Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Ferris St
MSU Hockey Outlasts Ferris State
1/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 15, 2002
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - Senior wing Adam Hall (Kalamazoo, Mich.) scored two goals and freshman center Jim Slater (Lapeer, Mich.) scored the game-winner and added an assist as Michigan State (17-5-2 overall, 12-4-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) downed host Ferris State 3-2 tonight.
The win came at a price, however, as the Spartans lost forwards Steve Jackson (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and Lee Falardeau (Midland, Mich.) with injuries. Jackson will miss a minimum of four weeks with a sprained left thumb, while Falardeau is out three-to-four weeks with a left knee sprain.
"It was a hard-fought road win," said MSU coach Ron Mason, whose team assumed sole possession of first place in the CCHA with the victory. "They're not easy to get in this league at any time, but it could be a very costly win for us."
Hall scored MSU's first two goals, ending more than four periods of offensive frustration 31 seconds into the second period. He got the puck from linemate Brian Maloney (Bassano, Alta.) and beat Ferris State goaltender Mike Brown upstairs with a shot from the slot. Senior defenseman Jon Insana (New Baltimore, Mich.) also earned an assist on the play.
"Sometimes the puck bounces to you and things fall right into place and sometimes they don't," said Hall who notched his team-best 12th and 13th goals of season. "You have to take the good with the bad and keep plugging away."
Chris Kunitz, who scored the Bulldogs' first goal with seven seconds remaining in the first period, answered Hall with his second goal of the game and 21st of the season at 4:31 of the second. The Ferris State junior, sprung by a feed from centerman Jeff Legue, split two MSU defenders as he broke into the offensive zone and put a backhand shot over Miller's left shoulder.
Hall, not to be outdone by his Ferris State counterpart, notched his second goal of the night at 8:49 of the second period during the Spartans' fourth power-play opportunity of the game. The MSU captain actually started the sequence by winning the faceoff in the offensive zone after Slater was kicked out of the draw by a linesman. Maloney picked up the puck and got it to Slater, whose shot was stopped by Brown, but Hall was there to corral the rebound and sneak a shot between Brown's left leg and the post.
Slater scored State's third goal midway through the second period with a terrific individual effort in the offensive zone. He gloved a Ferris State clearing attempt just inside the blue line, dropped the puck down to the blade of his stick and quickly fired a perfectly-placed snap shot that got past Brown low to his stick side at 10:56.
MSU goaltender Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich.) did his best to keep the Bulldogs (10-11-1 overall, 8-9-1 CCHA) at bay, especially in the first and third periods, during which he made 11 and 13 saves, respectively, en route to a 26-save total for the night. Ferris had no fewer than 10 grade-A scoring chances in the first period, including five point-blank attmepts during a 30-second flurry, and at least a half-dozen quality chances in the final frame.
"Welcome to Ferris," said Miller of the Bulldogs' strong start. "They try to get out quick and use the crowd and that's how they try to get a win here. Our boys did a great job of battling back and fighting the whole game."
The Spartans close out their three-game road trip Saturday when they visit Ann Arbor to face Michigan, the nation's eighth-ranked team. Faceoff at Yost Ice Arena is scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
