Hockey Sweeps Western Michigan With 7-3 Win

Oct. 25, 2003

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Michigan State hockey team picked up its first sweep of the season with a 7-3 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday night (Oct. 25) at Lawson Ice Arena. The Spartans, who posted a 4-2 win on Friday, improved to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference action. Western Michigan falls to 2-3-1 overall and 2-3-1 in league play.

Junior forward Jim Slater (Lapeer, Mich.) gave the Spartans an early 1-0 lead with his team-leading sixth goal of the season at the 6:14 mark of the first period. Slater took a feed from forward Tom Goebel (Parma, Ohio) and buried the puck over WMU netminder Mike Mantua.

Western Michigan evened the game at one with a power-play marker by Paul Szczechura at the 11:37 mark of the opening stanza. Freshman goaltender Dominic Vicari (Clinton Township, Mich.) made the initial save on Ryan Mahrle's shot from the point but couldn't control the rebound and Szczechura poked the rebound into the empty net.

Just 34 seconds into the second period, sophomore forward David Booth (Washington, Mich.) gave the Spartans a 2-1 advantage with his first goal of the season. Junior forward Brock Radunske (New Hamburg, Ont.) scored his first goal of the season at the 9:01 mark as he put a backhander past Mantua.

Just 1:43 later, junior forward Ash Goldie's (London, Ont.) power-play marker gave MSU a 4-1 lead. Goldie took a feed from freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen (Savage, Minn.) and put the puck over Mantua's left shoulder for his second goal of the year.

Junior forward Mike Lalonde (Chetwynd, B.C.) put MSU up 5-1, just 24 seconds into the third period. Slater won the face-off in the offensive zone right to Lalonde, who fired a quick shot over the WMU netminder.

The Broncos cut the lead to 5-2 with a goal by Pat Dwyer at the 2:39 mark.

However, MSU regained a four-goal advantage as Goebel tallied a 5-on-3 power-play marker with a quick goal off the Spartan face-off. Less than two minutes later, Slater scored his second goal of the game on the power play to give MSU a 7-2 lead, before WMU's Jeremy Cheyne scored the Broncos' third goal.

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 in Big Rapids.

Spartan Notebook
* MSU's defensive unit featured four freshmen (Tyler Howells, Ethan Graham, A.J. Thelen and Brandon Warner) and two sophomores (Jared Nightingale and Corey Potter). Senior Joe Markusen, who has 124 career starts, missed Saturday's game due to injury.

* Freshman netminder Dominic Vicari made his third career start.

* MSU's 20-man lineup did not have one senior on Saturday. Instead, the line-up featured six juniors (seven if you count back-up goaltender Matt Migliaccio), six sophomores and seven freshmen.

* Junior forward Jim Slater tied his career best with five points (two goals, three assists).