Hockey Faces Lake Superior In Thursday-Saturday Series.
2/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Feb. 3, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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THIS WEEK'S ACTION
Michigan State (16-13-1, 11-8-1 CCHA)vs. Lake Superior State (6-13-5, 4-11-3 CCHA)
Thursday, Feb. 5, 7:05 p.m.Taffy Abel Arena (4,000) * Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Saturday, Feb. 7, 7:35 p.m.Joe Louis Arena (20,058) * Detroit, Mich.
MSU-LSSU Series InformationMSU leads 55-29-82002-03 series: MSU 3-1-0Last 10 games: MSU leads 9-1-0In East Lansing: MSU leads 30-11-2In Sault Ste. Marie: MSU leads 19-12-6Neutral: MSU leads 3-0-0First Meeting: Dec. 19, 1980 - MSU 5, LSSU 2Last Meeting: Jan. 4, 2003 - MSU 6, LSSU 0
Radio: WJIM 1240-AM (Scott Moore, Damon Whitten)Television: Saturday only-Fox Sports Net Detroit(Mario Impemba, Fred Pletsch, Shireen Saski)
THIS WEEK'S ACTION
Michigan State (16-13-1 overall, 11-8-1 CCHA) plays a Thursday-Saturday series with Lake Superior State (6-13-5 overall, 4-11-3 CCHA). On Thursday, Feb. 5, the teams meet in Sault Ste. Marie. The series shifts to Joe Louis Arena on Saturday, Feb. 7, for a 7:35 p.m. opening face-off.
MSU enters Thursday's game after dropping a pair of games to Miami (2-1 and 3-1) last weekend, while LSSU lost two games at Michigan (5-1 and 4-0).
LAST TIME OUT
Friday, Jan. 30 - Miami 2, Michigan State 1
The Spartans dropped a 2-1 decision to CCHA leader Miami on Friday. MSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Adam Nightingale at the 7:05 mark of the opening period. However, back-to-back goals by Miami's Marty Guerin and Matt Christie in the third period gave the RedHawks the 2-1 win. Dominic Vicari stopped 17 shots for MSU, while Brandon Crawford-West finished with 27 stops. The RedHawks finished 0-for-4 on the power play, while MSU was 0-for-3.
Saturday, Jan. 31 - Miami 3, Michigan State 1
Miami jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 2:20 in the first period, before MSU tied the game at one on a power-play tally by Mike Lalonde with 6:03 left in the middle stanza. The RedHawks' Andy Nelson gave Miami a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission, before Marty Guerin iced the game with a empty-net tally with 38 seconds left. Dominic Vicari stopped 29 shots, while Brandon Crawford-West finished with 34 saves. State finished 1-for-2 with the man advantage, while Miami was 0-for-4 with the extra skater.
FOR STARTERS
* The Spartans have killed off 28-of-29 opponent power plays (.966), dating to the Jan. 9 game vs. UMass-Lowell. State stopped the RedHawks on all eight of their power-play attempts last weekend.
* Junior forward Mike Lalonde scored his first goal in eight games in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Miami. Currently, Lalonde is tied with Jim Slater for the team lead with 15 markers.
* Junior forward Adam Nightingale, who scored MSU's lone goal on Friday, has eight goals this season to rank tied for fourth on MSU in that category.
* MSU is 2-8 in games decided by one goal this season, including three overtime losses (3-2 to Wayne State, 2-1 to Wisconsin and 6-5 to Northern Michigan). A big difference from last year is that State was 6-3 in one-goal games in 2002-03.
* The Spartans are 12-4-1 when scoring the first goal of the game.
* 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).
MICHIGAN STATE QUICK HITS
* MSU, under the direction of second-year head coach Rick Comley, carries a 16-13-1 overall and an 11-8-1 CCHA slate into the LSSU series. State dropped a two-game set vs. Miami (2-1 and 3-1) last weekend.
