Spartan Icers Return Home For CCHA Set

CCHA Defensive Player of the Week Dan Vukovic

1/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

Jan. 11, 2007

in brief
Michigan State has its first home games in six weeks, welcoming Alaska to Munn Arena for a CCHA set. The two teams are well-acquainted after seven meetings a year ago (MSU, 5-1-1), which included a three-game series in the CCHA quarterfinals.

Date/Time: Fri-Sat. Jan. 12-13, 7:05 ET
Tickets: A limited number of tickets remain. Purchase Tickets
Live Statistics: |
Audio/Video Webstream: WJIM 1240 AM/ msuspartans.com
Scott Moore (PBP) and Rob Woodward '00 (Analysis)
Television: Friday: none;
Saturday: Comcast; Ben Holden (pbp), Lyle Phair (analysis)
Download MSU Hockey Notes (PDF)

series history
The Spartans lead the all-time series with a 32-10-1 record, and are 20-4-0 in games between the schools in East Lansing. This is the second-most contested rivalry in the Rick Comley era at Michigan State - the teams have met 16 times over the last four seasons, second only behind the 18 meetings with rivalry partner Michigan. Alaska and MSU have met in the CCHA Tournament in three of those seasons (2003, 2005, and 2006). Comley is 22-5-3 all-time against the Nanooks, which includes a 10-5-1 mark as the Spartan mentor.
These schools met seven times last season, with five of the seven taking place here at Munn Arena. MSU has won 14 of 16 at home over Alaska, including a 4-1 mark last season. Both losses in that span were one-goal affairs, and one was in overtime.

last time out
The Spartans have won five of their last six games, and earned a split at Miami last weekend (2-5, 4-1).
A goal in the final six seconds of the first period by the RedHawks seemed to sap any momentum from the Spartans, who watched their hosts go on to a 5-2 victory on Friday. A Jim McKenzie tally in the opening frame had the game tied at one before the tally by Jarod Palmer in the waning seconds sent the hosts into the first intermission with a lead; the Spartans trailed 4-1 before cutting the lead to two with a Brandon Warner marker. Miami tacked on an empty-netter for the final 5-2 score. Jeff Lerg (20 saves) made way for freshman Bobby Jarosz in the third frame, and Jarosz responded with a career-tying 15 saves without allowing a goal.
MSU trailed 1-0 entering the third period of Saturday's tilt, but rallied for three goals in the opening six minutes and went on to a 4-1 win. Dan Vukovic, Tim Crowder, and Bryan Lerg scored in that span, with Crowder getting his second of the night into an empty net for the final margin. Jeff Lerg made 25 saves in the win.

where we're at
Michigan State sits in a third-place tie in the CCHA standings with Lake Superior (17 points), while Miami and Notre Dame are tied atop the standings with 23 points each.

scouting alaska
Its another extended road trip for Tavis McMillan's Nanooks, who have been down in the lower 48 for more than a week for a pair of series at Ohio State and Michigan State. McMillan's charges are mired in a five-game skid that dates back to a mid-December split with Bowling Green; Alaska has since dropped two-game sets to Alaska-Anchorage and the Buckeyes.
A 16-13-29 scoring line places junior winger Kyle Greentree atop the scoring charts, followed by senior Curtis Fraser with ten goals and nine assists (19 points). Tyler Eckford shares the team assist lead with Greentree and sits third in points, while freshman standout Dion Knelson checks in with 15 points (5g, 10a) despite missing four games with injury. Between the pipes is a tandem of sophomore Chad Johnson (14 GP, .899 save percentage, 22.78 GAA) and junior Wylie Rogers (9 GP, .885 save percentage, 3.51 GAA).

among the giants
Spartan mentor Rick Comley won his 700th career game on Saturday, a 4-1 decision over Miami. His all-time career record now stands at 700-544-88, and he is just the fifth NCAA Division I coach to reach the 700-victory plateau. Comley won his 100th game behind the Spartan bench on December 9, a 3-2 victory at Northern Michigan. He owns a 102-67-17 mark during his Michigan State tenure.


