Spartans, Wolverines Tangle In Midweek Tilt
11/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 21, 2006
East Lansing, Mich. - One of college hockey's fiercest rivalries adds another chapter tonight as Michigan State and Michigan face off at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor at 7:35 p.m. The Spartans have perhaps their most daunting week of the season on tap, with games at Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin on the docket. The Spartans and Wolverines face off for the third time in three weeks - each team recorded a win on its home ice earlier this season. Michigan's 6-2 win at Yost snapped a nine-game Spartan unbeaten streak in against its archrival. U-M holds a slim 129-116-16 edge in the all-time series, and a 66-41-4 advantage on its home rink.
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in brief
The Spartans make the short trip to Ann Arbor to tangle with archrival Michigan in a midweek tilt. The two teams split an earlier home-and-home series, with each team claiming victory in its home barn thanks to big second-period outbursts. The Spartans enter the game with a 6-3-1 overall mark and are 4-3-1 in CCHA play, while the Wolverines are 9-3-0, 6-2-0 in conference action.
series records
Friday's game is the 262nd meeting between these storied rivals, with the Wolverines holding a slim 129-116-16 edge in the all-time series, which includes a 66-41-4 advantage on its home sheet.
turning back the clock
Tuesday's game serves as the third meeting of the season for these rivals. The first matchup saw the Spartans claim a 7-4 victory at Munn on Nov. 3, using a four-goal second period to turn a 3-1 deficit at the first intermission into a lead it would not relinquish. The next night at Yost the tables turned, with the Wolverines posting four second-period markers to turn a slim 2-1 lead into a commanding 6-2 victory.
These teams met five times during the 2006-07 season, skating to three overtime deadlocks (3-3 in Ann Arbor in October, 1-1 on Jan. 27 in East Lansing, and 5-5 on Jan. 28 at Joe Louis Arena). Michigan State twice defeated the Wolverines, a 2-0 victory at Munn Ice Arena on Jan. 17 and a 4-1 win in the CCHA semifinal.
they don't call them archrivals for nothing
The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is not only one of the most heated battles in college hockey, it is also one of the tightest. Five of the last nine games have ended in a tie, and the Spartans owned a nine-game unbeaten streak against the Wolverines whicih was snapped in the last meeting at Yost. In the last 14 meetings, MSU holds a 5-3-6 edge, with nine of those contests settled by a goal or less. In one-goal games, the Wolverines edge MSU, 33-32-0, but the Spartans hold the edge all-time in overtime (8-7-16). Head coach Rick Comley owns a 20-22-9 record all-time against Michigan, which includes a 8-6-6 mark as the head coach of the Spartans.
battle of the bench bosses
On opposing benches tonight are two of the longest-tenured and most successful coaches in the college game. Spartan mentor Rick Comley sits in fifth place on the all-time NCAA victories list, currently with 694 in his 34-season coaching career. Wolverine head coach Red Berenson is in his 23rd campaign as the head coach at his alma mater, and owns a 594-281-63 career coaching record.
among the giants
Head coach Rick Comley brings a 694-539-88 record into this week's games, during his 34th season as a collegiate head coach. He is third among active head coaches in career victories and sits fifth on the all-time NCAA list, which is headed by former Spartan mentor Ron Mason (924 victories). With eight wins, he will become the fifth collegiate coach to record 700 hockey coaching victories.
In addition, Comley needs just four wins to reach the 100-victory plateau for his Michigan State tenure.
he'll do it close to home ...
There is a good chance that Rick Comley will be around friends and family when he reaches his 700-victory milestone. He's projected to reach it sometime in mid-to-late December; the Spartans are at Northern Michigan on Dec. 8-9, where Comley won two national championships and spent 26 seasons as the hockey coach (and several years as the athletic director). After that, the Spartans will be just down the road at Joe Louis Arena for the Great Lakes Invitational.
scouting the wolverines
The Wolverines are under the tutelage of 23-year head coach and Michigan alumnus Red Berenson, who is closing in on the 600-victory plateau. Michigan boasts the most prolific offense in the country, averaging 4.75 goals per game. Senior TJ Hensick, one of the best passers in the game, is the team's top setup man with 18 assists to go with his four goals to share the team scoring lead (22) with linemate Kevin Porter (10-12-22); the duo is tied for fourth nationally in scoring. Chad Kolarik owns the lead in goals (11) and has added eight assists to sit in third with 18 points. Three other scorers are in double figures: David Rohlfs (8-8-16); Andrew Cogliano (6-7-13) and Jack Johnson (6-6-12).
