Michigan State University Athletics
Hockey Prepares For CCHA Semifinal Showdown With Notre Dame
3/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 13, 2000
Semifinal #1 Play-in Winner vs. #1 Michigan, Fri., March 17, 5:05 p.m.
Semifinal #2 #5 Notre Dame vs. #2 Michigan State, Fri., March 17, 8:35 p.m.
Championship Sat., March 18, 7:35 p.m.
The Week -- The Michigan State hockey team swept Miami (6-2 and 5-1) in the first round of the CCHA Tournament and has advanced to the CCHA semifinals, where the Spartans meet Notre Dame at Joe Louis Arena (19,983). The Spartans (25-10-4 overall, 18-8-2 CCHA), ranked ninth in the nation last week, will face the Fighting Irish (16-17-8 overall, 11-10-7 CCHA) Friday at 8:35 p.m. EST. The first semifinal, pitting Michigan (26-8-4, 19-6-3) against the winner of Tuesday's play-in game between Nebraska Omaha (14-18-7, 10-12-6) and Bowling Green (17-18-1, 12-15-1) is set for 5:05 p.m. Friday. The championship game will be at 7:35 p.m. EST on Saturday. Tickets are available through the MSU Athletic Ticket Office (800-GO STATE) or the Joe Louis Arena box office (313-396-7575). FOX Sports Net (DirecTV Ch. 636, www.foxsports.com) will televise all three games. Hear Michigan State's games on WVFN-AM 730 and at www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/MichiganState. WJR-AM 760 will also broadcast MSU's semifinal and the championship game.
The Coaches -- Head coach Ron Mason (St. Lawrence '64) builds upon his legendary status with each victory. Mason, in his 21st year at Michigan State and 34th as a college head coach, is the all-time winningest college hockey coach with 862 career victories, boasting an 862-364-74 (.692) overall record. Mason, who coached his 1,300th career game last Saturday night, has a 573-254-60 (.680) mark at MSU.
Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin (Notre Dame '82) is 71-98-22 in five years of coaching, all with his alma mater.
Quoting Coach Mason -
"The way this season was going for a stretch there makes (getting to Joe Louis Arena) more rewarding. We always thought we had a good chance to get to Joe Louis, but we've done it the hard way a bit, and sometimes when that is the case you appreciate it more. We did it by playing playoff hockey for about two months.
"It seems like we are having a bit more offensive success lately. We've got a lot of players on the team who are having some success offensively, and that always seems to make everyone happier. As a coach, I like to see that balance in scoring.
"We've seen Notre Dame recently and know what a challenge this game will be. They are a strong, physical team that gave us four good games in the regular season."
The Series vs. the Fighting Irish -- Michigan State leads the all-time series, 45-29-6, entering the 81st meeting. MSU won the only meeting ever in the CCHA Tournament or at Joe Louis Arena, 4-1 in the 1982 CCHA title game. MSU leads the season series, 2-1-1, with the teams' most recent meetings coming in the final week of the regular season (2-2 tie March 3, 5-3 MSU win March 4). MSU is 6-2-2 in the last 10 meetings and 18-2-5 since ND rejoined the CCHA in 1982.
About the Fighting Irish -- Notre Dame finished fifth in the CCHA in the regular season and defeated sixth-seeded Ferris State in three games in the first round of the playoffs. The Irish are led offensively by Dan Carlson (17-18-35), Ben Simon (13-19-32) and Joe Dusbabek (8-19-27) and have had excellent goaltending from freshman Tony Zasowski (13-8-6, 2.54, .901).
Miami Recap
Seven different players scored at least a goal and 14 had at least a point as Michigan State used a balanced offense and terrific special teams to sweep Miami, 6-2 and 5-1. Friday night the Spartans had three power-play goals and two short-handed goals (both from freshman center Troy Ferguson, setting a CCHA Tournament single-game record) and took a 6-0 lead before the RedHawks scored. Saturday Miami responded to MSU's first goal, but the Spartans scored four more to make it a 5-1 final. Sean Patchell had a goal and an assist each night, while Ferguson had three goals.
