, MSU and MTU: 15
* Percentage of NCAA championships won by BC, U-M, MSU and MTU: 28.3 (15 of 53)
* Combined wins of coaches in this year's GLI: 2,267 (Ron Mason, MSU, 876, Jerry York, BC, 605, Red Berenson, Michigan, 434, Mike Sertich, Michigan Tech, 352)
* Rank of this year's GLI coaches on NCAA hockey's all-time wins list: Mason, 1st, York, 6th, Berenson, 15th, Sertich 27th.
* Years of experience of this year's GLI coaches: 100 (Mason, 35th year, York, 29th year, Berenson, 17th year, Sertich, 19th year)
* Combined NCAA Tournament appearances of this year's GLI coaches: 42
* Combined Frozen Four appearances of this year's GLI coaches: 18
* Combined national championships of this year's GLI coaches: Four
