Spartans Ready for Key CCHA Showdowns

2/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

Feb. 8, 2007

in brief
The Spartans tangle with a pair of CCHA clustermates this week. On Friday, MSU will host Ferris State at Munn Ice Arena, and will tangle with archrival Michigan on Saturday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

series history - ferris
The all-time series stands at 61-24-13 for Michigan State, which includes a 37-14-5 mark in games played at Munn Arena. The two teams have already met twice this season, and will play their remaining two games in the next five days; the squads skated to a 2-2 deadlock earlier in the year at Munn, and the Spartans hung a 6-0 shutout on the Bulldogs in Big Rapids. The teams play again on Tuesday at Ewigleben in a game that will air on FSN Detroit.

series history - michigan
One of college hockey's grandest rivalries adds another chapter on Saturday when MSU and Michigan face off at Joe Louis Arena. This will be the fifth meeting this season of the teams- the Wolverines won both games at Yost (6-2, 2-1), while MSU won, 7-4, at Munn and knocked off its archrival, 4-1, in the finals of the Great Lakes Invitational in December. U-M leads the series 130-117-16, but the series is deadlocked, 18-18-4, at neutral sites.

last time out
Michigan State extended its unbeaten streak to a nation's-best seven games with a three-point weekend at Nebraska-Omaha. MSU won by a 5-1 margin on Friday, then the teams skated to a 3-3 deadlock on Saturday. Bryan Lerg posted a pair of goals and an assist on Friday to help the Spartans to the victory, which included his seventh game-winner of the season. In the first penalty-free college hockey game in nearly three years, MSU also got goals from Chris Lawrence, Daniel Vukovic, and Justin Abdelkader, while Jeff Lerg made 23 saves in the victory.
The next night, the Spartans played catch-up in every period, three times rallying from a one-goal deficit to forge a 3-3 tie. Tyler Howells knotted the score for good at the 15:55 mark of the final frame, while Bryan Lerg and Tim Kennedy also found the back of the net. Jeff Lerg made 18 saves to extend MSU's unbeaten streak.

where we're at
Michigan State enters the weekend in fourth place in the league standings, but has games in hand on each team above it in the standings. With 28 points, the Spartans are two points behind third-place Miami, but have three games in hand on the RedHawks. With one fewer game than either Michigan or frontrunner Notre Dame, MSU is four points back on the Wolverines and eight on the Irish.

in the polls
Michigan State holds a sixth-place standing in both the USA Hockey Magazine poll and the USCHO.com survey. It is their highest rankings since Nov. 13, when MSU was a consensus fourth in both polls.

the rule of four
As they often do at this time of year, the conference standings are starting to take shape, and the current top four teams - Notre Dame, Miami, Michigan, and the Spartans - will look to solidify their standing to earn the first round bye in the playoffs. The roads the four will take in the month of February are quite diverse, however. While eight points back on current leader Notre Dame, the Spartans have 14 points remaining on the table: a home-and-home with Ferris State, Western Michigan, and Bowling Green, as well as a date with Michigan at Joe Louis Arena, where MSU has not lost in its last six tries. The Irish have an four home and two away games remaining; they must travel to Alaska, and have home dates remaining with Nebraska-Omaha, then Ferris State to close the regular season.
Defending regular-season champion Miami plays five of its final eight games on the road, including last week's trip to Alaska and a set at Northern to close the season. A non-conference home-and-home with Robert Morris and a CCHA pair with Lake Superior at home also remain.
Michigan may have the most challenging February of those still in the chase for the title, as it has no home games remaining in the regular season. Road games loom at Bowling Green, Lake Superior, and Ohio State, in addition to the Joe Louis showdown with the Spartans.

scouting the bulldogs
Ferris State, under the tutelage of MSU alum Bob Daniels, is coming off a big sweep of Ohio State (4-2, 6-2) at home, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Senior Zak Pearson is the team's top point scorer (8-16-24), followed by classmate Matt Verdone (9-12-21). Sophomore Brendan Connolly is the team's top goal scorer (10) and has seven assists to rank third on the team with 17 points.
Between the pipes is sophomore Mitch O'Keefe, who owns a 3.15 GAA and .883 save percentage in 25 games this season.

