Michigan State University
Ferris State
Spartan Hockey Wins 4-1, Sweeps Ferris State
12/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 8, 2007
Final Stats | Quotes
Post-Game Audio:
Rick | Corey | Tim | Chris | Jeff
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- MSU wrapped up its first semester of action with a 4-1 victory over Ferris State on Saturday at Munn Arena. Tim Crowder scored twice and Jeff Lerg made 26 saves in the victory, the Spartans' fourth straight. MSU is now unbeaten in its last six games, and owns a 12-3-2 mark in its first half of action.
Michigan State wasted little time getting on the board. Jeff Petry got the puck to classmate Dustin Gazley at the top of the right circle, and he threw the puck on net. Netminder Pat Nagle made the save, but the rebound sat tantalizingly in the low slot for Chris Mueller, who managed to get a stick on the puck despite being tangled with a defenseman. Mueller was able to redirect the puck into the left side for his fourth goal of the season.
The visitors tied the game just after the 14 minute mark. The Spartans had just finished a power play where they moved the puck well and generated chances, but could not add to their lead. At the other end, the Bulldogs worked the puck low, and Justin Menke fed the puck across the goalmouth to Blair Riley, who pushed the puck beneath the stick hand of a sprawling Jeff Lerg at the left post to tie the game at one.
A goal late in the opening frame gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. Nick Sucharski won the offensive-zone faceoff to Corey Tropp in the right circle, and Tropp's shot trickled five-hole through the pads of Nagle.
The teams skated through a scoreless second frame, but it took just three minutes into the final frame for Tim Crowder to push the Spartan lead to two goals. Ryan Turek made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone, and sent a backhander netward from the high slot. Turek's shot was blocked, but it went right onto the stick of Crowder in the right circle, and he netted his third of the weekend.
Michigan State's offense was clicking through the third period, getting good looks at the net and generating scoring chances. Jeff Lerg made eight saves in the final frame to keep the Bulldogs off the board, including a furious final rush with Nagle pulled. Crowder iced the game with an empty-net tally, his fourth goal of the weekend, to seal the victory.
The Spartans will be on hiatus now until Dec. 28-29, when they participate in the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit. MSU will take on Michigan Tech in the semifinals on the 28th at 8 p.m.
NOTES: • Michigan State posted its second consecutive conference sweep, winning the home-and-home series with Ferris State ... The Spartans extended their unbeaten streak to six games (4-0-2) ... MSU will now have a 19-day hiatus for holiday break, re-convening for the Great Lakes Invitational on Dec. 28-29. MSU will play Michigan Tech in the semifinals of the 43rd annual tournament... MSU enters the holiday hiatus in fourth place in the CCHA standings, six points behind league-leading Michigan and four behind both Miami and Notre Dame. MSU has played two fewer conference games than all three of those teams, and has yet to play either the Irish or the Wolverines head-to-head ... Tim Crowder scored four of MSU's eight goals this weekend. Crowder had struggled to find the back of the net this season, with just two goals in his first 15 games. He now has a 6-7-13 stat line ... MSU dominated Ferris State in the faceoff circle this weekend, winning 79 of 133 faceoffs. No Spartan was under .500 at the dot ... MSU finishes the pre-holiday portion of their schedule with a 12-3-2 mark, the best halfway-point record in the Rick Comley era and the best since the 2001-02 team - Ron Mason's last - had an identical record in the pre-GLI schedule. The three Spartan losses have all come to teams ranked No. 1 at the time of the game ... MSU is now 10-0-1 when scoring first, which it has done in each of the last four games. The Spartans are 5-0 in one-goal games, 11-0 when entering the third period with a lead, and has swept four of five CCHA series.