Sophomore Billy Sauer owns a .900 save percentage and 2.98 GAA in all but 15 minutes of the team's play this fall. The Michigan penalty kill has struggled thus far, killing just 62 of 79 chances against (.785, ranked 50th of 59 NCAA Division I teams). The Wolverines have allowed more power play goals (17) than they have scored themselves with a man advantage - the power play is clicking at a 19.2 % success rate (14 of 73).
quite the cluster
Michigan State is now 4-3-1 in conference play, in a tie for fourth place. Six of its first eight games were been played against its clustermates (Ferris State, Western Michigan, and Michigan), where the Spartans own a 3-2-1 mark. Ferris is 1-4-1 in cluster games, Western is 2-2-0, and Michigan is 3-1-0.
ccha implications
This game completes a run of seven consecutive CCHA games for Michigan State. The Spartans split the home-and-home with Michigan, and took three points in a home-and-home with Ferris, and most recently split a series against Notre Dame. After tonight's action, both teams head for the College Hockey Showcase against Minnesota and Wisconsin this weekend.
in the polls
Michigan State's position in both national polls fell this week after a split with Notre Dame last week - the Spartans are six in both this week's USCHO.com poll and USA Today/USAHockeyMagazine survey.
preseason accolades
The Spartans have been recognized as one of the most promising teams in the CCHA for the upcoming season. MSU earned the first-place nod in the CCHA coaches' poll, earning seven first-place votes. Thirty-eight members of the CCHA media had MSU first on their ballots, but the Spartans were one point behind Michigan in the media poll and were second.
Sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg (first team) and senior defenseman Tyler Howells (second team) were recognized as Preseason All-CCHA selections. Lerg is the league's reigning Rookie of the Year, as well as the CCHA Tournament MVP from 2006.
non-conference success
Since the 2000-01 season, Michigan State has posted a 32-16-4 mark against non-CCHA opponents during the regular season. In the four-plus seasons under Rick Comley, MSU is 20-14-3 against non-CCHA opposition, including a 6-3-1 mark last season.
feeling left out
The Spartans have played the fewest games (10) of any team in the CCHA. While Western Michigan has only played 11, most have played 12 - and Miami and Northern Michigan each have a 14 games under their belts.
call it after after two?
Michigan State is 6-0-1 this season when leading after two periods. The Spartans were 21-2-1 with a second-intermission lead a year ago and are 96-6-6 over the last five years.
we'd prefer three or more
Saturday's 2-0 victory over Notre Dame was the first time since the 1-0 victory over New Hampshire in last year's NCAA Tournament that MSU has scored less than three goals and won.
tighter "d" in the third?
Despite outscoring opponents 11-9 in the third period this year, MSU has been outshot in the final frame six times, tied its opponent in SOG's once, and only outshot the opposition three times.
they've got the power
MSU's penalty kill allowed just one goal in ten chances on the weekend against Notre Dame, and is now 41/ 47 on the year (87.2), good for 11th in Division I. The Spartan power play is 21st nationally (13/ 68, 19.1%)
separation anxiety
While the Spartans boast an unbeaten 5-0-1 mark at home this season, the squad is just 1-3-0 away from the friendly confines of Munn Arena. The Spartans have arguably their toughest road week on the schedule with this stretch at Michigan (currently 7-2-0 at home), Minnesota (6-0-1), and Wisconsin (2-5-1).
shutout notes
MSU is the only team with two shutouts in conference games this season. Since Rick Comley took over in the 2002-03 season, Michigan State has recorded 28 shutouts - of those, 15 have come after the team has loss or tied its previous game.
line analysis
The Spartans brought two lines into the season which saw significant action together during the 2005-06 campaign. Comley refers to them as his "1A" and "1B" lines. The first is a trio of juniors - Bryan Lerg, Jim McKenzie and Chris Mueller, and the other all sophomores - Justin Abdelkader, Tim Crowder, and Tim Kennedy. The all-sophomore "09 Line" were honorable mention selections to the 2005-06 CCHA All-Rookie Team.