If you use just one MSU note this week, perhaps this should be it
Eyeing number nine -- Michigan State has won eight CCHA Tournaments in its 19 seasons in the conference, the most of any school.
We encourage you to use more notes ... perhaps these
Alumni game -- Michigan State and Notre Dame have met just once before in CCHA Tournament action and at Joe Louis Arena. The Spartans won that meeting, 4-1, in 1982 to capture their first playoff title. The game-winning goal came from current CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos, while current ND coach Dave Poulin assisted on the Irish goal in his final game as a collegian.
Five alive -- Michigan State has scored at least five goals in three straight games for the first time this season.
Chasers -- None of the opposing starting goaltenders in MSU's last three games have lasted through the second period.
A special team -- Michigan State leads the CCHA in power play (22.6 percent) and penalty killing (89.2 percent) and is in the top six in the nation in both categories. MSU leads the nation in penalty killing and is sixth in the nation on the power play.
Different sources -- Fourteen Spartans had at least a point last weekend and seven players had at least a goal. Five of MSU's goal-scorers have fewer than 10 goals on the season.
Different sources II -- Twelve Spartans are in double figures in points, one more than last year. Six Spartans have at least 20 points, one more than last year.
Spartan Invitational -- Michigan State has won all 18 first-round CCHA Tournament series it has hosted at Munn Ice Arena. Some more CCHA Tournament notes:
* only once in 19 years in the CCHA have the Spartans failed to advance to the Joe (1991)
* MSU is 56-15 all-time in the CCHA Tournament and has the best winning percentage in conference history (.789)
* MSU's 22-9 record (.710) at Joe Louis Arena in the CCHA Tournament is the best in conference history
* MSU is 10-0 when a CCHA Tournament game goes into overtime
* Ron Mason has 68 CCHA Tournament wins, nearly twice as many as the next closest coach (Michigan's Red Berenson with 35)
Power surge -- Michigan State has scored at least one power-play goal in each of its last 13 games, the longest such streak at the school since a 24-game run with at least one PPG from Nov. 23, 1991, to Feb. 22, 1992. The Spartans are 25.6 percent (22-for-86) on the power play in that time and were 45.5 percent (5-for-11) last weekend.
Welcome back Weave -- Senior defenseman Mike Weaver, expected to be out until at least the CCHA semifinals, returned from a sprained right knee last Saturday night, just 14 days after he was injured. In the four games Weaver was out Michigan State allowed five power-play goals. MSU had given up five PPGs in the previous 19 games with Weaver in the lineup. Weaver, a first-team All-CCHA selection, was the lone repeat all-league pick.
Horc for the Hobey -- Senior center and Hobey Baker candidate Shawn Horcoff is third in the nation with 58 points and first with 46 assists. Some more Horcoff notes (for more visit www.msuspartans.com/shawnhorcoff):
* has had a hand in 46.0 percent of MSU's goals, the highest percentage in the nation
* has been on the ice for 61.1 percent of MSU's goals (77 of 126)
* leads team in scoring by 22 points (58 to Adam Hall's 36), the largest margin at MSU since 1985-86 (when Mike Donnelly had 97 points and Kevin Miller had 71)
* has an eight-game point-scoring streak and at least a point in 14 of the last 15 games
* he leads the team at +19 and is a candidate for the CCHA Best Defensive Forward award
* has either scored or assisted on 14 of MSU's 25 game-winning goals (56 percent)
* has either scored or assisted on 30 of MSU's 52 power-play goals (57.7 percent)
Spartans of Troy -- Freshman center Troy Ferguson had three goals last weekend against Miami after scoring two in the entire regular season.
Y ask y? -- Junior right wing Rustyn Dolyny has eight goals and eight assists (16 points) in his last 13 games, including at least a goal in each of the last three games. Dolyny has 25 of his 33 points and 12 of his 14 goals in special-teams situations.
Streakazoid -- Michigan State's current five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2) is its longest since a 10-game winning streak to open the CCHA season (Oct. 15 to Nov. 13). MSU is 7-1-2 in its last 10.