 Ron Mason   1966-2002   924       Lake Superior, Bowling Green, MSU
 Jerry York  1972-present    758       Clarkson, Bowling Green, Boston College
 Jack Parker 1973-present    750       Boston University
 Bob Peters  1964-2001   744       North Dakota, Bemidji State
 Rick Comley   1973-present    700       Lake Superior, Northern Michigan, Michigan State

men and boys
Alaska is the oldest team, on average, in the CCHA, averaging 21 years, nine months. The Spartans average 20 years, six months in age - the second youngest team in the CCHA, only ahead of Michigan.

in the polls
Michigan State moved up to tenth in last week's USCHO.com poll after the victory in the Great Lakes Invitational, and held steady in that spot this week. The USA Today/USAHockeyMagazine survey was not done last week due to the holiday, but the Spartans moved up to tenth after a 3-1 record after the last two weeks.

quite the cluster
Michigan State is 8-6-1 in conference play, in a tie for third place. Seven of its first nine games were 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 3-4-0, and Michigan is 5-2-0.

non-conference success
Since the 2000-01 season, Michigan State has posted a 33-18-4 mark against non-CCHA opponents during the regular season. In the four-plus seasons under Rick Comley, MSU is 21-16-3 against non-CCHA opposition, including a 6-3-1 mark last season and 3-2 mark this year.

rare nc's
The Spartans are 4-2 in their non-conference action this season, with just CCHA 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 Spartans rebounded by capturing the Great Lakes Invitational title with wins over Harvard (5-2) and Michigan (4-1).

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 6-1-1 at home this season, 2-0-0 in neutral-site games, and 4-7-0 on the road. The Spartans have outscored their opponents 32-20 and outshot them by an average of 30-24 at home, while being outscored (32-28) and are outshot (29.7-24.5) in road venues. The last time MSU had a better start than its current 6-1-1 at home was 2001, when it started the season on a 10-game (9-0-1) unbeaten streak.

home sweet home
Michigan State has gone nearly six weeks without a home game, last playing at Munn Arena on Dec. 1-2 against Ohio State. The Spartans have gone 5-1 over their stretch away from the friendly confines of Munn Arena, however.
This season, Michigan State has played just eight games at home, while playing 11 on the road and an additional two at Joe Louis Arena. The Spartans have seven home games, five on the road, and one at Joe Louis remaining on the slate.

third period shutdown
Michigan State has allowed only one third-period goal in its last five games, an empty-netter last Friday at Miami. The Spartans own an overall 28-15 edge in third-period scoring over its opponent (+13), and scored a season-best four third-period markers in Saturday's win.
Since Dec. 1, the Spartans have outscored their opponents 16-4 in the final frame.

call it after after two?
Michigan State is 9-1-1 this season when leading after two periods. The Spartans were 21-2-1 with a second-intermission lead a year ago and are 99-6-6 over the last five years.
MSU is 2-6-0 this season when trailing after two periods, with both come-from-behind victories coming in the second game of CCHA sets: Before last Saturday's four-goal third-period outburst at Miami, MSU rallied from a 2-1 deficit with a pair of goals in the final ten minutes of the Dec. 9 game at Northern Michigan - Nick Sucharski's power-play tally at 10:12 tied the game, and Bryan Lerg potted the game-winner at 17:22.

break out the brooms
With the road sweep at Northern Michigan, the Spartans recorded a CCHA sweep for the first time since February 17-18, 2006, when MSU took a pair from then-second-ranked Miami. It was the first CCHA road sweep for the Spartans since January 23-24, 2004, at Ohio State.

lady byng
Michigan State ranks 50th among 59 Division I teams in penalty minutes per game (14.9). This is the second straight year that the Spartans are one of the least-penalized teams in the nation.

tight squeezes
The Spartans picked up a pair of one-goal wins in their final pre-holiday action at Northern Michigan, their first of the season - they had been 0-3-0 in previous one-goal contests. MSU was 12-6-0 in one-goal games last season.

tales of two halves
During the Rick Comley era, the Spartans have traditionally been a second-half team. The first three months (October, November, December) of the last four seasons (2002-06), the Spartans have gone 37-34-7 (.519), then compiled a 55-26-8 mark in January, February, and March (.663).
With an 11-7-1 mark through the end of 2006, this year's Spartans are four games over .500, the most in the Rick Comley era. His first team (2002-03) was 8-8-1 at the break, while his next three squads were all one game over .500: 10-9-1 in 2003-04, 10-9-1 in 2004-05, and 9-8-4 in 2005-06.

