Michigan State University Athletics
Hockey Clashes with Michigan In CCHA Semifinals
3/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 15, 2007
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The top notes you need to know about the CCHA Championships and Spartan hockey
• The Spartans are the all-time winningest team in CCHA Tournament history, with a 78-21-0 record (.788) in the annual event. MSU is the defending champion, and has now won six straight CCHA Tournament games. Saturday's semifinal will be Michigan State's 100th CCHA Tournament game.
• MSU will play at Joe Louis Arena in the league's championship weekend for the 16th straight year and 25th time in 26 seasons. The Spartans improved to 49-4 all-time in CCHA Tournament games on their home rink with the sweep of UNO last weekend.
• The Spartans are 117-130-17 all-time against Michigan, and the teams will meet for the sixth time this season when they face off on Friday in the semifinals. The all-time series is even (18-18-5) in neutral-site tilts, and MSU leads in postseason meetigs, 9-4-0. In the five meetings this season, each team won twice, and they skated to a 3-3 tie on Feb. 10 at Joe Louis.
• MSU is undefeated in its last seven games at Joe Louis Arena (4-0-3) which began with a 5-5 tie with Michigan last January. MSU is also undefeated (4-0-3) against Michigan at the Joe since a 5-4 loss to the Wolverines on March 1, 2003. The three wins include a 4-1 decision in last year's CCHA semifinal and a 5-2 win in the GLI championship game in December.
• MSU holds a 5-3-1 record in 2006-07 against the other three teams in Detroit. In addition to a 2-2-1 mark against Michigan, the Spartans split their November series with Notre Dame (each team won in its home barn) and swept Lake State at Munn in January.
• The Spartans are the only team in Detroit without an All-League player, and did not place anyone among the top three finalists for any major league awards.
in brief
Michigan State heads to Detroit to defend its 2006 CCHA Championship title after sweeping Nebraska-Omaha at Munn Ice Arena last weekend. The Spartans will clash with Michigan in the semifinals Friday for the right to play for the Mason Cup Saturday night.
series history
Michigan State and Michigan will face each other for the 265th time overall, 13th time in the postseason, and the second time in two years in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena. The Spartans hold a 9-4-0 advantage over the Wolverines in the postseason, including a 4-1 victory to advance to the championship game last year.
scouting the wolverines
Michigan not only boasts the most potent scoring offense in the CCHA, but also in the nation - the Wolverines are averaging better than four goals a game (4.29). Michigan's attack is led by three of the top five scorers in the CCHA - T.J. Hensick, Kevin Porter and Andrew Cogliano. Hensick, the nation's leader in assists with 42 and averages 1.62 points per game, good for second nationally. The Colorado Avalanche prospect is a finalist for CCHA Player of the Year honors and was selected first-team all-conference. His linemate Porter (20-33-53) is a second-team All-CCHA selection. Cogliano paces the team with 23 goals despite missing time while representing Canada in the World Junior Championships.
The Wolverines pack a punch on the blueline as well - sophomore Jack Johnson and senior Matt Hunwick claimed the two defensemen spots on the All-CCHA first team. Johnson, a nominee for the conference's top offensive defenseman, leads the CCHA and ranks second in the nation in blue line points (16-18-34), while Hunwick is a finalist for the top Defensive Defenseman Award.
Billy Sauer has carried the load for the Wolverines in the crease, and he has a 2.98 goals against average and .898 save percentage.
recapping the season series
Friday will be the sixth meeting of the archrival Wolverines and Spartans, with the series tied 2-2-1. The teams met three times in November - MSU hosted the first tilt on Nov. 3, and got a pair of goals and an assist from Justin Abdelkader and two-point nights from Tim Kennedy, Jim McKenzie, and Nick Sucharski to take a 7-4 victory. The next night in Ann Arbor, a four-goal second period by the Wolverines allowed them to even the season series with a 6-4 win.
