Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Entertain Bowling Green In CCHA Playoff Opener
3/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 5, 2002
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THIS WEEK
Michigan State begins its quest for a third straight Central Collegiate Hockey Association postseason championship as the Spartans (24-7-5 overall, 18-6-4 CCHA) welcome Bowling Green (9-23-6 overall, 7-18-3 CCHA) to East Lansing for a first-round, best-of-three playoff series at Munn Ice Arena.
All games - with a deciding third game taking place Sunday if necessary - are scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. EST.
RADIO
This weekend's games, and all MSU home and road contests, 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. He's joined by former Spartan All-American goaltender Joe Blackburn as game analyst.
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
This weekend's games will not be televised in the greater Lansing area.
TICKET UPDATE
Reserved seating is available for all of this weekend's games vs. Bowling Green. Tickets are $18 for the general public and $8 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 March 4)
The Spartans report no injuries heading into the weekend series vs Bowling Green.
THE SPARTANS...Are the no. 2 seed in the CCHA playoffs for the fifth time in school history. On each of the four previous occasions (1983, 1984, 1987 and 2000) MSU was seeded second in the league tournament, the team went on to capture the conference postseason crown.Host a CCHA first-round playoff series for the 11th straight season. It's the first time in Michigan State's 21-year history in the conference, however, that they've played Bowling Green in the opening round of the playoffs.Bring an 11-game home conference playoff winning streak into the weekend series against Bowling Green. The Spartans last lost at Munn Ice Arena in league postseason play in 1996, when Ferris State extended MSU to a rubber game in a best-of-three, first-round series.Have not only posted five straight CCHA first-round series sweeps, but have also allowed two or fewer goals in each of the 10 league playoff games in East Lansing dating back to the 1997 postseason.Haven't lost a league postseason game since March 19, 1999, when they fell to Northern Michigan in the CCHA tournament semifinals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Since that defeat, MSU is 8-0 against conference foes in the playoffs and has claimed back-to-back league tournament titles.Are unbeaten in their last 10 games against Bowling Green dating back to a 1-0 loss to the Falcons at Munn Ice Arena Dec. 7, 1997. MSU is 8-0-2 vs. BGSU since, including a 2-1 win in last year's CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
THE FALCONS...Have won seven of eight CCHA first-round playoff series in the last 10 years - Bowling Green missed the postseason in 1992 and 1998. Five of those seven series wins came against higher-seeded opponents.Were a surprise participant in the 2001 CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Ninth-seeded Bowling Green knocked off no. 2 seed Miami in the first round of the playoffs before beating fifth-seeded Northern Michigan in the play-in game. Eventual league playoff champion Michigan State eliminated the Falcons in a semifinal match.Rank no higher than 10th in any of the CCHA's major team statistical categories. Bowling Green is 10th in scoring offense and penalty killing percentage, 11th in power-play percentage and penalty minutes per game and last in scoring defense.Have lost five straight on the road and are 3-15-3 away from home this season, but all three road wins have taken place in the state of Michigan - at Wayne State, at Michigan and at Lake Superior State.Have allowed 300 more shots on goal than they've taken. Bowling Green has given up 1,411 shots (an average of 37 shots per game) while attempting 1,110 (29.2 shots per game).Boast one player - freshman forward Ryan Minnabarriet - with a positive plus-minus rating. The Ashcroft, British Columbia, native is +6 on the season.Were coached by current MSU mentor Ron Mason from 1973-79. Mason, who will retire from coaching at the end of the season to become MSU's director of athletics, makes his last appearances behind the Spartan bench at Munn Ice Arena this weekend. Incidentally, MSU assistant Tom Newton, a four-year letterwinner at Bowling Green from 1976-80, was a member of Mason's last Falcons' squad.
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 632-268-69 (.688) mark since taking over for the legendary Amo Bessone in 1979. His overall record currently stands at 921-378-83 (.696), 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 (653). 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 45 of his former MSU skaters move on to the National Hockey League.
