Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Hockey Prepares for Mass.-Amherst
11/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 5, 2001
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THIS WEEK
The Michigan State hockey team plays its first non-conference game of the 2001-02 season as the Central Collegiate Hockey Association-leading Spartans (5-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 CCHA) welcome the Mass.-Amherst Minutemen (3-3-0 overall, 2-1-0 HOCKEY EAST) to Munn Ice Arena a single game Friday. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.
RADIO
Friday's game, 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 fifth season as the radio voice of MSU hockey, will call the action. Former Spartan All-American goaltender Joe Blackburn provides color commentary.
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.
TELEVISION
Friday's game will be broadcast live in the greater Lansing area on AT&T Broadband beginning at 7 p.m. Eric Peasley will handle play-by-play duties and is joined by analyst Joe Campbell and rinkside reporter Gary Durak. The local cable outlet is scheduled to carry a total of 12 Spartan hockey games this season.
TICKET UPDATE
Only standing-room tickets, priced at $9 each, remain for Friday's game vs. Mass-Amherst. Reserved seating is still available for five upcoming MSU games - Nov. 23 vs. Wisconsin, Nov. 25 vs. Minnesota , Jan. 4-5 vs. Quinnipiac and March 2 vs. Ferris State. Price is $18 for the general public and $8 for MSU students with a valid ID.
A five-game ticket plan can also be purchased for the 2001-02 hockey season. The plan includes games vs. Wisconsin (Nov. 23), Minnesota (Nov. 25), Quinnipiac (Jan. 4-5) and Ferris State (March 2). Cost is $90 for the general public and $40 for MSU students with a valid ID.
For more information on Spartan hockey tickets, contact the MSU ticket office at (517) 355-1610 or 1-800-GO STATE.
MSU INJURY UPDATE (as of Nov. 5)
The Spartans report no injuries as of today.
THE SPARTANS... Welcome their first HOCKEY EAST foe to Munn Ice Arena since Oct. 17, 1998, when the Mass.-Amherst made their sole prior trip to East Lansing. Posted an 8-1-1 record vs. non-conference foes in 2000-01 with the lone blemishes being a tie against Merrimack (Oct. 14) and a loss to North Dakota in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals (April 5). Have recorded a 26-3-4 (.848) regular-season record against non-conference opponents since the start of the 1997-98 season. Are in the midst of a seven-game home stand. It's MSU's longest stretch of games at Munn Ice Arena since they hosted seven straight from Feb. 8-March 1, 1986. Have not played a traditional Friday-Saturday series at home despite being more than five weeks into the season. MSU opened with a single game at Spartan Stadium on a Saturday, came back with a Thursday-Friday home set at Munn Ice Arena, hosted another single game in East Lansing on a Saturday and followed with another Friday-Saturday home series.
THE MINUTEMEN... Are off to a 3-3-0 start this season, including a 2-1-0 record in HOCKEY EAST. Mass.-Amherst split with Providence and beat Northeastern in conference play and beat Niagara and were swept by Colorado College in non-conference action. Have scored a combined 12 goals in their three victories and have amassed 3 goals in their three losses. Mass.-Amherst ranks last in HOCKEY EAST in scoring, averaging 2.5 goals per game. Are the second straight MSU opponent to feature a Boston University alum behind the bench. Don Cahoon, in his second year at Mass.-Amherst and 15th year as a college head coach, graduated from BU in 1972. Bowling Green's Buddy Powers, whose team was at Munn last week, earned his degree from Boston U. in 1975. Are averaging a little more than nine wins per season - and just over five victories a year in conference play - since joining the HOCKEY EAST ranks at the start of the 1994-95 season.
THE MSU HEAD COACH
Ron Mason (St. Lawrence '64) is in 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 613-263-65 (.686) mark since taking over for the legendary Amo Bessone in 1979. His overall record currently stands at 902-373-79 (.695), with win no. 900 coming Oct. 20 vs. Ferris State at Munn Ice Arena.
Mason guided MSU to its second NCAA hockey championship in 1986 and his 21 NCAA Tournament appearances are an all-time record. He also has 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.