a look at the wolverines
Michigan is riding a six-game winning streak into their Friday tilt at Notre Dame, and boast the nation's top offense - the Wolverines average 4.40 goals per game, a full half-goal per contest better than second-ranked Minnesota (3.9 gpg). U of M boast the top two scorers in the country in senior TJ Hensick (14-36-50) and linemate Kevin Porter (18-30-48), and the pair also gets support from sophomore Andrew Cogliano (19-17-36) and the CCHA's top-scoring defenseman Jack Johnson (14-13-27).
Sophomore netminder Billy Sauer owns a 20-9-0 record in the crease this season, boasting a .900 save percentage and 3.00 GAA. In the Wolverines' recent six-game winning streak, they have outscored their opponents 36-15.

hey joe!
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). The Spartans are 78-45-5 all-time in games played at Joe Louis Arena.

impressive milestone
Friday's win was the 500th for MSU in CCHA regular-season action. Michigan State's 500-198-73 all-time record in CCHA regular-season contests (.697) is the best winning percentage all- time - the Spartans hold this distinction not only in the regular season, but also in the league's postseason tournament, where MSU has won 11 postseason tournament titles and owns a .784 winning percentage (76-21-0).

winners, all of you
Michigan State shares the nation's longest unbeaten streak with North Dakota, each unbeaten its last seven games. Michigan owns the longest winning streak in the country (six games).

non-conference success
Since 2000-01, 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.
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).

quite the cluster
Michigan State is 13-6-2 in conference play, in fourth 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 2-6-1 in cluster games, Western is 3-6-0, and Michigan is 9-2-0.

preseason accolades
The Spartans were 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.

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 previous 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 were 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.
The trend of second-half surges seems to be continuing, even if it did start in mid-December for this edition of the Spartans. Michigan State is 11-2-1 its last 14 games.

the munn advantage
Michigan State is now 5-7-1 on the road, and is 4-1-1 its last six road tilts. The Spartans return to Munn Ice Arena on Friday, where it is 10-1-1 this season, then play Saturday at Joe Louis, where it is a perfect 2-0-0 in 2006-07.
The last time MSU had a better start than its current 10-1-1 at home was 2001, when it started the season on a 10-game (9-0-1) unbeaten streak. MSU is 15-2-1 at Munn since last Feb. 1.

little disparity?
Michigan State has played eight games this season against ranked opponents, going 3-5 in those contests, and all opponents were in the top ten at the time of the game.
Only two of the eight games against ranked teams have come at Munn - Nov. 3 against No. 9 Michigan (6-2 W) and Nov. 18 against No. 5/6 Notre Dame (2-0 W). MSU has played road games against No. 1 Minnesota (5-4 L), at No. 5/6 Notre Dame (4-1 L), No. 9 and No. 7 Michigan (6-2 L, 2-1 L, respectively), before splitting at No. 6 Miami (5-2 L, 4-1 W). (All rankings reflect team's ranking at the time of the game.)

home sweet home
This season, Michigan State has played just 12 games at home, while playing 13 on the road and an additional two at Joe Louis Arena. The Spartans have three remaining home games, three on the road, and one at Joe Louis on the slate.

better late than never
Michigan State owns an overall 34-19 edge in third-period scoring over its opponent (+15), compared to a +6 in the first period (25-19) and +2 (30-28) in the middle frame.
Since Dec. 1., the Spartans have outscored their opponents, 23-9, in the final frame and overtime.

call it after after two?
Michigan State is 12-1-1 this season when leading after two periods. The Spartans were 21-2-1 with a second-intermission lead a year ago and are 102-6-6 over the last five years.
MSU is 3-6-0 this season when trailing after two periods, with all three come-from-behind victories coming in the second game of CCHA sets: Jan. 12 over Alaska, a four-goal third-period outburst on Jan. 6 at Miami and MSU rallied from a 2-1 deficit with a pair of goals in the final 10 minutes of the Dec. 9 game at Northern Michigan.

break out the brooms
The sweep of Lake Superior on Jan. 19-20 was the third CCHA sweep of the season for Michigan State, and its second consecutive at home this season. December's road sweep at Northern Michigan was the first conference sweep for MSU since February 17-18, 2006, when the Spartans 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 46th 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.

