Hockey Earns 6-3 Victory Over Bowling Green

Feb. 26, 2005

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Sophomore Drew Miller (East Lansing, Mich.) recorded a career-high four points as the Michigan State hockey team (15-15-4 overall, 10-13-3 CCHA) downed Bowling Green by a 6-3 final, Saturday night (Feb. 26) at Munn Ice Arena.

MSU received a 34-save effort from sophomore goaltender Dominic Vicari (Clinton Township, Mich.), while BGSU's Jordan Sigalet made 30 saves in the losing effort.

"Our performance was great tonight," said head coach Rick Comley. "We needed our big-time players to step up, and that is why I put (Drew) Miller, (Colton) Fretter and (Jim) Slater together. Drew has had a great season. He went a little flat recently, probably from being tired, but he obviously played outstanding tonight. His goal to tie the game was huge."

The Falcons struck first with a power-play goal at 12:54 of the first period. Brett Pilkington received a pass from James Unger at put a shot by a sprawling Vicari for the tally.

MSU knotted things up at one, just 1:20 later, with a power-play goal of its own. Colton Fretter (Harrow, Ont.) took a cross-ice pass from Tyler Howells (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and unleashed a wicked one-timer from the top of the right face-off circle that snuck between the post and Sigalet's right pad. Miller also tallied an assist on the goal.

Fretter's 17th goal and 35th point of the season continues to lead the team. Howell's assist is his 11th of the season, surpassing his previous high of 10 set last year.

State took advantage of a five-on-three power play to take a one-goal lead, 2-1, at 18:36 of the first. Jim McKenzie (Woodbury, Minn.) was in the right place at the right time to score his eighth goal of the season and fifth in four games. Senior captain Jim Slater (Lapeer, Mich.) put a quick pass across the crease that hit the skate of McKenzie, who was crashing the net and careened past Sigalet. Miller picked up his second assist on the evening on the goal.

With three assists, senior captain Jim Slater moved into 29th place on MSU's all-time scoring list.

With the assist, Slater extended his scoring streak to four games. He has 2-4--6 points during that span. It is his fourth four-game point streak this season.

McKenzie has now tallied seven of his eight goals on the season in the past seven games, after going scoreless in the previous 18 contests.

Bowling Green gained considerable momentum to start the second period, as they killed off two penalties in the first five minutes of the session. It carried that momentum into a man-advantage opportunity of which it used to tie the game, 2-2, at 6:26.

A slap shot by Don Morrison from the point bounced onto senior captain Ryan Minnabarriet's stick and Minnabarriet fired the puck into an empty net. Pilkington picked up his second point of the night with an assist on the goal.

BGSU went back ahead, 3-2, on the fifth-straight power-play goal of the game at 12:27 of the second period. Alex Foster snared the puck in the slot and put a laser-guided wrist-shot above Vicari's glove and into the net.

MSU scored yet another power-play goal to tie things at three, at 18:19 of the second period. Miller pulled the puck out of a battle on the end boards and quickly scored on a wraparound, before Sigalet could find the puck.

Miller's four-point night is his first of that variety in his career. His previous career best was a three-point, hat trick performance at Western Michigan, Jan. 14.

Miller scored his second goal of the game at 5:17 of the third to put the Green and White back on top, 4-3. The goal was the seventh of the contest, but the first even-strength goal of the night. Slater charged into the zone with a full head of steam and drove behind the net. When he came out on the other side, he flipped the puck in front. It found a way through Sigalet's legs and right in front of the sprawling goaltender. Miller was there to slam it home, giving the Spartans' the lead once again.

Slater's second assist of the night gives him 160 points for his career, passing Lyle Fair for 29th spot on the all-time Spartan scoring list.

MSU added an insurance goal on the power play at 18:33 of the third. Ethan Graham (Xenia, Ohio) rocketed a slap shot that pin-balled off Sigalet's left pad, then deflected off a Falcon defenseman's skate before finding its way to the back of the net.

Bryan Lerg (Livonia, Mich.) made the score 6-3 with an empty-net goal at 19:20 of the final session to give MSU a much needed 6-3 victory over Bowling Green.

The Spartans return to action for their final series of the regular season next weekend in a home-and-home series against Notre Dame. The teams will clash Friday, March 5 in East Lansing, Mich., at 7:05 EST, then travel to South Bend, Ind., Saturday for both teams' regular season finale.

Spartan Notebook
* With his three assists on Saturday, SR F Jim Slater moved into 29th place on MSU's all-time scoring list, surpassing Lyle Phair (1981-85; 159 points) with 161 points (61 goals, 100 assists). He needs just two points to move into a tie for 27th with Danton Cole (1985-89) and Gord Flegel (1981-85) as both players finished their careers with 163 points.

*JR F Colton Fretter collected his 10th multiple-point game of the season and tied a career-high with a goal and two assists. Fretter has collected three points three other times this season, his last three-point performance coming on Jan. 15, 2005 at Western Michigan.

* SO F Drew Miller also had a career-high four points (two goals, two assists) against the Falcons. Miller broke his previous record of three points at Western Michigan on Jan. 15, 2005, where he scored a hat trick.

* FR F Jim McKenzie collected his seventh goal in as many games at 18:36 of the first period. He also collected an assist to give him his third multiple-point game of the season.

* The Spartans scored four power-play goals for the second time this season on Saturday. MSU last had four power-play goals against Ohio State on Feb. 18, 2005.

* MSU improves its record at Munn to 9-6-2 on the season.

* The Spartans now lead the all-time series against Bowling Green 58-26-8, including a 31-9-3 mark at Munn Arena. The Spartans are also 11-4-1 in the last 15 games against the Falcons.

Junior forward Colton Fretter has tallied seven points in State's last four games.

* SR F Jim Slater has seven points (two goals, five assists) in MSU's last four games.

* JR F Colton Fretter also has seven points (two goals, five assists) in State's last four games.

* With the win, the Spartans snapped a two-game losing streak.

* The three stars of Saturday's game were: 1) Drew Miller (two goals, two assists) 2) Jim Slater (three assists) 3) Colton Fretter (one goal, two assists)