Which trio has the upper hand? Hard to say - the sophomores are the only MSU line to skate together in all 10 games, and have scored a combined 14 goals and 18 assists, with one game-winning goal. The juniors had three games where they didn't skate together (two due to an injury to McKenzie, one to a DQ served by Lerg) but are not far off the scoring pace, with a combined 13 goals and 13 assists. However, the trio is responsible for four of the Spartans' six game-winning tallies.
two-way guys
Jim McKenzie, Chris Mueller and Bryan Lerg have not only contributed mightily on the scoresheet, but have also been more than effective in their own end. Mueller, the team's top defensive forward, has been on the ice for only three even strength goals against (of 21), and for five of the 28 goals against total. Lerg's numbers are the same, while McKenzie has been on the ice for just four even strength goals against.
Meanwhile, Mueller has been on the ice for 16 of MSU's 38 goals scored this season (42%), Lerg for 15 (40%) and McKenzie 11 (29%).
MSU owns a 6-1-0 record when that line skates together this season.
at the dot
Chris Mueller leads all Spartans in faceoff winning percentage, with 110 wins and 75 losses (.595). Nick Sucharski checks in at .516 (63 of 122), and Bryan Lerg is an even .500 (35 of 70)
open tryouts
While his top two lines have been settled since the beginning of training camp, Rick Comley has tried several combinations for the third and fourth units in recent games. Against St. Lawrence, his fourth line of Brandon Warner and Dan Sturges centered by Kurt Kivisto generated the eventual game-winner. It was Kivisto with the tally - and he was appearing in just his third career game. Kivisto has appeared in five of the last six games, and has seemingly earned a spot on the fourth line. All but two skaters (22 total) have appeared in at least two games this season, and 19 of those to appear in at least two games have at least one point.
the law of averages
Four Spartan skaters are averaging at least a point per game: Tim Kennedy, Tim Crowder, and Bryan Lerg, and Jim McKenzie, .
is this what we were missing last fall?
Tim Kennedy posted a four-point weekend (3-1-4) in the earlier series against Michigan, has points in fiv of his last six games, and has already surpassed his goal total from his freshman season (four). Through ten games, he has more than half the points (12) that he did in his entire injury-shortened freshman season (19).
start out strong
Freshman Jay Sprague opened his freshman campaign with a five game point-scoring streak, which also featured back-to-back multiple-point games (two assists). He was the only Spartan skater to score in each of the team's first five games, but he has not scored a point since MSU's home game against Michigan.
ccha honors
Jeff Lerg was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 13 for his performance against Ferris State, stopping 64 of 66 shots in a three-point week. The sophomore had 29 saves in a 2-2 midweek tie, then came back with a season-best 35 saves in a 6-0 victory on the road in Big Rapids, his (and the team's) first shutout of the season.
zeroes
Jeff Lerg's 25-save shutout of Notre Dame on Saturday at Munn was the fewest saves he has had to make in his five career shutouts; the other four totals were 31 (Alaska 1/13/06 and Michigan 1/17/06), 36 (New Hampshire 3/25/06) and 35 (Ferris State 11/10/06). It was the second time in the sophomore's career he has had two shutouts in a three-game span.
gone streakin' ...
Jim McKenzie, Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder all saw their five-game point scoring streaks come to an end on Friday in the Spartans' loss at Notre Dame, but got back on the scoresheet on Saturday when Kennedy had an assist on Crowder's third-period tally and McKenzie assisted on Bryan Lerg's game-winner. The five-game point scoring streaks tied the longest of the season, set initially by freshman Jay Sprague.