lady byng, part two
MSU's Feb. 2 game at Nebraska-Omaha saw neither team whistled for a penalty in the contest. The penalty-free game was the first in college hockey since March 4, 2004, a 3-0 Lake Superior State victory over Notre Dame. Mark Wilkins was the referee in both of those contests.

talking pims
In light of MSU's penalty-free contest against UNO on Feb. 2 ... the fewest penalty minutes in a game involving MSU in the past 25 years was Dec. 6, 1986 in a 3-2 overtime win over Lake State. MSU had two PIMs, LSSU zero. The last time MSU had zero penatly minutes in a game was Valentine's Day 1986, when it beat Illinois-Chicago 4-2. UIC was whistled for three minor penalties in that match (six PIM).

rolling in extra frames
Michigan State's 3-3 overtime deadlock with Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday was its 12th straight overtime game without a loss (4-0-8). MSU last lost in overtime on Nov. 12, 2005, to Nebraska-Omaha (3-2) at Munn Arena. The Spartans have won twice in overtime this season, to go with two ties.

shutout notes
MSU is the only team with three shutouts in conference games this season - Notre Dame, leading the conference with four overall, has two in league contests. Since Rick Comley took over in the 2002-03 season, Michigan State has recorded 29 shutouts - of those, 15 have come after the team has lost or tied its previous game.

on the clock
The Friday, Feb. 2 game at UNO was MSU's second game completed in less than two hours this season. The other was on Dec. 9 at Northern Michigan, a 3-2 Spartan win.

tight squeezes
Four of the last six Spartan games have been settled by a goal or less, and three ended as MSU victories. MSU is 5-3-0 in one-goal games this season. The Spartans picked up a pair of one-goal wins in their final pre-holiday action at Northern Michigan - they had been 0-3-0 in previous one-goal contests. MSU was 12-6-0 in one-goal games last season.
Michigan State's eight one-goal games this season ranks second in the CCHA, tied with Michigan - only Northern Michigan has played more one-goal affairs (10), and owns a 5-5 record in those contests.

emerging special teams
MSU's penalty kill has unquestionably been a key component to its recent success. Despite the penalty kill going just 4-for-6 at UNO, the Spartans have still extinguished 33 of their last 36 (.917) opportunities against, dating back to the Michigan game in the Great Lakes Invitational. Posting a perfect 11-for-11 in the most recent home series against Lake Superior, the Spartans also went 6-for-7 against Alaska, and were a perfect 9-for-9 in the Miami series. On the year, the MSU PK is at 84.9% (107-of-126).

out of character
On Saturday, MSU allowed more than one power play goal in a game for the first time since a Dec. 2 loss to Ohio State, when the Spartan PK went 2-or-4. MSU's PK was 4-for-6 on Saturday against the Mavs.

splits
• MSU is averaging 3.8 goals per game at home, but only 2.8 goals on the road.
• Michigan State has been outscored, 19-8, in the second period on the road, but has outscored its opponent, 19-7, in the middle frame at Munn. • Sixteen of MSU's 36 road goals have come in the third period, and the Spartans have outscored their opponents, 16-8, in the final frame.
• Seven of Tim Kennedy's 13 goals have come on the road. Four of the six he has scored at home have come on special teams - three on the PP, and one empty-net shorthanded effort. One was an overtime game-winner.
• Six of Tim Crowder's eight goals have come in home games. Eight of Nick Sucharski's 18 points on the year (four goals, four assists) have come at Munn.
• Jeff Lerg's save percentage in road games is .900, and had been nearly identical in home games until this recent hot streak - he now boasts a .909 save percentage at home. However, his GAA is nearly a goal better (2.23) at Munn than in road venues (2.83). He has three shutouts on the year, two at home and one on the road.