The teams faced off again during Thanksgiving week, and the game was as tight as the first two were offensive displays. Kennedy's highlight-reel coast-to-coast goal was the only time the Spartans would light the lamp, and a spectacular 26-save outing by Jeff Lerg was not enough as Michigan escaped with a 2-1 win.
The Great Lakes Invitational championship game was the next meeting, and the Spartans claimed a convincing 5-2 victory behind a three-point outing from MVP Bryan Lerg .
Michigan got the game-tying goal with just 51 seconds remaining in regulation to complete a three-goal comeback and forge a 3-3 tie with Michigan State on Feb. 10 at Joe Louis Arena.
Michigan State received a career-high 54 saves from sophomore netminder Jeff Lerg in the draw, including a period-high mark of 18 saves in the opening frame. Justin Abdelkader scored two of MSU's three goals, while Chris Summers paced the Wolverines, scoring two goals and assisting on Andrew Cogliano's game-tying marker.
more on the spartans and wolverines
Michigan State and Michigan own the two youngest average teams in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. U-M has an average age of 20 years, five months, while MSU is slightly older at 20 years, six months.
against the field
CCHA regular season champion Notre Dame and eight-seed Lake Superior State join Michigan and Michigan State in the race for the 2007 CCHA Championship. The Spartans swept a pair from the Lakers at Munn Ice Arena Jan. 19 (3-2 in overtime) and 20 (3-2 OT, 4-0).
Michigan State split a home-and-home series with the Fighting Irish Nov. 17-18, with both teams winning at home. Notre Dame claimed a 4-1 victory in South Bend in the Friday tilt, and the Spartans shut out the Irish, 2-0, in East Lansing the next evening.
the century mark
Michigan State's contest with Michigan in the semifinals will mark its 100th CCHA tournament game. Michigan has played in the second-most all time (85).
spartans in the four-spot
Michigan State has been the four seed two other times since it joined the CCHA for the 1981-82 season, most recently in Rick Comley's first season behind the Spartan bench in 2003. That year, the Spartans swept Alaska by scores of 11-1 and 3-1 in the tournament's opening round, before bowing out in the quarterfinals of the then-Super Six at Joe Louis Arena, falling to Northern Michigan, 5-0.
In 1993 MSU held the four seed as well, defeating Kent State by scores of 6-5 and 5-2 at Munn Ice Arena, before falling to Ferris State, 3-2, in the quarterfinal game in Detroit.
historical fours
Only twice has a four seed won the tournament - Ohio State in 2004 and Lake Superior in 1995. No seed lower than the four has ever won the tournament.
playoff domination at home
With a sweep of Nebraska-Omaha in the quarterfinals, the Spartans now hold a 49-4 record at home in the CCHA playoffs, having never lost a playoff series at Munn. In 2006, MSU dropped game one of its quarterfinal matchup with Alaska, 2-1, before rebounding with wins on Saturday (6-1) and Sunday (7-4). Prior to that defeat, the Green and White had not lost a home playoff game since 1996 - a streak of 19 consecutive victories. Michigan State has opened the CCHA tournament away from East Lansing just once in 26 years, dropping a pair of games at Western Michigan as the five-seed in 1991.
keeping the streak alive
Michigan State entered the 2007 CCHA playoffs on a four-game conference tournament winning streak after claiming the Mason Cup in 2006. After dropping Alaska in a crazy three-game series that saw the two teams combine for 160 penalty minutes in their opening series, the Spartans defeated third-seeded Michigan in the semifinals, (4-1), and top-seeded Miami in the championship game, 2-1.
death, taxes, and the Spartans in Detroit
Only once in MSU's 26-year history in the CCHA has it failed to advance to Joe Louis Arena for the league's championship weekend. In 1991, the Spartans fell at Western Michigan (4-3, 4-2) in the quarterfinals. In the 16 years since, the Spartans have appeared in 13 semifinals and seven championship games, and collected three titles.
back-to-back titles?