The longest current streak belongs to Bryan Lerg, who has at least a goal in each of his last three games, and four total goals in that stretch.
finding the touch
Sophomore Nick Sucharski, who missed significant time due to illness as a freshman, has four goals on the season through eight games after netting only two in his first year.
playmakers
Nine of Tim Kennedy's 12 points have been either goals or primary assists. Six of Jim McKenzie's nine have been on goals or PA's, while all six of Nick Sucharski's are of that variety as well.
extra advantage
Jim McKenzie (2g, 4a) and Tim Kennedy (4g, 1a) have been prolific on the power play, each with six and five points, respectively while MSU is skating on the man advantage. Four skaters have four points on the power play: Mike Ratchuk (2g, 2a), Tyler Howells (4a), and Tim Crowder (4a).
stuff we're not sure means much yet, but is worth mentioning
• Justin Abdelkader posted the first goal of the 2006-07 campaign, just 1:44 into the opener against Western Michigan. Abdelkader also scored the first goal of the 2005-06 season, at the 2:03 mark of the first period against Wayne State in the Lefty McFadden Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.
• Eleven of MSU's 13 power play goals this season have been come either in the first (5) or second (6) period.
• The earliest goal MSU has scored in a game this season is 1:44 into the first period. The latest the Spartans have scored (excluding an empty-net tally) is 18:33 of the third frame.
• MSU's fastest two goals this season came 40 seconds apart in the first period (4:13; 4:43) at Ferris State. Their fastest two goals allowed were just 14 seconds apart at Notre Dame (10:35, 10:49).
who's got next?
Rick Comley has seen the bulk of the scoring come from his sophomore class this year. While the number of sophomore skaters is a third larger to triple the size of the other classes, one can't underestimate the impact the class has had on the team's offensive fortunes. A breakdown, by class - followed by last year's breakdown.
2006-07Class (No.) GP Goals (pct.) Points (pct.)Freshman (3) 27 3 (7.9%) 13 (12.9%)Sophomore (9) 69 21 (55.3%) 45 (44.6%)Junior (6) 48 13 (34.2%) 31 (30.6%)Senior (4) 36 1 (2.6%) 11 (10.9%)keep `em healthy, ace
2005-06Class (No.) GP Goals (pct.) Points (pct.)Freshman (8) 164 35 (25.4%) 78 (20.6%)Sophomore (6) 219 40 (29.0%) 102 (26.9%)Junior (6) 201 35 (25.4%) 102 (26.9%)Senior (5) 175 28 (20.2%) 96 (25.3%)
Tim Kennedy led the 2006 freshmen in assists (13), and had 17 of his 19 points after returning from a hand injury on Dec. 29 (he missed 16 games). Kennedy had seven points in his last six games a year ago. This year, he's picked up right where he left off - he owns the team lead in scoring with 12 points (6g, 6a).
it all starts on the goal line
Jeff Lerg made a name for himself on the national scene as a freshman. He was the CCHA Tournament MVP, the CCHA Rookie of the Year, the CCHA/RBC Player of the Month for both January and March, and was named to InsideCollegeHockey.com's national All-Rookie Team. Lerg finished his season with a 1.96 GAA (third nationally) and seventh in save percentage (.928). His single-season GAA ranks seventh in the MSU record book, as he is only the fifth Spartan in school history to post a sub-two goals against average in a season (Ryan Miller posted three). Lerg sits fourth in school history in single-season save percentage, and qualifies for second place on MSU's career list in that category; his 1.96 places him third on the current career list.
schedule capsule
Six NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago are the highlight of the 2006-07 Spartan schedule, which includes 15 home games, three at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, and non-conference opponents from the WCHA, ECAC, and Atlantic Hockey will be featured on the Spartans' docket for the upcoming season. The traditional four games against Michigan, the College Hockey Showcase against Minnesota and Wisconsin, and annual appearance in the Great Lakes Invitational are once again the marquee games on the schedule. The Spartans will play one of their games against the Wolverines at Joe Louis Arena, and will face off against ECAC champion Harvard in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Invitational. In all, Michigan State will play 11 games against teams which earned spots in last year's NCAA Tournament, including the defending National Champion Badgers.
media darlings
Twenty-one Michigan State regular-season hockey games will be aired live in the upcoming hockey season, in addition to one exhibition game. The array of MSU games will be aired on FSN Detroit, College Sports Television (CSTV), ESPNU, and Comcast.
In addition, the Michigan State Department of Athletics has announced that 14 of its 17 regular-season home games will be available via live webstream on its official website, www.msuspartans.com. Part of the All-Access package, subscribers will be able to get live video synched with the radio call by Scott Moore and Rob Woodward. Michigan State cannot webcast games which will air live on FSN Detroit.
harley to the hall
Calgary Flames owner Harley Hotchkiss - a 1951 graduate of Michigan State University - was inducted into the National Hockey League's Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, November 13 in Toronto.