breaking down the unbeaten streak
• Michigan State is 6-0-1, all in CCHA contests.
• MSU has outshot opponents (33.4-26.1 shots per game, on average), averaged 3.7 goals per game, and allowed just 1.7.
• The MSU power play is clicking at 19.4% (6-31), while holding opponents to just three extra-man tallies in the 28 of chances (10.7%). • The Spartans have outscored opponents, 12-4, in the third period and overtime.
• Jim McKenzie has played in just six of the seven games, but leads the team in scoring over this span with a pair of goals and eight assists (10 points). He had a three-assist effort in the 5-1 win at UNO on Feb. 2, the first three-helper game for a Spartan this season.
• Bryan Lerg has six of his 18 goals on the year, and added a pair of assists for eight points. Three of his goals in this span have been game-winners.
• Nick Sucharski has exploded for eight points (2g, 6a) and is a team-best +9, skating on a line with Bryan Lerg and McKenzie.
• Justin Abdelkader, Tim Crowder, and Daniel Vukovic all have three goals. Abdelkader has also contributed three assists.
• Jeff Lerg boasts a 1.68 GAA and stellar .934 save percentage. He posted a 27-save shutout on Jan. 20 against Lake Superior and has two other one-goal outings.

mendoza line
MSU has posted an over-.500 record for three of the four months of the season - the exception is a 3-5-1 mark in the month of November.

backbreakers
MSU tallied two goals in the final minute of a period in the Lake Superior series, the 10th and 11th time the Spartans have gotten one that span this season. MSU is 7-1-1 when scoring in this situation. Justin Abdelkader, Tim Crowder, and Chris Mueller each have two tallies in the final minute of a period.
In the UNO series, Daniel Vukovic's goal in Friday's game came with 61 seconds remaining in the period, just missing the cutoff.

pair of shorties
Michigan State gave up two shorthanded goals in the Dec. 2 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.

nice shootin', tex
Friday's 21 shots by UNO was the fewest total against the Spartans since Nov. 3 against Michigan. MSU has outshot its opponent in each of the past five games. Prior to that, it had out shot its opponent only eight times in the first 22 games of the season.

captain clutch
Bryan Lerg has unquestionably emerged as one of the most dangerous - and exciting to watch - forwards in the CCHA. His 18 goals lead the Spartans and betters his single-season career high; he ranks sixth in the CCHA in that category. One would be hard-pressed to find a more clutch player in the CCHA, however, when taking a closer look at his numbers.
Lerg leads the country with seven game-winning goals, potting three consecutive in recent games: he potted both in the Lake Superior series, then also in the Friday tilt at UNO. In addition, he has also assisted on four other Spartan game-winners, two with primary feeds to the goal scorer. Furthermore, he has been on the ice for 12 of the Spartans' 17 game-winners this season.
Of his 18 goals, four have come on the power play, and two have come shorthanded (after recording one shorthanded tally in his first two varsity seasons). He has also been a consistent contributor to the MSU penalty kill which has extinguished 33 of its last 36 chances against.

... and in the annals
Bryan Lerg's seven game-winning goals is the second-highest single-season total all-time at Michigan State, and just one off the school record eight shared by Mitch Messier (1986-87) and Steve Beadle (1989-90).

benchmarks
Bryan Lerg's Saturday tally against UNO was his 18th of the season in 26 games. In 2005-06, Drew Miller led the Spartans with 18 goals in 45 games.

at the dot
Chris Mueller leads all Spartans (with more than 100 draws) in faceoff winning percentage, with 239 wins and 205 losses (.538). Nick Sucharski is also better than .500, with 137 wins and 128 losses (.517).

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 is second on the team in assists (14) and shares the team lead in points (27), having tied his freshman-year point total before Christmas.

multiplicity
Tim Kennedy owns the team lead in multiple-point games with seven, while linemate Tim Crowder and junior Jim McKenzie are right behind with six multiple-point games in 27 contests. Kennedy had six multi-point games all of last season, while Crowder had five.

changes for the better
Illness and injury had forced Rick Comley to shuffle some line combinations, and it has resulted in some scoring explosions for certain players. The movement of versatile senior Tyler Howells to forward has seen the now-winger put up ten points (3g, 7a) in the last 11 games.
When Bryan Lerg moved back to his natural position of center, Comley added Nick Sucharski on Lerg's wing with Jim McKenzie; this has seen Sucharski put up 2-5-7 in his last five games - not to mention McKenzie's 11 points in his last seven.

hot line
The Bryan Lerg-Sucharski-McKenzie line was a plus-4 for the weekend at UNO (+3 Fri.; +1 Sat.). They had 3-7-10 in the weekend set and MSU has a 5-0-1 record when they play together.