Michigan State continues its title defense Friday against the Wolverines, and if the Spartans can run the table and win its 12th CCHA tournament title in 2007, it would be the first time a team has won back-to-back titles since Michigan in 2002 and 2003. The Spartans did it the two years prior, in 2000 and 2001.
team-by-team breakdown
As the winningest team in CCHA tournament history at 78-21 (.788), Michigan State has a winning record against all but one team - past or present - in the conference. The Spartans are 2-3 against Northern Michigan, falling twice to the Wildcats in the quarterfinals, while holding a 2-1 advantage in the semifinals. The two quarterfinal losses came in back-to-back seasons - 2003 and 2004.
MSU has never lost to Miami or Nebraska-Omaha in postseason competition, going 9-0 against the RedHawks and 4-0 against the Mavericks after last weekend's two victories. Michigan State has the most postseason victories against Ferris State, holding an 11-3 record.
in the polls
Michigan State rose in both national polls after a sweep of Nebraska-Omaha last weekend. MSU sits 11th the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll and is 10th in the USCHO.com survey.
15 of 20
With a 21-12-3 record, Michigan State has now won 20+ games in 15 straight seasons.
hey joe!
The last time MSU was in Detroit, it played to a 3-3 tie against Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 10. With the draw, Michigan State remained undefeated in its last seven games at Joe Louis Arena (4-0-3) which began with a 5-5 tie with Michigan last January. The Spartans had 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 78-45-6 all-time in games played at Joe Louis Arena.
impressive milestone
The Feb. 2 win over Nebraska-Omaha was the 500th for MSU in CCHA regular-season action. Michigan State's 502-201-74 all-time record in CCHA regular-season contests (.694) 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 .788 winning percentage (78-21-0).
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 were 4-2 in their non-conference action this season. 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 finished with a 15-10-3 mark in conference play, in fourth place. Seven of its first nine games were played against its clustermates, (Ferris State, Western Michigan, and Michigan), and the Spartans completed the regular season by playing five of their last seven against those teams. The Spartans own a 4-6-2 mark in cluster games; Ferris is 3-8-1, Western is 6-6-0, and Michigan is 9-2-1. MSU finished 2-1-1 against Ferris, 1-3-0 against Western, and 1-2-1 against Michigan.
better late than never
Michigan State owns an overall 41-26 edge in third-period scoring over its opponent (+15), compared to a +10 in the first period (33-23) and an even mark (37-37) in the middle frame.
Since Dec. 1., the Spartans have outscored their opponents, 31-16, in the final frame and overtime. - including 5-2 last weekend against UNO. With two third-period tallies at Bowling Green Feb. 23, which included the game winner by Chris Snavely, MSU broke a five-game goal-less stretch in the final period.
preseason accolades
The Spartans were recognized as one of the most promising teams in the CCHA for the 2006-07 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 55-27-8 mark in January, February, and March (.656). 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 14-5-2 its last 21 games, and had one the nation's longest unbeaten streaks (nine games) this season from Dec. 9 at Northern Michigan to Feb. 10 vs. Michigan.
where are you winning? Michigan State is 6-9-1 on the road, and is 5-3-1 its last seven road tilts. On Feb. 24, the Spartans had just their third setback at home this season, and finished with a home record of 13-3-1 on the year. The Spartans are 2-0-1 in neutral-site games (all played at Joe Louis Arena) in 2006-07. MSU started the season with an 11-1-1 record at home, the best since 2001, when it started the season on a 10-game (9-0-1) unbeaten streak. MSU is 17-4-1 at Munn since last Feb. 1.
little disparity? Michigan State has played nine games this season against ranked opponents, going 3-5-1 in those contests, and all opponents were in the top ten at the time of the game. Only two of the nine 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.)
backbreakers On 18 occasions this season, the Spartans have scored a goal in the first or final minute of a period. MSU has scored four times in the opening 60 seconds, and the Spartans have gotten 14 goals in the final minute of play in a period. Seven of those goals were empty-netters, but one - Justin Abdelkader's at Northern Michigan on Dec. 9 - stood as the game-winner in a 3-2 MSU win. Michigan State owns a record of 9-1-1 in games in which its scored a goal in the final minute of a period, and 2-2-0 when it gets a goal in the opening minute of a frame.