* Junior forward Jim Slater paces MSU and is second in the CCHA overall scoring race with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists). Junior forward Mike Lalonde (15-13--28) is second with 28 points, while freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen (8-15--23) is third with 22 points. Freshman forward Tommy Goebel (9-10--19) is fourth with 19 points and junior forwards Brock Radunske (8-9--17) and Ash Goldie (7-10--17) round out the top-six Spartan scorers with 17 points each.
* In goal, freshman Dominic Vicari is 8-10 with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .925 saves percentage. Junior Matt Migliaccio is 7-4-1 with a 2.79 GAA and a .913 saves percentage.
* MSU ranks fifth in the CCHA and 21st in the nation in goals-per-game at 3.13.
* The Spartan power play is converting at a 18.5 percent rate (24-of-130), while State has killed off 96-of-120 (.800) of opponent power-play chances.
LAKE SUPERIOR QUICK HITS
* Lake Superior State brings a 6-13-5 overall and a 4-11-3 CCHA slate into this week's action. The Lakers have lost six straight contests heading into Thursday's game.
* LSSU is under the direction of Frank Anzalone, who is in his second tour of duty with the Lakers. It is his 11th year overall with the program and his third year in his second stint.
* Junior forward Bo Cheesman paces LSSU in scoring with 9-6--15 totals, while freshman forward Dominic Osman is second with 8-6--14 totals.
* In goal, freshman Jeff Jakaitis and junior Matt Violin have split time in net. Jakaitis is 2-4-2 with a 2.39 GAA and a .917 saves percentage. Violin is 4-9-3 with a 3.12 GAA and an .893 saves percentage.
* Offensively, LSSU is averaging 1.96 goals-per-game, while allowing 3.04 goals-per-game.
* LSSU's power play is connecting at a 13.5 percent clip (13-of-96), while the penalty kill has stopped 53-of-70 (.757) of its opponent attempts.
MSU-LSSU SERIES INFORMATION
Michigan State holds a 55-29-8 advantage in the all-time series which began with a 5-2 Spartan victory on Dec. 19, 1980. State is 19-12-6 all-time in games played in Sault Ste. Marie.
MSU has won 19 of the last 21 meetings between the schools, including taking three out of four games in 2002-03. State won the first two games (7-0 and 3-2) in East Lansing on Oct. 24-25, 2002, before splitting a pair of games in the Soo (L, 7-1 and W, 6-0) on Jan. 3-4, 2003.
COMLEY AND THE LAKERS
MSU head coach Rick Comley will coach against one of this former teams this week. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at LSSU in 1972-73. He took over the reigns from 1973-76, where he guided the Lakers to a 59-46-3 mark, including a NAIA national championship and a CCHA regular-season title in 1974.
In addition, Comley was a four-year letterwinner (1967-71) at LSSU for former Spartan head coach Ron Mason. He was a two-time NAIA All-American and served as team captain as a senior in 1971. He was voted the team's most valuable player and won Lake Superior State's Outstanding Athlete Award in 1971. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Lake Superior State in 1972 and is a member of LSSU's Athletics Hall of Fame.
PENALTY KILL CONTINUES TO CLICK
Over the course of the last eight games, Michigan State has killed off 96.6 percent (28-of-29) of its opponent power plays. The Spartans did not allow a power-play marker in nine attempts in their two-game set at Ohio State (Jan. 23-24) and stopped all eight RedHawk attempts last weekend (Jan. 30-31).
For the season, MSU ranks eighth in the CCHA on the penalty kill at 80.0 percent (96-of-120).