points on the blueline
Freshman Mike Ratchuk scored his fourth goal of the season in the championship game of the Great Lakes Invitational. He has four goals and seven assists (11 points) on the year to lead the defensive corps in scoring. Junior Daniel Vukovic scored in Friday's game at UNO, his second tally in as many games; it was the first time he has scored in consecutive games in his collegiate career. He has three goals on the season after scoring just one in his first two collegiate campaigns combined, and has added three assists.
Among other defensemen, senior Ethan Graham has a goal and seven assists; classmate Tyler Howells, who is began the season as a defenseman, has converted to forward for recent games, potted his first goal of the season against Harvard on Dec. 29, and has since added a pair of goals. He has 10 points in his last 11 games.

models of consistency
Bryan Lerg and Tim Kennedy have scored in the highest percentage of MSU games this season. Lerg had at least a point in seven of his first 12 games played, but has seen his name on the scoresheet in 13 of the last 14 games, coinciding with MSU's hot streak. In all, Lerg has points in 20 of his 26 games played (77%). Kennedy has a point in 18 of 27 games, (67%).

streakin'
The team's longest active point-scoring streak now stands at seven games, as Jim McKenzie has 3-8-11 in his last seven contests. Bryan Lerg holds the current-season high, with a nine-game streak earlier in the year.

mac's attack
Jim McKenzie's three assists on Friday was the first time someone had more than two helpers in a game since Drew Miller did it in Game 2 of the CCHA Quarterfinals last March. McKenzie's assist on Saturday extended his current team-high point scoring streak to seven games. He leads the squad with 15 helpers

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 18 goals betters his previous single-season best of 15, set last year. Chris Mueller is one shy of his career-best of 11, also set in 2005-06. Daniel Vukovic has scored three goals this season (after netting just one in his first two collegiate seasons combined) and has six points on the year after a combined five in his freshman and sophomore campaigns.

howie's a hot hand
Tyler Howells tied his career high with his fifth three-point game on Jan. 13 against Alaska, which included the game-winning goal. He has ten points in his last 11 games.
Howells is second on the team with 14 assists on the season, and has also been on the ice for seven of the Spartans' 16 game-winning goals this year, third-best best on the team.

start 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 had not scored a point since MSU's home game against Michigan (Nov. 3). He found his name back on the scoresheet with an assist on linemate Chris Mueller's goal on Jan. 20 against Lake Superior.

backstopping success
Jeff Lerg's numbers during MSU's recent 10-1-1 streak have been nothing short of impressive. He owns a .930 save percentage and 1.95 GAA in those dozen games. He's locked it in even more during MSU's seven-game unbeaten streak; he boasts a 1.68 GAA and .934 save percentage.
The hot streak has done a lot to improve his season numbers too - Lerg has improved his save percentage 18 points (from .891 to .909) and lowered his goals against average from 2.89 to 2.46.

jeff at the joe
In his seven appearances at Joe Louis Arena, Jeff Lerg has a 4-0-2 record, and has won four straight. He has a .930 save percentage in those seven games (.958 in the past four matches) and a 1.94 goals against (1.25 in the past four games).

zeroes
Jeff Lerg recently recorded his third shutout of the season, a 4-0 win over Lake Superior on Jan. 20 where he made 27 saves. That gives him six in his career, tying him for fifth place in the MSU annals. He shares fifth place with Matt Migliaccio (2002-05), Ron Scott (1980-83) and Joe Selinger (1956-59).

degree of difficulty
Jeff Lerg's 25-save shutout of Notre Dame on Nov. 18 was the fewest saves he has had to make in his six career shutouts; the other five 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), and 27 (Lake Superior 1/20/07). It was the second time in the his career that he has had two shutouts in a three-game span.

zeros, the other way
Michigan State was shutout 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 had posted 10 shutouts in between.

workhorses
Jeff Lerg has played 1560:24 in the Spartan net, which calculates to 95.4% of the time possible, the highest percentage of any netminder in the CCHA. Close behind is Billy Sauer of Michigan (1699:09, 94.3%) and Notre Dame's David Brown (1694:04, 93.2%).