home-road splits In the 21 games that it has won, MSU has averaged 4.3 goals per game and has held opponents to just 1.7. Conversely, the Spartans have averaged just 1.5 goals per game in its 12 losses, and was held to one goal or fewer in seven of those contests. In games that it's won, MSU's power play has clicked at a 24.3 success rate (28-115), while holding opponents to just nine PPG in 100 chances (91% penalty kill). In losses, the Spartan power play was just 8 for 67 (11.9%) and allowed 11 power play goals in 51 chances on the kill (78.4%)
call it after after two? Michigan State is 14-0-2 this season when leading after two periods. The Spartans were 21-2-1 with a second-intermission lead a year ago and are 104-5-7 over the last five years. MSU is 3-9-0 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. MSU did not play a two-game set at the same venue for the final seven contests of the regular season.
lady byng Michigan State ranks 47th among 59 Division I teams and 10th in the CCHA in penalty minutes per game (14.6). 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 Michigan on Feb. 10 was its 14th straight overtime game without a loss (5-0-9). MSU last lost in overtime on Nov. 12, 2005, to Nebraska-Omaha (3-2) at Munn Arena. The Spartans have won three times in overtime this season, to go with three ties.
shutout notes MSU is one of only two teams with at least three shutouts in conference games this season - Notre Dame, leads the conference with six overall and four 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. Conversely, Friday's game at Western Michigan Feb. 23 was the Spartans longest game of the season, going two hours and 50 minutes.
tight squeezes Nine of the last 14 Spartan games have been settled by a goal or less, and four ended as MSU victories. MSU is 6-6-0 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 12 one-goal games this season is tied for second in the CCHA with Alaska and Northern Michigan. The Wildcats are 5-7 record in those contests, while Alaska is 4-8 in its 12 one-goal games. Lake Superior State has advanced to the CCHA Championships by playing six straight one-goal games, winning five of them. Eight of the Lakers past 10 contests have been decided by a single goal (6-4-0).
special teams rolling again By killing 9-of-10 power plays last weekend against Nebraska-Omaha, and going a perfect 9-for-9 on the weekend in the split with Bowling Green (Feb. 23-24), MSU has killed 19 of its past 20 man-down situations (95%). Since the Miami series in January, the Spartans have given up just seven man-advantage goals in 17 games - going 67-of-74 (.905). After a lull where the power play scored just once in 19 chances over a three-game span from Feb. 17-24, The Spartans caught fire against the Mavericks, going 3-for-9 over the two-game set, including a 2-for-3 outing Saturday night. It was just the second time all season - the other coming against Harvard at the Great Lakes Invitational Dec. 29 - that MSU has had a better than 50% success rate with the man advantage in a single game.
out of character In its past 21 games, MSU has given up more than one power play goal just twice - Feb. 3 at Nebraska-Omaha and Feb. 16 at Western Michigan. On the season, the Spartans are 0-3-1 when giving up more than one power play goal.
out of character (cont.) The Feb. 16 game at Western Michigan marked the first time since Nov. 17 at Notre Dame that Michigan State surrendered three goals in a period. The Irish and Broncos both scored their three in the middle frame on MSU. The one-goal loss at Lawson Ice Arena also marked just the second time this season MSU has lost when scoring three or more goals, and lost when scoring the first goal of the game.