emerging special teams
MSU's penalty kill was a perfect 9-for-9 in the Miami series, the second time this season that the team has not allowed a power-play goal in back-to-back games. The Spartans have killed off 14 consecutive man-down situations, dating back to the Michigan game in the Great Lakes Invitational.

line shuffling
Rick Comley has used 29 different line combinations this season, and three of the four lines put together in Saturday night's win had never before been used. Only four of the 29 line combinations have been together for more than three games: Kennedy-Abdelkader-Crowder (16 of 19 games), B. Lerg-Mueller-McKenzie (12 games), Schepke-Sucharski-Sprague (10 games) and Lawrence-Kivisto-Warner (6 games). Of the 29 combinations, 23 have been used for two games or fewer, while 17 have only been used once.

home sweet home
• MSU is averaging 4.0 goals at home, but only 2.5 goals on the road.
• Michigan State has been outscored 17-6 in the second period on the road, but has outscored its opponent 14-6 in the middle frame at Munn.
• Fourteen of MSU's 28 road goals have come in the third period, and the Spartans have outscored their opponents 14-7 in the final frame.
• Six of Kennedy's 11 goals have come on the road, that accounts for nearly 22 percent of MSU's road production. Four of the five he has scored at home have come on special teams - three with the man advantage, and one empty-net shorthanded effort.
• Opponents are averaging 30 shots on goal at their buildings, but only 24 at Munn.

in the last five games ...
• MSU is clicking at 34.6 percent (9-for-26) on the power play, while opponents are at 13.0 percent (3-for-23).
• The Spartans have been outshot by a 33-27 average, and have been cumulatively outshot in every period. However, MSU owns a 18-11 edge in goals scored, particularly in the third period (10-1)
• Nine of MSU's 18 goals have come on the power play, while two have came shorthanded. Three of the 11 goals against have been special teams tallies, and one has been on an empty net.
• Bryan Lerg is the team's top scorer in this span, with five goals and nine points. Tim Crowder has exploded from his scoring drought with four goals and an assist, while Tyler Howells has a 1-4-5 scoring line.
• Jeff Lerg owns a 2.14 GAA and .932 save percentage, and set a career-best in saves against Harvard (45). Bobby Jarosz tied his career best with 15 saves in his relief effort against Miami.

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.

backbreakers
MSU tallied two goals in the final minute of a period in the Miami series, the eighth and ninth time the Spartans have gotten one that span this season. MSU is 6-1-1 when scoring in this situation. Justin Abdelkader, Tim Crowder, and Chris Mueller each have two tallies in the final minute of a period.


Oct. 27  St. Lawrence    W, 5-3  19:54 (3)            Mueller (B. Lerg)Oct. 28 Sacred Heart    W, 7-5  19:23 (1)            Graham (Dunne, McKenzie)Nov. 3  Michigan    W, 7-4  19:09 (3)            AbdelkaderNov. 7  Ferris State    T, 2-2  19:16 (2)            Crowder (Mueller, Vukovic)Dec. 1  Ohio State  W, 4-1  19:41 (3)            KennedyDec. 9  at NMU  W, 3-2  19:18 (3)            AbdelkaderDec. 9  at NMU  W, 3-2  19:23 (1)            Mueller (B. Lerg, McKenzie)Jan. 5  at Miami    L, 5-2  19:35 (2)            McKenzie (Howells, B. Lerg)Jan. 6  at Miami    W, 4-1  19:11 (3)            Crowder

pair of shorties
Michigan State gave up two shorthanded goals in its most recent loss to Ohio State, scored in the final minute of the first period and opening minute of the second frame (both on the same minor penalty). The last time MSU gave up two shorthanded goals in the same game was Jan. 11, 1997 in a 4-4 tie at Lake Superior State. In that game, Joe Blaznek scored at 15:03 of the second and 4:31 of the third.

go-to guys
Michigan State is 6-0-0 when Chris Mueller scores a goal, 5-0-1 when Tim Crowder finds the back of the net, and 5-0-0 when Jeff Dunne has an assist.

