Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Skaters Ready For Historic Season Opener
10/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 1, 2001
Press Conference Audio
? Coach Chuck Erbe
? Asst. Coach Dave McAuliffe
? Assoc. AD Mark Hollis
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THIS WEEK
The defending Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season and playoff champion Michigan State Spartans open the 2001-02 campaign one week Saturday, Oct. 6 as they welcome archrival Michigan for a much-anticipated outdoor game at Spartan Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.
RADIO
Saturday's game can be heard live statewide on the Spartan Radio Network and on WVFN-AM 730 "The Fan", WJIM-AM 1240 and WJIM-FM 97.5 in the greater Lansing area. 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 Joe Blackburn provides color commentary. Spartan fans can also hear live play-by-play action of MSU hockey via the Internet by logging on to www.msuspartans.com.
TELEVISION
Saturday's MSU-Michigan game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net Detroit as part of the regional sports outlet's Central Collegiate Hockey Association television package. Matt Shepherd will handle play-by-play duties and is joined by analyst Billy Jaffe, rinkside reporters Shireen Saski andTrevor Thompson and broadcast host John Keating.
The game will also be seen on a tape-delay basis on Fox Sports Net outlets nationwide as well as CTV Sportsnet in Canada.
THE TICKETS
They're all sold. A crowd of more than 72,000 is expected in Spartan Stadium for Saturday's game, which would shatter the existing world record for attendance at a hockey game.
MSU INJURY UPDATE (AS OF SEPT. 29) Day-to-day Freshman forward Jim Slater -- groin injury (missed Sept. 29 game vs. Queen's)
IF THE SPARTANS WIN... * They would extend their winning streak against Michigan to four, which would be the team's longest against their archrival since winning four straight against the Wolverines from Oct. 25, 1997-Feb. 21, 1998.
* They would improve to 13-5-2 against the Wolverines in their last 20 games dating back to Feb. 8, 1997.
* They would push their record in October since 1997 to 22-2-5.
* They would run their mark in regular-season openers under Ron Mason to 17-4-2 and 14-6-3 in home openers.
IF THE WOLVERINES WIN...
* It would be the fifth victory in Michigan's last 20 contests in East Lansing dating back to the 1986-87 season. MSU is 12-4-3 vs. the Wolverines at home during that span.
* It woud be the first for Michigan against MSU outdoors since Jan. 25, 1930, when the Wolverines beat the Spartans 7-0 in East Lansing.
* It would be the first for the Wolverines' freshman class, which boasts 10 members and comprises 40 percent of the Michigan roster.
THE MSU HEAD COACH Ron Mason (St. Lawrence '64) enters his 23rd season with the Spartans and 36th year as a college coach. The winningest mentor in college hockey history, Mason has piloted the Spartans to a 608-261-64 (.686) mark since taking over for the legendary Amo Bessone in 1979. His overall record currently stands at 897-371-78 (.695). He guided MSU to its second NCAA hockey championship in 1986 and his 21 NCAA Tournament appearances are an all-time record. Mason has also taken eight teams to the NCAA Frozen Four, including seven Spartan squads.
Mason has more victories at one school than all but two coaches in NCAA hockey history. He's surpassed by only Bob Peters of Bemidji State (703 wins), who retired at the end of the 2000-01 season, and Jack Parker of Boston University (616). His number of wins with the Green and White are more than all but five coaches have during their collegiate careers.
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, 1999 and 2001. He's also guided MSU to CCHA playoff crowns in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000 and 2001. The league honored Mason by renaming the CCHA playoff trophy in his honor last year.
Mason, who won the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year in 1992, has coached 20 Spartans to All-American honors and seen 44 of his former MSU skaters move on to the NHL.
THE 4-1-1 ON 900
Mason needs just three wins to post his 900th career victory. Mason, who won his 600th game behind the MSU bench against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena last February, owns a 897-371-78 record in 35 seasons at Lake Superior State, Bowling Green and Michigan State.
MORE ON THE BIG GAME
A sellout crowd Saturday would shatter the current world record for attendance at a hockey game - 55,000 people packed Lenin Stadium in Moscow for the 1957 International Ice Hockey Federation championship game between the Soviet Union and Sweden.
The game will be seen in more than 38 million homes in North America. Fox Sports Net Detroit will broadcast the contest live to 2.6 million cable subscribers in Michigan, northwest Indiana and northern Ohio. Nine other Fox Sports Net affiliates - FSN Bay Area, FSN Chicago, FSN Florida, FSN Midwest, FSN New England, FSN North, FSN Ohio, FSN Pittsburgh and FSN Rocky Mountain - will carry the game on a tape-delay basis. The game will also be reach 6 million Canadian viewers via CTV Sportsnet on a same-day delay on its four affiliates across the nation.