splits • MSU is averaging 3.36 goals per game at home. On the road, State is averaging 2.81 goals per game; at Joe Louis Arena the Spartans have averaged 4.0 goals per game. • Michigan State has been outscored, 24-10, in the second period on the road, but has outscored its opponent, 22-10, in the middle frame at Munn. • Eighteen of MSU's 45 road goals have come in the third period, and the Spartans have outscored their opponents, 18-9, in the final frame. • Seven of Tim Kennedy's 14 goals have come on the road. Five of the seven he has scored at home have come on special teams - four on the PP, and one empty-net shorthanded effort. One was an overtime game-winner. • Seven of Tim Crowder's 12 goals have come in home games. Thirteen of Nick Sucharski's 21 points on the year (six goals, seven assists) have come at Munn. • Jeff Lerg's save percentage in road games is .897, and had been nearly identical in home games until the Spartans rolled off five straight victories at Munn in late January and early February. By surrendering just 10 goals on 183 shots since the LSSU series, he now boasts a .918 save percentage at home. His GAA is nearly a goal better (2.04) at Munn than in road venues (2.87). He has three shutouts on the year, two at home and one on the road. In neutral-site games, Lerg boasts a 1.95 GAA and .952 save percentage.
the middle children The sophomore and junior classes have combined for 100 of MSU's 114 goals, a total of 87.7 percent of the team's goal scoring. Seventy-five percent of MSU's 294 points have come from the two classes as well.
mendoza line MSU has posted an over-.500 record for four of the six months of the season - the two exceptions being a 3-5-1 mark in the month of November, and a 3-4-2 mark in February. 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.
captain clutch Bryan Lerg has unquestionably emerged as one of the most dangerous - and exciting to watch - forwards in the CCHA. His 22 goals lead the Spartans and betters his single-season career high by seven markers; he ranks fifth in the CCHA in goals per game (0.63). 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 eight game-winning goals. In addition, he has also assisted on five other Spartan game-winners, including Jim McKenzie's goal in game 1 of the CCHA quarterfinals. Furthermore, he has been on the ice for 14 of the Spartans' 21 game-winners this season. Of his 22 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 67 of its past 74 chances against. His 22 goals in 36 games (0.63 per game) ranks 10th in the country.
... and in the annals Bryan Lerg's eight game-winning goals is tied for the highest single-season total all-time at Michigan State, shared with Mitch Messier (1986-87) and Steve Beadle (1989-90).
more on lerg With his 20th goal Feb. 10 versus Michigan, Bryan Lerg became just the third Spartan in the tenure of head coach Rick Comley to reach that plateau, joining Mike Lalonde (22 in 2003-04) and Colton Fretter (20 in 2004-05). Lerg was the fastest Spartan to 20 goals since Sean Berens reached the mark in 24 games during the 1997-98 season. Berens finished with 36 that year.
benchmarks Bryan Lerg's overtime tally against Ferris State Feb. 9 was his 19th tally of the season in 27 games. In 2005-06, Drew Miller led the Spartans with 18 goals in 45 games.
postseason heroes Prior to last weekend's series with UNO, Chris Mueller and Zak McClellan are the only two active players on the Spartan roster with postseason game-winning goals. Mueller secured MSU's game two win over Alaska in last year's quarterfinals, while McClellan tallied the lone game winner of his career in the Spartans semfinal victory against Michigan last March. Jim McKenzie and Tim Kennedy joined the exclusive company last weekend with winners against UNO - McKenzie with his goal at the 19:00 mark of the third period Friday, and Kennedy, as his first-period power play tally stood as the winner on Saturday.
at the dot Chris Mueller leads all Spartans (with more than 100 draws) in faceoff winning percentage, with 350 wins and 273 losses (.552). The past four games, Mueller has won 57-of-85 draws, a success rate of 67 percent. Nick Sucharski (150 wins, 134 losses, .528), and Bryan Lerg (259 wins, 236 losses, .523) are also better than .500.
keep `em healthy, ace Tim Kennedy led the 2006 freshmen class 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 first on the team in assists (20) and tied for the lead in points (34), having tied his freshman-year point total before Christmas. Feb. 16 at Western Michigan, Kennedy notched a career high for assists, with three - all of which came on the power play. It was just the second time all season a Spartan recorded three assists in a game. Jim McKenzie did it at Nebraska-Omaha in a 5-1 victory Feb. 2.