one-on-one
Bryan Lerg has scored twice on shorthanded breakaways in the last three games. He had one shorthanded tally in his first two collegiate seasons.

at the dot
Chris Mueller leads all Spartans in faceoff winning percentage, with 187 wins and 158 losses (.542). Nick Sucharski is also better than .500, with 118 wins and 114 losses (.516).

everybody loves a winner
Bryan Lerg's four game-winning goals this season ranks second nationally in that category. In addition, he has assisted on three other game-winners, including the primary assist on both GLI game-winners in Detroit. Both he and Chris Mueller have been on the ice for eight of the Spartans' 12 game-winners, tops on the team.

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 shares the team lead in scoring with 22 points (11g, 11a), having tied his freshman-year point total before Christmas.

multiplicity
Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder are tied for the team lead, each with six multiple-point games in 21 contests. Kennedy had six multi-point games all of last season, while Crowder had five.

internationally known
Justin Abdelkader was selected for the 2007 U.S. National Junior Team, and won a bronze medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship (Dec. 26 - Jan. 5) in Leksand and Mora, Sweden. He is the 22nd Spartan to participate in the World Junior tournament.
Spartan video coordinator Keith McKittrick was also selected to join the World Junior team in a similar capacity - he worked with MSU assistant Brian Renfrew and the select Under-17 teams at the Three Nations Cup in Rochester, NY this past August.

points on the blueline
Freshman Mike Ratchuk scored his fourth goal of the season in the championship game of the Great Lakes Invitational. He is the only defenseman to find the back of the net more than once for the Spartans this season. Senior Ethan Graham has a goal and four assists; classmate Tyler Howells, who is listed as a defenseman, has played forward for the last few games, and potted his first goal of the season against Harvard. He had a four-game point-scoring streak snapped at Miami on Saturday.

breaking a streak ...
Tim Crowder's two-goal performance against Michigan in the GLI final snapped an eight-game scoreless streak for the winger. It was the longest drought of his collegiate career, but he snapped it with his fourth career two-goal game. He had points in both contests at Miami to push his active streak to three games.

... seeeing a tough one emerge ...
Tim Kennedy has not scored a goal in his last seven games, last finding the back of the net in the Dec. 1 game against Ohio State. He has four assists in that span, however.

... and extending another
Bryan Lerg's two-point weekend extended his consecutive-game scoring streak to eight games, setting a new career best. He has 12 points during the streak (6-6-12).

besting the bests
Senior Brandon Warner has a pair of goals and three assists this season, which nearly doubles his career totals entering the year (1-2-3). Bryan Lerg's 13 goals is two shy of his single-season best, set last year (15). Chris Mueller is three shy of his career-best of 11, also set in 2005-06.

howie's a helper
Despite scoring his first goal of the season in the GLI semifinals, Tyler Howells is tied for the team lead (with Tim Kennedy) with 11 on the season.
Howells has also been on the ice for six of the Spartans' 12 game-winning goals this year, third-best best on the team.

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 (Nov. 3).

backstopping success
Jeff Lerg's numbers during MSU's recent 5-1 streak have been nothing short of impressive. He owns a .930 save percentage and 2.12 GAA in those six games.

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). Spartan goaltenders have posted 10 shutouts in between.

high percentages
Jeff Lerg has played 1191:18 in the Spartan net, which calculates to 94.2% of the time possible, the highest percentage of any netminder in the CCHA. Close behind is Ferris State's Mitch O'Keefe (1158:30, 90.9%) and Notre Dame's David Brown (1207:05, 90.8%).