MSU Penalty Kill Last Six GamesDate Opponent Penalty KillJan. 9 UMass-Lowell 1-1 (1.000)Jan. 10 UMass-Lowell 2-2 (1.000)Jan. 15 Bowling Green 4-4 (1.000)Jan. 16 Bowling Green 4-5 (.800)Jan. 23 Ohio State 4-4 (1.000)Jan. 24 Ohio State 5-5 (1.000)Jan. 30 Miami 4-4 (1.000)Jan. 31 Miami 4-4 (1.000)Totals 28-of-29 (.966)
LOOKING FOR 20
Junior forwards Jim Slater and Mike Lalonde are tied for first on the Spartans with 15 goals. They each need five more goals to become the first Spartan players since John Nail (20 goals) in 2000-01 to tally 20 markers in a season.
If both players hit 20 goals, it would mark the first time since the 1998-99 season that State has had a pair of 20-goal scorers (Mike York-22 goals and Bryan Adams-21 goals).
The last time MSU had three players with 20 or more goals was during the 1997-98 season as Sean Berens (36 goals), Mike York (27 goals) and Rustyn Dolyny (20 goals) all hit that plateau.
CHECK OUT THIS NUMBER
Michigan State's top three plus/minus leaders (Jim Slater +20; Mike Lalonde +20; Chris Snavely +13) are a combined +53, while the rest of the Spartan squad is a combined +39. Slater and Lalonde pace the CCHA in plus/minus.
RETURNING TO FULL STRENGTH
The Miami series marked the just the fourth and fifth times this season MSU has had a full line-up available. The Dec. 5-6 Michigan series marked the first time all season MSU had its full line-up available for duty. However, in the five games with a full line-up, MSU has only finished the game three times (Dec. 5 vs. UM and Jan. 30-31 vs. Miami) with its full line-up intact.
All told, nine different Spartans have missed a combined 38 games to injury and illness this season. To further illustrate the extent of the losses, MSU has been without the services of sophomore forward David Booth (knee - eight games), junior forward Lee Falardeau (knee - seven games), freshman defenseman Chris Snavely (shoulder - six games), junior forward Adam Nightingale (concussion - three games; ankle - three games - six games total), freshman forward Tommy Goebel (mononucleosis - six games), senior defenseman Joe Markusen (sore ribs - one game/knee - one game - two games total), junior forward Steve Swistak (hip - one game), freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen (knee - one game) and Dominic Vicari (leg - one game).
IT'S A TALE OF TWO TEAMS
It has been a tale of two teams this season for Michigan State. For example:
* State has lit the lamp for 67 goals in its 15 victories (4.5 gpg) while giving up only 21 markers (1.4 gpg). MSU has allowed three goals or fewer in 13 of the 15 wins, including five shutouts (Oct. 31 vs. FSU; Dec. 6 vs. UM; Jan. 9 vs. UML; Jan. 16 at BGSU and Jan. 24 at OSU).
* In MSU's 14 losses, the Spartans have scored just 24 goals (1.7 gpg) while giving up 50 markers (3.6 gpg). MSU has registered two goals or fewer in 11 of the 14 losses, including two shutouts.
* In MSU's 15 wins, the Spartans are averaging 31.4 shots per game, while allowing just 29.1 shots. On the other hand, MSU has averaged just 27.9 shots per game in its 14 losses, while allowing 30.3 shots per game.
* MSU is connecting at a 23.2 percent clip (16-of-69) on the power play when it wins and 12.3 percent (7-of-57) when it loses.
* The Spartans are killing off 86.9 percent (53-of-61) of opponent power plays when they win, but just 74.5 percent (41-of-55) of the attempts when they lose.
* The third period seems to be the telltale sign for the Spartans. MSU has outscored opponents 33-to-9 in games its wins in the final stanza. On the flip side, Spartan opponents have outscored State 20-to-5 in its 14 losses.
INSIDE SLATER'S NUMBERS
Junior forward Jim Slater, an All-America and Hobey Baker award candidate, paces MSU in scoring with 33 points on 15 goals and 18 assists. His 33 points ranks second in CCHA overall scoring race and puts him tied for eighth in the nation.
The Lapeer, Mich., native has played in 104 career contests, posting 44 goals and 65 assists for 109 points -- an average of 1.05 points-per-game.
