Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
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Western Michigan
Hockey Blanks Western Michigan, 4-0
3/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 7, 2003
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Behind a three-goal first period outburst, Michigan State picked up a 4-0 whitewash of Western Michigan on Friday night in Kalamazoo Tonight's win was a rare one for the Spartans at Lawson Ice Arena, marking the first time the senior class has earned two points at Western Michigan since Nov. 21, 1998.
"We had a great first period," said MSU head coach Rick Comley. "We played very, very well. Matt (Migliaccio) was good. It was a little more chaotic in the second period, but I thought the third period was very stable for us. Western Michigan never quit playing - they just coming back at us."
Michigan State jumped out the board, first as Lee Falardeau (So., Midland, Mich.) lit the lamp for a fifth straight game at the 4:17 mark of the opening stanza. Brian Maloney (Sr., Bassano, Alta.) fed a pass to Brock Radunske (So., New Hamburg, Ont.), who put the initial shot on the Broncos' netminder Scott Foster. Foster couldn't control the rebound and Falardeau tapped it in for his seventh goal of the season.
"Early in the year, Lee wasn't at the net enough," commented Comley. "Now he is going to the net and shoots the puck. He is getting rewarded for all his hard work."
Just 3:08 later, the Spartans made it 2-0 on a goal by Colton Fretter (Fr., Harrow, Ont.) - his fifth of the season and his first since the Jan. 11 contest vs. Alaska Fairbanks. Spartan goaltender Matt Migliaccio (So., Wyandotte, Mich.) cleared the puck out to Brad Fast (Sr., Fort St. John, B.C.), who worked the puck down low in the offensive zone. Fast worked his way behind the WMU net and found Fretter in front of the net for the goal.
With the Spartans up 2-0, the Broncos called a timeout and replaced Foster with Mike Mantua. Foster had stopped just five shots in seven chances.
MSU was not done in the first period as Maloney gave the Spartans a 3-0 lead with his 14th goal of the season at the 17:47 mark. Once again, the Spartans controlled the play in the offensive zone. Radunske put the initial shot on Mantua and drew him out of the net. Mantua couldn't control the rebound and Maloney was able to tap home the puck.
"We made the guys were ready to play tonight and this is a tough barn to play in," said Maloney. "We really wanted to get the two points and we were able to jump on them early."
Fretter capitalized on a perfectly placed pass from linemate Ash Goldie (So., London, Ont.) and made no mistake as he faked a shot and went back door on a sliding Mantua. Also registering an assist on the goal was the David Booth (Fr., Washington, Mich.), who picked up his first point in four games.
 Matt Migliaccio posted his fifth shutout of the season, stopping 19 shots in MSU's 4-0 win at Western Michigan.  | |
Migliaccio posted his fifth shutout of the season, stopping 19 Bronco shots. The five shutouts rank fourth on MSU's single-season shutout chart. Foster and Mantua combined to stop 32 shots.
Michigan State closes out the CCHA regular season tomorrow (March 8) when the Spartans face Western Michigan at Munn Arena. Face-off is set for 7:05 p.m. Spartan fans are encouraged to arrive early as MSU will honor seven seniors in a pre-game ceremony, starting at 6:44 p.m.
Spartan Notebook
* Sophomore forward Jim Slater returned to the line-up on Friday after missing the previous two games with an injury.
* With an assist on MSU's second goal, senior defenseman Brad Fast extended his point streak to 10 games where he has compiled l-14-15 totals.
* Sophomore forward Lee Falardeau has scored a goal in five straight games, dating back to the Feb. 21 game vs. Northern Michigan.
* Freshman forward Colton Fretter equaled his career best with a pair of goals tonight.
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