ccha honors
Junior blueliner Daniel Vukovic has been named the CCHA Defenseman of the Week, the first such honor of his career. Vukovic scored MSU's first of four third-period tallies in Saturday's come-from-behind victory over Miami, and added an assist on Brandon Warner's goal on Friday night. It was the first time in his career he had points in back-to-back games. In the weekend split, Vukovic was a +5, and helped MSU penalty killers go 9-for-9 in the series.
Cousins Jeff and Bryan Lerg were named the Goaltender and Offensive Player of the Week on Jan. 2. It was Jeff's second nod as the league's Goaltender of the Week this year, while Bryan earned his first honor of the season.
Bryan Lerg was named the MVP of the Great Lakes Invitational with a 3-3-6 scoing line which paced the tournament field and garnered him MVP honors. Lerg assisted on both game-winners, potted a shorthanded breakaway goal, and led the league in goals, assists, points, and power play points (1-3-4) on the week. The junior is second among Spartans in scoring with 20 points.
Jeff Lerg earned all-tournament team honors - his second straight at Joe Louis Arena - as the Spartans captured the GLI title. He stopped 66 of 69 shots on the weekend, including a career-best 45 in a semifinal victory against Harvard, and posted a 1.50 GAA on the weekend.. Lerg's only goal against in the championship game against Michigan was off of his own defenseman's leg, but he stopped each of the other 21 which came his way to backstop his team to the title.
Jeff was also 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.

finding the touch
Sophomore Nick Sucharski, who missed significant time due to illness as a freshman, has five goals on the season after netting only two in his first year.

playmakers
Seventeen of Tim Kennedy's 22 points have been either goals (11) or primary assists (6). Six of Jim McKenzie's ten have been on goals or PA's, while all seven of Nick Sucharski's are of that variety as well.

extra advantage
Tim Kennedy (5g, 5a) has been the most prolific scoring Spartan while MSU is skating on the man advantage. Eight of Tyler Howells' 12 points (1-11-12) have come on the PP, while Bryan Lerg and Tim Crowder each have potted seven power play points (4g, 3a).

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.

• 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.

• Michigan State is undefeated in its last six games at Joe Louis Arena (4-0-2) which began with a 5-5 tie with Michigan last January. The Spartans have won four straight in the building, dating back to last year's CCHA Tournament (which began with a 4-1 win over Michigan in the semifinals).

second star overall
Jeff Lerg leads the team in Perani Cup points with 24, second only to Kyle Greentree of Alaska. Lerg has been named one of the game's three stars in eight of MSU's 15 CCHA games.

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)    59  5 (2.3%)    16 (9.3%)Sophomore (9)   139 34 (49.2%)  71 (41.3%)Junior (6)  104 26 (37.7%)  60 (34.9%)Senior (4)  77  4 (5.8%)    25 (14.65%)
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
Eleven games against six NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago are the highlight of the 2006-07 Spartan schedule. This includes 15 home games, three at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, and non-conference opponents from the WCHA, ECAC, and Atlantic Hockey.

fun and games, but an education at stake
The Spartan hockey team participated in a contest of sorts during the first semester, drafing four teams for an academic competition that they waged over the course of the first half - the team with the highest combined GPA for the semester would be served dinner by their teammates. The winning team, with a cumulative GPA of 3.15 for the semester, was captained by junior Jeff Dunne, and consisted of Dan Sturges, Brandon Warner, Justin Abdelkader, Steve Mnich, and Chris Snavely.

media darlings
Twenty-one Michigan State regular-season hockey games will be aired during the 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, Nov. 13 in Toronto. The class included 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 has had two callups to the Florida Panthers this season, recording three assists in ten games. He has excelled with the AHL affiliate Rochester Americans, where he had a 7-20-27 scoring line in 25 games. He scored his first NHL goal on Jan. 4 against Calgary.
Two others - Drew Miller and Jared Nightingale - have logged time on American Hockey League (AHL) rosters, the top developmental league for the NHL. Miller has five goals and 11 assists (+1) in 36 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 had a pair of goals in six games played in Iowa before being returned to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, where he has since played in 11 games before being placed on the injured list.
Two other members of last year's team are playing in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) - Colton Fretter has certainly made a splash in his first professional season. He ranks tenth in the ECHL (and leads all rookies) in scoring (38 points), and ranks third with 20 goals. He recently was named to the ECHL All-Star game, was named the League's Rookie of the Month on Nov 1, and tied the Gwinnett Gladiators team record with four goals in a game.
Meanwhile, Corey Potter has five goals and 11 assists (+5) in 34 games with the Charlotte Checkers.

baker's dozen
A total of 12 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), and Mike York (NY Islanders). Booth was called up on Dec. 27, but had an earlier stint with the Panthers in November.

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.