STRUGGLING OFFENSIVELY
Since scoring 10 goals at the Great Lakes Invitational (Dec. 27-28) and 12 goals in a two-game set with Northern Michigan (Jan. 2-3), the Spartan hockey team has scored a combined 16 goals in their last eight games, or 2.00 goals-per-game. Take note, MSU scored four goals against UMass-Lowell, three against Bowling Green, seven (including two empty-net goals) at Ohio State and two against Miami.
To further illustrate, look at MSU's top scorers:
* Junior forward Jim Slater is MSU's top scorer with four goals in the past 10 games, while junior forward Adam Nightingale has three goals in the last eight games.
* Junior forward Mike Lalonde scored MSU's lone goal Saturday, but it was his first in eight games and just his second in the past 10.
* Despite missing six games in January with mononucleosis, freshman forward Tommy Goebel hasn't scored a goal since the Nov. 21 Wayne State game.
* Since returning from the World Junior Championships, sophomore forward David Booth has registered just one goal in eight games.
* Junior forward Ash Goldie has a pair of two-goal games in the past 10 contests; junior forward Brock Radunske hasn't scored in 11 games; and junior Kevin Estrada hasn't scored in the past nine games after registering a hat trick Jan. 2 vs. Northern Michigan.
IT'S TOUGH PLAYING AT HOME
MSU has been swept only three times at Munn Ice Arena since the 1994-95 season, including Miami who has swept the Spartans twice (Feb. 10-11, 1995 and Jan. 30-31, 2004). The other opponent to sweep the Spartans at Munn during this span is Ohio State (Oct. 17-18, 2003).
All told, MSU is 8-10 at Munn Ice Arena this season.
MSU HOCKEY TICKET UPDATE
A few tickets still remain for the Feb. 20-21 Nebraska-Omaha series. 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.
MSU HEAD COACH Rick Comley
In 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 635-503-74 (.555) career record in 30 seasons and ranks seventh all-time on the NCAA hockey coaches wins list. In addition, his 635 career victories ranks third among active NCAA coaches, behind Boston University's Jack Parker (688 wins) and Boston College's Jerry York (687 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.
SOME NUMBERS TO THINK ABOUT ...
* Michigan State is 12-4-1 when scoring the first goal of the game. However, the Spartans are just 3-10 when their opponent scores first.
* In games following a loss, State is 9-4-0. Meanwhile, in games following a win, State is 6-8-1 and MSU is 0-1-0 in games following a tie.
* The Spartans are 13-3 when allowing two goals or less.
SPARTAN NOTEBOOK
* State is 7-4 on the road this season, including a 1-1 mark in games played at Joe Louis Arena.
* Junior forward Adam Nightingale has scored two goals in his last three games.
* The Spartans rank fourth in the CCHA and 15th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 2.47 goals-per-game. It is an 0.55 goal-per-game improvement from last year when State allowed 3.02 goals-per-game.
* Freshman forward Chris Lawrence has picked up a pair of assists in MSU's last three games, including an assist on State's lone goal on Saturday.
* Despite missing six games with mononucleosis, freshman forward Tommy Goebel ranks 14th in the country in points-per-game among rookies (0.83).
* Junior forwards Ash Goldie and Adam Nightingale are tied for 14th in the country in game-winning goals with three.
* Freshman netminder Dominic Vicari ranks second in the country in shutouts with four. Michigan's Al Montoya leads the country with five blankings.
SHUTTING DOWN THE OPPONENT
The Spartans have five shutouts this season, which ranks tied for fifth on MSU's single-season chart. The school record for blankings in a season is 11, set in 2000-01.
