Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Alaska-Fairbanks
Hockey Finishes Sweep Of UAF, 5-2
2/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Feb. 19, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Saturday night's hockey game was hardly a formality, especially when Alaska Fairbanks scored 6:30 into the first period to take a 1-0 lead.
But after the Spartans came back with a relative offensive explosion to win, 5-2, there certainly was a sense in the locker room: OK, that's done. Now it's on to the big time.
Saturday's victory, MSU's fourth straight, pulls the Spartans within two points of first-place Michigan in the CCHA standings. And, most important, gives the Spartans control of their own destiny in the race for the conference title, beginning with next Friday's game at Michigan.
"It's exactly what we needed from this weekend," senior center and team captain Shawn Horcoff said. "It didn't matter how it happened, we just wanted to get out with four points."
Saturday, like Friday, it happened because of terrific special teams. The Spartans were 4-for-9 on the power play while Alaska Fairbanks, which entered the weekend with the conference's best power play, was 1-for-5.
The Spartans had two power-play goals in both the first and second periods, including two within 20 seconds in the second -- their quickest back-to-back goals of the season.
Why was MSU's power-play working so well?
"I have no clue," laughed freshman defenseman John-Michael Liles, the quarterback of the first unit who had a goal and an assist. "Sometimes it just clicks. It's a great feeling, though, and hopefully we can keep it going for next weekend."
The Nanooks took a 1-0 lead when Nathan Rocheleau's shot hit freshman goaltender Ryan Miller but found its way over him into the net.
The Spartans bounced back, however, in their fourth come-from-behind win of the year and third since Jan. 14.
Goals from Adam Hall -- his team-leading 20th of the season -- and Sean Patchell, both on the power play, gave MSU a 2-1 lead before the end of one. Hall scored on a nifty feed from Horcoff, while Patchell's goal came after a dump-in by Liles eluded UAF goaltender Dirk Menard as he went to play it behind the net.
The Spartans kept pouring it on in the second period, as junior right wing Rustyn Dolyny scored on a five-on-three and Liles scored just 20 seconds later.
Less than two minutes after that, MSU's all-freshman fourth line got involved. With six freshmen on the ice for the Spartans, right wing Steve Jackson's shot was stopped, but left wing Steve Clark followed it for his second goal of the year.
Alaska Fairbanks added a power-play goal of its own at the 15:47 mark of the second, but the damage had been done. MSU settled in and played strong defense to close out its 5-2 win.
"We certainly took it to them and got some power-play goals to blow it open," head coach Ron Mason said. "We just played defense in the third period, because I'm not the kindof coach who is going to run up the score. It was a win-win game all the way around tonight. We played hard and got rewarded offensively, then played good defense in the third."
The only suspense left was in the performance of senior goaltender Mike Gresl, who relieved Miller with 9:05 left to play and made three saves -- including a very tough series just after he entered the game -- while not allowing a goal.
It was the first appearance of the season for Gresl, who had a spectacular run as Michigan State's backup goaltender last season. He was welcomed to the game by a warm round of applause by the crowd.
"The thing I liked most about tonight was getting Mike Gresl in for the last nine minutes," Mason said. "He's a quality kid and deserved that opportunity."
"Mike has done some great things here at Michigan State, and it was special to see him in there," Horcoff said.
Apart from praise of Gresl, most of the post-game talk focused on the events of the upcoming week, which features a conference game at Michigan Friday and a non-conference meeting with the Wolverines Saturday at Joe Louis Arena.
"This is definitely the best part of the year, especially when you can play Michigan," Horcoff said. "We're really looking forward to this week."
