Spartans Host Buckeyes In Weekend Series
11/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 30, 2006
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in brief
The Spartans host Ohio State for a home series after playing six of their last eight games on the road. Michigan State is looking to snap a three-game skid, while the Buckeyes are winless in their last two outings as well (0-1-1)
series records
The Spartans hold a commanding 74-19-7 advantage in the all-time series with the Buckeyes, and hold a 36-5-2 mark in games played in East Lansing. Michigan State's 4-3 win in the last meeting snapped a three-game winning streak by OSU in the series.
among the giants
Head coach Rick Comley brings a 694-542-88 record into this weekend'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 six wins, he will become the fifth collegiate coach to record 700 hockey coaching victories.
In addition, Comley needs just three wins to reach the 100-victory plateau for his Michigan State tenure (97-66-17).
scouting the buckeyes
Ohio State, in its 12th season under head coach John Markell, owns a 4-7-3 record on the current season, and tied the host team, 5-5, in the consolation game of the Rensselaer Holiday Tournament last weekend after falling to Colgate, 4-2, in the opener. The Buckeyes did sweep Bowling Green (9-3, 4-1) in their most recent CCHA action.
Reigning CCHA Player of the Week Sean Collins shares the team lead in points (14) with Jason DeSantis - DeSantis is the team's top setup man with 13 assists, while Collins, Tommy Goebel, and Corey Elkins share the team lead in goals with five. Goebel sits third on the scoring chart with five assists and ten points. Freshman Joe Palmer has played 11 games between the pipes, and owns a 3.19 GAA and .871 save percentage.
in the polls
Michigan State's position in both national polls fell this week after a pair of losses to top-ranked Minnesota (5-4) and Wisconsin (2-0) last weekend - the Spartans are 12th in both this week's USCHO.com poll and USA Today/USAHockeyMagazine survey.
quite the cluster
Michigan State is now 4-4-1 in conference play, in a tie for sixth place. Seven of its first nine games were been played against its clustermates (Ferris State, Western Michigan, and Michigan), where the Spartans own a 3-3-1 mark. Ferris is 2-4-1 in cluster games, Western is 2-3-0, and Michigan is 4-1-0.
ccha implications
MSU recently completed a run of seven consecutive CCHA games. 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. The Spartans fell, 2-1, in a midweek tilt at Michigan before boarding a plane for the College Hockey Showcase last weekend.
non-conference success
Since the 2000-01 season, Michigan State has posted a 32-18-4 mark against non-CCHA opponents during the regular season. In the four-plus seasons under Rick Comley, MSU is 20-16-3 against non-CCHA opposition, including a 6-3-1 mark last season.
rare nc's
The Spartans are 2-2 in their non-conference action this season, with just two more games against outside competition left on the regular-season schedule. MSU swept a home weekend against St. Lawrence and Sacred Heart back in October, then dropped back-to-back games at the Showcase against Wisconsin and Minnesota over Thanksgiving weekend. The only remaining games on the slate which don't count in the CCHA standings are the pair in the Great Lakes Invitational - the Spartans face off against Harvard in the semifinals, and will play either Michigan or Michigan Tech on day two.
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.
the munn advantage
Michigan State is 5-0-1 at home this season, and just 1-6-0 on the road. The Spartans have outscored their opponents 27-15 and outshot them by an average of 29-22 at home, while being outscored (16-22) and are outshot (30-24.5) in road venues. Six of Michigan State's 16 goals scored on the road came in a 6-0 victory at Ferris State.
misfiring
MSU has been outshot in seven straight games, by a total margin of 210-153 - a 30-22 average per game in those contests.
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.
close, but no cigar
MSU is 0-5-0 this season when trailing after two periods, but the Spartans rallied from a 4-2 second intermission deficit last Friday in Minneapolis to tie the game 4-4. The Gophers got the game-winner on the power play with just over eight minutes remaining in the game.
we'd prefer three or more
A 2-0 victory over Notre Dame on Nov. 18 was the first time since the 1-0 victory over New Hampshire in last year's NCAA Tournament that MSU has scored fewer than three goals and won.
man up, man down
MSU's penalty kill allowed two goals in seven chances on the weekend against their WCHA foes, but allowed 17 shots in those seven opportunities. Conversely, the Spartans could only convert once in six chances during the two-game set, and had only two shots on the power play.
separation anxiety
While the Spartans boast an unbeaten 5-0-1 mark at home this season, the squad is just 1-6-0 away from the friendly confines of Munn Arena. The Spartans had arguably their toughest road week on the schedule with last week's stretch at Michigan (8-2-0 at home), Minnesota (8-0-1), and Wisconsin (3-6-1).
home sweet home
• MSU is averaging 4.5 goals at home, but only 2.3 goals on the road.
• Michigan State has been outscored 13-5 in the second period on the road, but has outscored its opponent 13-4 in the middle frame at Munn.
• Six of Kennedy's nine goals have come on the road, that accounts for nearly 38 percent of MSU's road production. The three he has scored at home have all been with the man advantage.