The class was announced on Wednesday, June 28 by Jim Gregory, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee, and also includes Patrick Roy and Terrance `Dick' Duff in the Player Category. Hotchkiss and former coach Herb Brooks were elected in the Builder Category.
Hotchkiss was part of the ownership group which brought the Flames to Calgary from Atlanta in 1980, where the Flames have prospered (they appeared in the Stanley Cup finals as recently as 2004) and won the coveted chalice in 1989. He was also instrumental in helping bring the Olympic Winter Games to the city in 1988, and has served as the Chairman of the NHL's Board of Governors for the past 10 years.
Hotchkiss was a member of the Michigan State hockey team in 1950, playing for former coach Harold Paulson. It was the first season of reinstatement for the program after a 19-year hiatus. Hotchkiss had a goal and three assists in an abbreviated 14-game schedule.
Hotchkiss is an Officer of the Order of Canada and holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Calgary and an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Michigan State. He was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence in 1998.
faces of the future
Rick Comley announced the signing of National Letters of Intent by three more recruits for the fall of 2007, bringing the total number of incoming freshmen for the 2007-08 school year to five.
The three who signed in this most recent period are Corey Tropp (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Sioux Falls Stampede), a 5-10, 180-pound forward; Dustin Gazley (Novi Mich./Sioux City Musketeers), a 5-8, 150-pound forward; and defenseman AJ Sturges (Madison, Wis.), who is a 6-4, 190-pound standout for the US National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor. Sturges' brother, Dan, is a current Spartan, and their father, John, was an MSU standout from 1972-76 and ranks eighth all-time in career assists (132).
Tropp, Gazley, and Sturges join previous signees Jeff Petry (Farmington Hills, Mich), a 6-3, 200-pound defenseman who is currently playing for the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) and 6-1, 180 pound winger Andrew Rowe (Muskegon, Mich.), who is a teammate of Gazley in Sioux City.
catching up with ...
Five members of the 2005-06 team are now playing professional hockey. David Booth was called up by Florida after a highly successful stint with the Rochester Amerks, the farm club for the Panthers. In Rochester, Booth had a 2-6-8 scoring line (+7) in 14 games. Two others - Drew Miller and Jared Nightingale - were on American Hockey League (AHL) rosters, the top developmental league for the NHL. Miller has three goals and eight assists (+3) in 18 games played for the Portland Pirates, the top affiliate for the Anaheim Ducks. Nightingale, who signed a free agent contract in late March and appeared in 10 games with the Springfield Falcons last spring, was called up in late October by the Iowa Stars. He had a goal in his first AHL game this season, a win over Omaha on Oct. 27. He currently has a pair of goals in six games played in Iowa
Two other members of last year's team are playing in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) - Colton Fretter was named the League's Rookie of the Month on Nov 1, and recently tied the Gwinnett Gladiators team record with four goals in a game. He currently has a team-best 10 goals and three assists for 13 points. Meanwhile, Corey Potter has a goal and seven assists in 12 games with the Charlotte Checkers.
baker's dozen
A total of 13 former Spartans are currently on NHL rosters: David Booth (Florida), Rod Brind'Amour (Carolina), Anson Carter (Columbus), Adam Hall (NY Rangers), Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton), Andrew Hutchinson (Carolina), Duncan Keith (Chicago), John-Michael Liles (Colorado), Ryan Miller (Buffalo), Jim Slater (Atlanta), Bryan Smolinski (Chicago), Mike Weaver (Los Angeles) and Mike York (NY Islanders).
spartan-on-spartan crime
Last year, Rod Brind'Amour and Andrew Hutchinson won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes, defeating Shawn Horcoff and the Oilers in seven games. The Hurricanes advanced to the finals after defeating Ryan Miller and the Sabres in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games as well.
up next
The Spartans continue a busy holiday week, traveling west for the College Hockey Showcase. Michigan State opens the Showcase at Minnesota on Friday, then will play defending National Champion Wisconsin on Saturday in Madison.
