Hockey Faces Western Michigan In Home-And-Home Series
10/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 21, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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THIS WEEK'S ACTION
Michigan State (1-3-0, 0-2-0 CCHA)vs. Western Michigan (2-1-1, 2-1-1 CCHA)
Friday, Oct. 24, 7:05 p.m.Munn Ice Arena (6,470) * East Lansing, Mich.
Saturday, Oct. 25, 8:05 p.m.Lawson Arena (3,667) * Kalamazoo, Mich.
MSU-WMU Series InformationMichigan State leads 55-22-6Last 10 games: Michigan State leads 5-3-2At East Lansing: MSU leads 27-4-5At Kalamazoo: MSU leads 22-16-1Neutral: MSU leads 3-2-0First Meeting: Dec. 7, 1957 - MSU 18, OSU 0Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 2003 - OSU 5, MSU 0
Radio: WJIM 1240-AM (Scott Moore, Damon Whitten)Friday Television: Comcast Cable -- East Lansing/Lansing area(Eric Peasley and Joe Campbell)
THIS WEEK'S ACTION
Michigan State and Western Michigan meet in an home-and-home series this weekend. On Friday, Oct. 24, the teams tangle in East Lansing at 7:05 p.m., while on Saturday, Oct. 25, the series moves to Kalamazoo for an 8:05 p.m. showdown.
LAST WEEKEND RECAP
Friday, Oct. 17 - Ohio State 5, Michigan State 0
Ohio State jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one period on goals by Dan Knapp and Nate Guenin en route to a 5-0 win over Michigan State at Munn Ice Arena. Matt Migliaccio stopped 25 shots for MSU, while Mike Betz finished with 24 saves. The Spartans were 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Buckeyes finished 2-for-5.
Saturday, Oct. 18 - Ohio State 4, Michigan State 1
After Jim Slater had tied the game at one with his team-best fifth goal of the season just 41 seconds into the second period, the Buckeyes scored three unanswered goals to post a 4-1 win in game two. Dominic Vicari, who made his second career start, stopped 17 shots, while OSU's Mike Betz finished with 23 saves. MSU went 0-for-4 on the power play for the second straight night, while OSU was 1-for-3.
FOR STARTERS
* MSU is 5-3-2 in its last 10 meetings vs. Western Michigan.
* Former defenseman John-Michael Liles (2000-03), a rookie with the Colorado Avalanche, scored his first NHL goal which turned out to be the game winner, in the Avs' 5-2 win over Minnesota on Thursday (Oct. 16). Liles has played in all four Avs games to date with one goal and a +2 rating.
* Former Spartan defenseman Andrew Hutchinson (1999-2002) made his NHL debut in Nashville's 3-2 win over Chicago on Saturday (Oct. 18), after being recalled earlier in the day from Milwaukee (AHL). Hutchinson played 24 shifts and 17 minutes, including 3:24 on the power play, and had two shots on goal and one penalty.
* Nashville currently has three former Spartans on their roster, including Hutchinson and forwards Rem Murray (1992-95) and Adam Hall (1999-2002). The Avalanche has two former Spartans in Liles and forward Jim Cummins (1989-91). All told, as of Monday (Oct. 20), 12 former Spartans were playing in the National Hockey League.
* State was picked to finish second in the CCHA Media Poll and third in the CCHA Coaches Poll, which was released at the annual CCHA Media Day at Joe Louis Arena (Sept. 16).
* MSU returns 17 players (12 forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders) and welcomes nine newcomers (four forwards, four defenseman and one goaltender) to its rotation for 2003-04.
MICHIGAN STATE QUICK HITS
* MSU, under the direction of second-year head coach Rick Comley, carries a 1-3 overall record and an 0-2 CCHA slate into this weekend's action. MSU is coming off a pair of losses to Ohio State last weekend.
* Junior forward Jim Slater is MSU's leading scorer with 5-1--6 totals, while junior forward Mike Lalonde is MSU's second-leading scorer with 1-2--3 totals. Six players are tied for third with two points apiece.
* In goal, junior Matt Migliaccio and freshman Dominic Vicari have split time in net. Migliaccio has posted a 1-2 mark, along with a 4.50 goals-against average and an .859 saves percentage. Meanwhile, Vicari is 0-2 with a 4.04 GAA and an .822 saves percentage.
* The Spartan power play is converting at an 18.2 percent rate (4-of-22).
WESTERN MICHIGAN QUICK HITS
* Western Michigan carries a 2-1-1 mark into this weekend's action. The Broncos beat Nebraska-Omaha 5-1 last Friday and skated to a 2-2 overtime draw on Saturday.
* WMU head coach Jim Culhane is in his fifth season behind the Broncos' bench.
* Sophomore forward Vince Bellissimo, a member of the 2003 CCHA All-Rookie team, and senior forward Lucas Drake, who is from Holt, Mich., pace the Broncos in scoring with five points (two goals, three assists) each.