• MSU is averaging 1.5 goals over its past four road games.
• Opponents are averaging 30 shots on goal at their buildings, but only 21 at Munn.
in the last five games ...
• MSU is clicking at 9.1 percent (2-for-22) on the power play, while opponents are at 21.7 percent (5-for-23). That includes beings out shot 45-17 on the power play (with only one less attempt).
• The Spartans have been outshot by a 29-21 average, and has cumulatively been out shot in each period
MSU is 1-4-0, averaging 1.6 goals a game, and allowing 2.6 goals per contest. Two of the four losses have been one-goal affairs.
• Only Tim Kennedy has more than one even-strength goal in this span, while he and Jim McKenzie are the only plus players, coming in at +4 over this span.
• Jeff Lerg has a save percentage 22 percentage points higher (.910) than his season average (.888).
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 11 games, and have scored a combined 18 goals and 20 assists, with one game-winning goal. The juniors had four 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 14 assists. However, the trio is responsible for four of the Spartans' six game-winning tallies.
injured reserve
Senior blueliner Ethan Graham will miss the this weekend's series with a leg injury sustained in the Nov. 18 win over Notre Dame. He is expected back for the Great Lakes Invitational after Christmas.
at the dot
Chris Mueller leads all Spartans in faceoff winning percentage, with 125 wins and 94 losses (.571). In last Tuesday's game at Michigan, the Spartans edged UM 34-32 in faceoffs, but Mueller (8-2) and Kurt Kivisto (4-2) were the only centermen to be better than 50%
keep `em healthy, ace
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 15 points (9g, 6a).
more on kennedy
Tim Kennedy's nine goals in the first 13 games of the season is the most by a Spartan in the first 13 matches of the year since Adam Hall tallied 11 goals in the first 13 games of the 1999-2000 season.
Kennedy also has five multipoint performances in 13 games, (which includes his most recent two-goal effort against top-ranked Minnesota) after recording just six in 29 games as a freshman. The winger has scored six of his nine goals in road games, and has points in eight of the past 10 games.
Kennedy has been the Spartans' most exciting offensive player this season, and bolstered that image with a highlight-reel, end-to-end rush at Yost on Tuesday during which he beat four Michigan players to score an unassisted goal. Kennedy is on pace to better his freshman year point total (19) before Christmas.
more sophomore production
Justin Abdelkader tied his career best with a three-point night at Minnesota on a goal and pair of assists. Abdelkader, along with Kennedy, were both +3 despite an 0-3 week for the Spartans. Abdelkader is a candidate for the US's World Junior Championship team, which will compete after Christmas in Sweden. The announcement of the team (for which freshman blueliner Mike Ratchuk is also a candidate) will be announced on Dec. 5 live on Versus.
points on the blueline
Freshman Mike Ratchuk scored his third goal of the season last Saturday at Minnesota, a goal which tied the game at four in the third period. He is the only defenseman to find the back of the net for the Spartans this season.
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.
23 of MSU's 24 skaters have appeared in at least two games this season, and 19 of those have at least one point. Freshman Justin Johnston made his collegiate debut last Saturday at Wisconsin.
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 Nov. 18 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 his career he has had two shutouts in a three-game span.
zeros, the other way
Michigan State was shut out by Wisconsin, 2-0, on Nov. 25. It was the first whitewash of the Spartan offense since Feb. 12, 2005 at Alaska Fairbanks (1-0). Spartans goaltenders have posted 10 shutouts since then.
finding the touch
Sophomore Nick Sucharski, who missed significant time due to illness as a freshman, has four goals on the season after netting only two in his first year.
playmakers
Twelve of Tim Kennedy's 15 points have been either goals (9) or primary assists (3). 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 (5g, 1a) have been prolific on the power play, each with six points while MSU is skating on the man advantage. Each of Tyler Howells' five points (0-5-5) have come on the PP, while Mike Ratchuk (2g, 2a) and Crowder (4a) each have four points.
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 14 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 at Minnesota, with two third-period tallies within 38 seconds (7:06, 7:42). Their fastest two goals allowed were just 14 seconds apart at Notre Dame (10:35, 10:49). Earlier this season, the Spartans netted tallies 40 seconds apart in the first period (4:13; 4:43) at Ferris State.
• State has been outshot in five of its last six periods played, seven of its past nine, and 17 of its past 24 dating back to Nov. 7 against Ferris State. The largest margin MSU has been outshot was 33-17 by Minnesota, a 5-4 loss.
• State has lost the second period in four of its last six games, being outscored 8-3.
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 (4) 37 4 (9.3%) 14 (12.7%)Sophomore (9) 89 25 (58.1%) 52 (47.3%)Junior (6) 63 13 (30.2%) 32 (29.1%)Senior (4) 46 1 (2.3%) 11 (10.9%)
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%)
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.
Mr. 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 on Monday, Nov. 2 after a highly successful stint with the Rochester Amerks, the farm club for the Panthers. Booth 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 play their final two games before a two-week layoff for the holidays at Northern Michigan on Dec. 8-9.