Most Shutouts in a Season (Goaltender-number in season)11, 2000-01 (Ryan Miller-10, Joe Blackburn-1)9, 1999-2000 (Ryan Miller-8, Joe Blackburn-1)8, 2001-02 (Ryan Miller-8)6, 1997-98 (Chad Alban-6)5, 2003-04 (Dominic Vicari-4, Matt Migliaccio-1)5, 1998-99 (Joe Blackburn-3, Mike Gresl-2)5, 2002-03 (Matt Migliaccio-5)
THE SKINNY ON THELEN
A.J. Thelen is third on MSU in scoring and first among CCHA blueliners with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists). His 23 points ties him with Minnesota's Keith Ballard (8-15--23) for second in the nation behind UMass defenseman Thomas Pock (14-18-32) with 32 points.
The Savage, Minn., native has five power-play goals among his eight tallies to rank first on MSU and tied for fifth in the CCHA in that category. He is tied for 28th in the nation with his five power-play markers.
SITTING NEAR THE TOP OF THE DEFENSIVE LEADERS
A.J. Thelen currently ranks seventh in the country in points-per-game among defenseman at 0.79. UMass' Thomas Pock leads all blueliners with a 1.28 points-per-game average.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Freshman netminder Dominic Vicari recorded his fourth career shutout with a 1-0 win at Bowling Green Jan. 16. The four shutouts tie him with Joe Selinger (1958-59) for sixth on MSU's single-season shutouts list. Matt Migliaccio (2002-03) holds down the No. 5 spot with five blankings, a mark he set last season. Ryan Miller (2000-01) is MSU's single-season leader with 10.
TWO SPARTANS RANKED IN NHL MID-SEASON RANKINGS
The National Hockey League's Central Scouting Service released its Mid-Term Rankings for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft on Jan. 15, and two Spartans are ranked among the top U.S. college players. Freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen is listed 16th and sophomore forward David Booth is 24th among a total of 240 North American skaters. Thelen is the highest-rated CCHA player.
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association has a total of 14 players ranked, including the No. 1 goaltender in Michigan's Al Montoya. North Dakota's Drew Stafford is the top collegiate skater coming in at No. 9.
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft will be held at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., June 25-27.
THE NATIONAL POLLS
Michigan State is not ranked in either edition of the Feb. 2 USA Today/American Hockey Magazine or the USCHO.com polls. Although, MSU did receive votes in both polls.
North Dakota earned the top spot in both polls. Boston College, Michigan, Maine and Minnesota round out the top-five teams in both polls for a second straight week.
ON THE SCOREBOARD
Michigan State ranks 21st in the nation and fifth in the CCHA with a 3.13 goals-per-game average. MSU scored three or more goals in 16 of the team's 30 contests, including a season-high eight vs. Ferris State (Oct. 31). All told, State has scored 94 goals this season and is tied with Miami for the CCHA lead in that category.
In 2002-03, Michigan State finished fifth in the nation and second in the CCHA with a 3.95 goals-per-game average. 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 KEY TO SUCCESS
Michigan State's power play is fourth in the CCHA and 22nd in the nation at 18.5 percent (24-of-130).
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 AWARDS BANQUET SET FOR MARCH 8
The 2004 Hockey Awards Banquet will be held on Monday, March 8 at the Holiday Inn South in Lansing. Tickets are $50 each ($15 of that amount goes to the Ralph Young Fund for the hockey program). For applications or additional information, contact the Ralph Young Fund at (517) 432-4610.
THE Rick Comley RADIO SHOW
The Rick Comley Radio Show, which is normally held on Wednesday at 6 p.m., is moving to Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m., for this week only. The hour-long show originates from Reno's East Sports Bar in East Lansing and can be heard on WVFN-AM 730. Jerry Marshall serves as the host of the program.
There will be no show on Wednesday, Feb. 11 as the hockey team travels to Fairbanks, Alaska, for its two-game set with UAF.
UP NEXT
The Spartans hit the road as State travels to Alaska Fairbanks for a two-game set with the Nanooks Feb. 13-14. It marks MSU's first trip to the Great White North since Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2001.