* WMU has converted on just 2-of-24 power-play chances (.083), but the Broncos have killed off 18-of-20 opponent power-play attempts (.900) to rank third in the CCHA and tied for 14th in the country.
* In goal, senior Mike Mantua has started three games with a 2-1 mark, along with a 2.67 GAA and a .917 saves percentage. Sophomore Scott Foster has started one game and has a 0-1 record, along with a 1.85 GAA and a .923 saves percentage.
SERIES INFORMATION
Michigan State holds a 52-22-6 edge in the all-time series, which began with a 7-6 Spartan victory on Oct. 19, 1979. State is 5-3-2 in its last 10 meetings with the Broncos, including a sweep in the 2002-03 series (4-0 and 8-5). MSU is 27-4-5 in games played in East Lansing and just 22-16-1 in games in Kalamazoo.
2002-03 SERIES RECAP
March 7, 2002 - Michigan State 4, Western Michigan 0
Michigan State used a three-goal first period outburst and Matt Migliaccio stopped 19 shots as the Spartans posted a 4-0 shutout at Western Michigan. Colton Fretter scored a pair of goals for MSU and Lee Falardeau and Brian Maloney added single tallies in the win.
March 8, 2003 - Michigan State 8, Western Michigan 5
Jim Slater's first career hat trick helped propel Michigan State to an 8-5 victory over Western Michigan at Munn Arena. WMU took a 2-1 lead into the locker room after one period before the Spartans exploded with four unanswered goals (Jim Slater, Brian Maloney, Brad Fast and Joe Markusen) to take a 5-2 lead. The Broncos would pull within two (5-3) with 11 seconds to play in the middle stanza. Slater's third goal of the game gave MSU a 6-3 lead, before back-to-back Bronco goals pulled WMU within one (6-5). However, a pair of Mike Lalonde goals, including an empty net tally with 44 seconds left sealed the Spartan victory. Matt Migliaccio stopped 22 shots, while Mike Mantua finished with 35 saves.
BRONCO-SPARTAN CONNECTION PART I
Michigan State assistant coach Brian Renfrew, who is in his first season with the Spartans, was a four-year letterwinner (1991-95) for the Broncos in goal. He set a WMU for minutes played in a season (1,356.21) as a senior and closed his career with the third-lowest GAA (3.17) in Bronco history while racking up 39 career victories. He was selected as the MVP of the Great Alaska Face-off Tournament in 1994. In addition, he earned WMU's Most Improved Player Award in 1993 and the team's Dedication and Perseverance Award in 1995.
BRONCO-SPARTAN CONNECTION PART II
MSU assistant coach Tom Newton spent eight years in Kalamazoo, serving as WMU's assistant coach from 1982-86 and the team's associate coach from 1986-90. While at WMU, he was responsible for bringing Hobey Baker runners-up Dan Dorion (1986) and Wayne Gagne (1987) to the Bronco program.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME
Michigan State enters Friday's game with an 0-2 record in the CCHA. The last time MSU started 0-3 in the CCHA was during the 1992-93 season. MSU dropped a pair of games to Miami (4-3 and 7-4) on Oct. 30-31 and lost at Western Michigan (5-3) on Nov. 6. The Spartans picked up their first CCHA win the following night at Illinois-Chicago (4-3) on Nov. 7. State has never started 0-4 in conference play.
FIRST APPEARANCES OF SEASON
Junior forward Steve Swistak made his first appearance of the season against Ohio State (Oct. 18, 2003). Prior to Saturday's game, Swistak's last outing was Nov. 22, 2002 at Bowling Green. He has played in 10 career contests.
Junior forward Lee Falardeau, who missed the first three games with a knee injury, and sophomore forward Chad Hontvet also made their first appearances of the season vs. OSU on Saturday.
JUST CAN'T DO IT ALONE
Junior forward Jim Slater leads the Spartans with five goals. To put it into perspective, Slater has accounted for five of MSU's nine goals, or 56 percent of the team's offensive production.
The Spartans' other four tallies have been scored by four different individuals, junior Mike Lalonde and freshmen Tommy Goebel, A.J. Thelen and Chris Lawrence.
INSIDE SLATER'S NUMBERS
Slater leads MSU in scoring with 5-1--6 totals. He is tied for fifth in the CCHA in the overall scoring race and ranks tied for 19th in the country with 1.50 points-per-game. In addition, the Lapeer, Mich., native is tied for seventh in the country in goals-per-game at 1.25.
LACK OF OFFENSE
Michigan State, which led the CCHA and ranked tied for fifth in the nation in scoring offense at 4.00 goals-per-game average after the opening weekend, managed to score just one goal in the team's two-game set with Ohio State.
"There are guys in (the dressing room) that can score, but they've got to find ways to get it done,'' said Comley. "We have to find ways to get more guys involved offensively. Our defensemen have to grow and the goaltending needs to solidify itself. It's just going to take some time.''
Michigan State finished fifth in the nation and second in the CCHA with a 3.95 goals-per-game average in 2002-03. It was MSU's best offensive showing since the Spartans averaged 4.58 goals per game in 1994-95 - a span of eight seasons.