ccha honors
Bryan Lerg is the most recent CCHA honoree, earning Player of the Week honors after a four-point weekend at Nebraska-Omaha. He scored twice - including the game-winner - in Friday's contest, and added a tying tally in Saturday's deadlock.
Jeff and Bryan Lerg were named the Goaltender and Offensive Player of the Week, respectively, 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.
Jeff Lerg was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week after the Spartans' last series, a sweep of Lake Superior. It was the third time that the sophomore had earned the honor this season. Lerg stopped 54 of 56 pucks thrown his way (.964) in the weekend series against the Lakers. He made 27 stops as the Spartans posted a 3-2 overtime win on Friday, then recorded his third shutout of the season on Saturday - a 27-save, 4-0 victory. It was the sixth shutout of his career, which ties him for fifth on the MSU career shutout list.
In his previous selection, 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 turned away each of the other 21 which he faced 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.
Junior blueliner Daniel Vukovic was named the CCHA Defenseman of the Week on Jan. 8, 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.

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.
Since his return to the lineup, Abdelkader has six points (3-3-5) in six games.
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, N.Y. this past August.

playmakers
Twenty-two of Tim Kennedy's 27 points have been either goals (13) or primary assists (9), While Bryan Lerg is just a notch above (18 goals, six PA on 29 points). Only three Spartans have more secondary assists than primary: Jim McKenzie (7 PA, 8 SA) Jay Sprague (1 PA, 5 SA) and Tim Crowder (1 PA, 6 SA).

extra advantage
Tim Kennedy (6g, 5a) has been the most prolific scoring Spartan while MSU is skating on the man advantage, followed closely by Jim McKenzie (3-6-9). Nine of Tyler Howells' 17 points (1-8-9) have come on the PP, while Bryan Lerg has eight power play points (4g, 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.

• All three of MSU's overtime games this season have come at home. MSU is 2-0-1 - a 2-2 deadlock with Ferris State in November, a 3-2 overtime victory over Alaska on Jan. 12, and another 3-2 decision a week later (Jan. 19) over Lake Superior.

• Bryan Lerg, Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder are the only active Spartans with overtime game-winning goals in their MSU careers.

• The earliest goal MSU has scored in a game this season is 1:44 into the first period. The latest the Spartans have scored in regulation (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 owns a 12-1-0 record when Justin Abdelkader registers a point, 8-0-0 when Chris Mueller scores a goal, 6-0-1 when Tim Crowder lights the lamp, 9-0-1 when Jim McKenzie has an assist, and 6-0-0 when Jeff Dunne has a helper.

• Michigan State has scored 58 even-strength goals, and Chris Mueller, Bryan Lerg, and Brandon Gentile have each been on the ice for 22 (38%) of them. Of the 29 power play goals scored, Tim Kennedy and Tyler Howells have on the ice for 15 (52%). Kennedy, Bryan Lerg, and Dan Vukovic have each been on the ice for two of the three shorthanded goals that MSU has scored this year.

• 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 30, second only to Mike Santorelli of Northern Michigan (36). Lerg has been named one of the game's three stars in ten of MSU's 21 CCHA games. Cousin Bryan ranks 10th in the CCHA with 25 Perani Cup points.

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.

`in the box' on the web
MSUSpartans.com has added new weekly video content to its All-Access subscribers. "In the Box with Zak McClellan" will provide a weekly interview with players and personnel within the MSU hockey program. The first web episode features an interview with sophomore Justin Abdelkader, who recently won a bronze medal with Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
McClellan, a Frankenmuth, Mich. native and junior forward for the Spartans, is the two-time winner of the team's Goofus Award, given annually to the team humorist at the season-ending awards banquet. McClellan will pick a different player or member of the hockey staff to interview each week.
The weekly clip will be a part of the premium content available to All-Access subscribers on MSUSpartans.com. The first two "In the Box" features are available for free; click to watch the first installment with Justin Abdelkader, and an episode featuring cousins Jeff and Bryan Lerg.
The official website of Michigan State athletics provides comprehensive coverage of the Spartan hockey program, which includes free video of the Rick Comley weekly press conference, as well as a live video stream of most home hockey games. In addition, fans can listen to every game - home or away - as veteran radio voice Scott Moore calls the action for 1240 AM, with analysis by former MSU skater and current volunteer assistant coach Rob Woodward.

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.

up next
Michigan State has a Tuesday tilt at Ferris State before a weekend home-and-home with fellow clustermate Western Michigan to follow next weekend.