Three is the key -- Michigan State is 23-1-1 when it scores at least three goals and 2-9-3 when it scores fewer than three goals.
Patch-work -- JR LW Sean Patchell has a goal in each of the last three games and leads the Spartans in playoff scoring (2-2-4). Patchell, with a career-high 18 points, has more than tripled his point total from last season (3-2-5 in 40 games). Dating back to last year's NCAA semifinal, when he had a goal in his only shift of the game, Patchell has a goal in each of his last three playoff games.
Second-half Hutch -- SO D Andrew Hutchinson has 11 of his 12 points this year since Christmas. He has 24 of his 27 career points in the second half of the year.
Hall of fame -- SO RW Adam Hall has six goals in seven career postseason games. He is second in the CCHA and 11th nationally with 23 goals on the year.
Odd couple -- Two of MSU's top three scorers among defensemen are a pair of freshmen who play together, but hail from practically the opposite ends of the college hockey earth. John-Michael Liles (Zionsville, Ind.) leads MSU blue-liners with 26 points, while Brad Fast (Fort St. John, B.C.) is third with 13 points.
Who's the hero? -- Each of the last two years the Spartans have had a player score his only career multiple-goal game in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena (Andrew Bogle in 1998, Brad Hodgins in 1999).
Vote notes -- Michigan State had the most players on the All-CCHA first team (Shawn Horcoff and Mike Weaver) and the most players on the first or second teams (with Adam Hall and Ryan Miller on the second). Some other All-CCHA notes:
* Weaver became just MSU's fifth two-time first-team All-CCHA pick, joining Ron Scott, three-time selection Don McSween, Kip Miller and Anson Carter
* Miller was the only freshman on the first or second teams
* freshman defenseman John-Michael Liles, an honorable mention All-CCHA choice, had the most All-CCHA votes of any rookie defenseman but was not on the All-Rookie Team
* Horcoff (3.41 grade-point average in marketing) and junior goaltender Joe Blackburn (3.45 in special education) made the CCHA All-Academic Team
Fries at the bottom of the bag -- Michigan State has outscored opponents 10-2 in the final minute of a period this year ... fifteen different players have combined for Michigan State's 25 game-winning goals ... MSU is 25-2-3 in games it has led at one point and 5-10-2 in games it has trailed at one point ... Anson Carter (22 goals through Saturday), Mike York (22) and Bryan Smolinski (18) are the top three NHL goal scorers this season among former CCHA players ... Michigan State is outscoring opponents 8-1 in four-on-four action this year ... Michigan State has been in the nation's top 10 for 65 consecutive weeks entering this week, dating back to March 3, 1997.
HOCKEY AWARDS BANQUET -- The Michigan State Hockey Awards Banquet is set for Monday, April 10 at the Holiday Inn South in Lansing. Tickets are $45 and available through the Ralph Young Fund (517-355-8257).
CCHA BANQUET -- The CCHA Awards Banquet is scheduled for Thursday, March 16, at the historic Fox Theater in Detroit. Tickets are $45 for the dinner and the awards presentation and $15 for the awards presentation only. Call the CCHA office (248-888-0600) for tickets.
CURRENT POINT-SCORING STREAKS
8 games: Shawn Horcoff (2-10-12)
5 games: Brian Maloney (1-6-7)
3 games: Rustyn Dolyny (4-2-6), Sean Patchell (3-2-5)
2 games: Troy Ferguson (3-0-3), Andrew Hutchinson (1-2-3), Joe Goodenow (1-1-2)
MSU CAREER LEADERS vs. NOTRE DAME
Player (Yr., Pos.) StatisticsShawn Horcoff (Sr., C) 13 GP, 1-8-9Rustyn Dolyny (Jr., RW) 10 GP, 5-1-6Adam Hall (So., RW) 7 GP, 3-2-5John Nail (Jr., RW) 10 GP, 2-3-5Brad Hodgins (Sr., D) 13 GP, 1-4-5Joe Blackburn (Jr., G) 4-0-1, 1.38, .944Ryan Miller (Fr., G) 0-1-1, 1.44, .944
Say This About Our Players ...