POWER PLAY
Despite finishing 0-for-8 on the power play last weekend, MSU still is tied for third in the CCHA and tied for 20th in the nation on the power play at 18.2 percent (4-of-22).
One of the keys to Michigan State's success over the past few seasons has been the Spartans' power play. MSU led the CCHA and ranked third in the nation with the man advantage at 27.5 percent (50-of-182) in 2002-03. In conference games only, State paced the league with the man advantage at 29.7 percent (38-of-128). MSU registered at least one power play marker in 30 of the team's 39 games last year.
To further illustrate MSU's success, take note: MSU led the CCHA and finished ninth in the nation on the power play in 2001-02 at 22.5 percent (45-of-200). The Spartans also led the CCHA and ranked seventh in the nation at 22.7 percent (52-of-229) in 2000-01, while in 1999-2000, State once again led the CCHA and ranked sixth in the nation at 22.9 percent (56-of-245).
HOCKEY TICKET UPDATE
There are still a few renewable season hockey ticket packages available. Tickets are $396 each and are good for the remaining 22-game home schedule, starting with the Oct. 24 Western Michigan contest. Tickets may be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office located in Jenison Field House, by phone at (517) 355-1610 or online at www.msuspartans.com.
In addition, there are two non-renewable mini-ticket plans available at $56 each. Plan A includes the following seven games: Western Michigan (Oct. 24), Notre Dame (Nov. 7), Wayne State (Nov. 21), UMass-Lowell (Jan. 9), Miami (Jan. 30), Nebraska-Omaha (Feb. 20) and Michigan (March 5). Or Plan B which includes the following sevent games: Ferris State (Oct. 31), Notre Dame (Nov. 8), Wayne State (Nov. 20), Michigan (Dec. 6), UMass-Lowell (Jan. 10), Miami (Jan. 31), Nebraska-Omaha (Feb. 21). Tickets may be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office located in Jenison Field House, by phone at (517) 355-1610 or online at www.msuspartans.com.
In addition, single-game bench seats are available for all games, except the two Michigan contests (Dec. 6 and March 5). Tickets are $20 for the public and $8 for MSU students (one per ID) and are available through the Athletics Ticket Office located in Jenison Field House, by phone at (517) 355-1610 or online at www.msuspartans.com.
QUIETLY EMERGING
Junior forward Mike Lalonde ranks second on MSU in scoring with 1-2--3 totals. He scored MSU's first goal of the 2003-04 season at the 3:01 mark of the opening stanza vs. Findlay and also added an assist on MSU's second goal for his first multiple-point game of the season. He followed up with an assist on MSU's first goal vs. Minnesota-Duluth.
His assist vs. Findlay was his 50th career point. The Chetwynd, B.C., native has appeared in 83 games, posting 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points.
MSU HEAD COACH Rick Comley
Entering his second season behind the Michigan State bench is Rick Comley. Comley, who was named head coach on March 25, 2002, became just the fifth head coach in MSU hockey history.
He carries a 621-492-73 (.554) career record in 30 seasons and ranks seventh all-time on the NCAA hockey coaches wins list. In addition, his 621 career victories ranks third among active NCAA coaches, behind Boston University's Jack Parker (681 wins) and Boston College's Jerry York (671 wins).
In his first season at MSU, he led the Spartans to a 23-14-2 (.615) overall mark. He became one of just seven coaches to reach the 600-win plateau, a feat he accomplished on Oct. 24, 2002, when the Spartans beat Lake Superior State, 7-0. In addition, he coached a pair of All-Americans in senior defensemen John-Michael Liles and Brad Fast. Liles led the team in scoring en route to earning the CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman award, while Fast finished second in scoring and was the recipient of the CCHA's Best Defensive Defenseman award.
Comley brings 30 years of head coaching experience and a proven record of success at the conference and national levels. During his career, he's coached eight Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalists, including 2003 finalist John-Michael Liles; 12 All-Americans; four league players of the year; 23 first-team all-league selections, including 2003 honorees Liles, Brad Fast and Jim Slater; and 80 academic all-league selections.
THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Michigan State hockey team is not ranked in either the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine or the USCHO.com polls
In the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll, Boston College is the No. 1 team, followed by New Hampshire, North Dakota, Minnesota and Maine. Meanwhile in the USCHO.com poll, New Hampshire, Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota and Maine round out the top five.
THE Rick Comley RADIO SHOW
The Rick Comley Radio Show will run throughout the season, on Wednesday's, at 6 p.m., on WVFN-AM 730. The hour-long show originates from Reno's East Sports Bar in East Lansing. Jerry Marshall serves as the host of the program.
UP NEXT
Michigan State and Ferris State will play a home-and-home series next weekend (Oct. 31-Nov. 1). Friday's contest is set for 8:05 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena, while on Saturday the opening face-off is set for 7:05 p.m. at Ewigleben Arena.