2 * Jon Insana (So., D) * a strong defensive defenseman who has played with Mike Weaver for two years * MSU's Most Improved Player a year ago
4 * John-Michael Liles (Fr., D) * leads MSU defensemen with 7-19-26 * selected for the U.S. National Junior Team, but missed the tournament with an injury * has 19 of his 26 points at home * twice has had 3 points in a period
5 * Mike Weaver (Sr., D) * suffered a right knee sprain Feb. 25 at Michigan missed 4 games * just the 5th 2-time 1st-team All-CCHA pick in MSU history * 1997 GLI MVP and '99 all-tournament pick * 1st-team All-CCHA, 2nd-team All-America and CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman last year
7 * Brad Hodgins (Sr., D) * leader among MSU defensemen in career points with 15-55-70 * 5 of 7 goals and 12 of 17 points have come at home * 10th in career penalty minutes at MSU with 283 (1 PIM shy of 9th)
9 * Sean Patchell (Jr., W) * has more than tripled last year's point total (3-2-5) with 9-9-18 through 39 games * 16 of his 18 points have come in the 1st or 2nd period
10 * Shawn Horcoff (Sr., C) * 3rd in nation in points (58) and 1st in assists (47), he has a hand in 46% of MSU's goals (58 of 126) * leads team in scoring by 22 points, the biggest margin since 1985-86, when Mike Donnelly had 97 and Kevin Miller had 71 * has either scored or assisted on 14 of MSU's 25 game-winning goals this year * leads team with +19 rating
14 * Damon Whitten (Jr., LW) * 5th on team with 9 goals * 19 of 21 points in the 1st or 2nd period * MSU is 14-1-1 when he has a point and 0-3-0 without him in the lineup
16 * Kris Koski (Fr., W) * 1st career goal was the game-winner in the Great Lakes Invitational title game
17 * Troy Ferguson (Fr., C) * scored three goals last weekend after totaling two goals in the regular season
18 * Adam Hall (So., RW) * 2nd in the CCHA and 11th nationally with 23 goals * has 29 goals in last 42 games * captained the U.S. National Junior Team * has scored MSU's first goal team-high 7 times and the GWG a CCHA-high 6 times
19 * Rustyn Dolyny (Jr., C/RW) * Feb. 18 became the 56th Spartan with 100 career points (53-57-110) * has 8-8-16 in last 13 games * has had 25 of his 33 points and 12 of his 15 goals on special teams * 2nd on team with 17 1st-period points
20 * Brian Maloney (Fr., LW) * leads MSU rookies with 12 goals and 28 points and has 2-7-9 in last 8 games * CCHA Rookie of the Week
21 * John Nail (Jr., RW) * enjoying best offensive season (4-8-12)
22 * Andrew Bogle (Jr., C) * had 1-1-2 in the Great Lakes Invitational
24 * Andrew Hutchinson (So., D) * has 11 of his 12 points since Dec. 28
26 * Joe Goodenow (So., C/LW) * returned Jan. 29 after a hip injury * had the GWG last Friday night
27 * Brad Fast (Fr., D) * 3rd among MSU d-men with 4-9-13 * 1-2-3 (including GWG) vs. BGSU Nov. 13
30 * Joe Blackburn (Jr., G) * returning 1st-team All-American who has split time with rookie Ryan Miller * set CCHA and MSU single-season records in GAA and save percentage last year * owns the best career GAA (1.81) and save percentage (.918) in MSU history * has four career shutouts (one this year)
39 * Ryan Miller (Fr., G) * has split time in net with Blackburn, with 2nd in the nation 1.49 GAA * tied Blackburn's CCHA GAA record (.934) and broke record for save percentage (.941) * first MSU goalie ever to post three straight shutouts and broke Ron Scott's school-record shutout streak (Miller's record: 191:54) * has tied shutout records for MSU (six) and CCHA (five in league games) * cousin of Kip, Kevin and Kelly Miller