multiplicity Tim Kennedy and Jim McKenzie share the team lead in multiple-point games with eight on the season - and McKenzie added his two most recent in the series against UNO. Kennedy's linemates Justin Abdelkader and Tim Crowder are right behind them with seven - Abdelkader having recorded two in multi-point games in four contests in mid February, and Tim Crowder notching a multi-point outing in the series-clinching game with UNO. Kennedy had six multiple-point games all of last season, while Crowder had five.
hot at the joe With a 4-0-3 record in its past seven contests at Joe Louis Arena, the Spartans have not lost in Hockeytown since Dec. 30, 2005 in the finals of the Great Lakes Invitational. In those games, Bryan Lerg leads the team with 5-4-9 points, while Justin Abdelkader has notched 3-2-5, despite missing two games at the 2006 Great Lakes Invitational. Senior utilityman Tyler Howells has also stepped up his play at the Joe, putting up 3-3-6 in those contests.
mr. march A key ingredient in the Spartans' postseason success last spring was the emergence of Tim Crowder as as offensive threat. After being held off the scoresheet in game one of the quarterfinal series against Alaska, the Victoria, B.C. native went on a tear, tallying three goals and three assists in the remaining four games of the CCHA tournament. Crowder added three more goals in the NCAA Tournament games in Albany, N.Y. In his past five games at Joe Louis Arena, Crowder has four goals and an assist.
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 saw the now-winger put up 9 points (2g, 7a) in his first eight contests after moving up from the blueline (Dec. 8 at Northern Michigan - Jan. 13 vs Alaska). Howells played 20 straight games at winger before moving back to defense last Saturday against UNO. When Bryan Lerg moved back to his natural position of center, Comley added Nick Sucharski on Lerg's wing with Jim McKenzie; this saw Sucharski put up 2-6-8 in his his first six games with the new linemates - not to mention McKenzie's 11 points in seven games before going down with an injury while in Nebraska.
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 eight assists (12 points) on the year to lead the defensive corps in scoring. Junior Daniel Vukovic scored his first career power play goal at Western Michigan. In early February at UNO, Vukovic notched his second tally in as many games; it was the first time he has scored in consecutive games in his collegiate career. He has four 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 nine assists; classmate Tyler Howells, who has played more games at forward than on the blueline this year, potted his first goal of the season against Harvard on Dec. 29, and has since added a pair of goals. Jeff Dunne, with nine assists and his first career goal in the regular-season finale, has posted a single-season career-high in points. Most recently, Chris Snavely scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in a 5-3 win at Bowling Green, earning him first star honors. Snavely has registered a goal and eight assists in 21 contests this season, besting last season's totals of 1-5-6 points in 30 games.
models of consistency Bryan Lerg and Tim Kennedy have scored in the highest percentage of MSU games this season. Lerg has points in 24 of his 35 games played (68.9%). Kennedy has a point in 23 of 36 games, (63.8%).
iron men Only five Spartans have appeared in all 36 contests this season. Goaltender Jeff Lerg has played and started in every game, and four skaters have been in the lineup every night: senior Tyler Howells, juniors Chris Mueller and Daniel Vukovic, and sophomore Tim Kennedy.
streakin' MSU has seen five different players piece together point streaks of five or more games. Most recently, Jim McKenzie had a seven-game stretch where he compiled 3-8-11 despite missing three games in that span due to injury. Bryan Lerg had a career high six-game goals streak (7-1-8) until the Spartans loss at Ferris State Feb. 13. Prior to that, he had points in 15 of 16 games (13-8-21) from the December Ohio State series to the Feb. 10 game against Michigan. Lerg holds the current-season high, with a nine-game streak earlier in the year. Lerg's six-game goals stretch bettered a Tim Kennedy five-game goal-scoring streak earlier this season in which he notched 6-3-9. Nick Sucharski jelled well with Lerg and McKenzie upon being teamed up with them on a line, scoring (2-6-8) in six games. Freshman Jay Sprague also has a sizeable streak on the season, beginning his college career with 1-6-7 in his first five games. Chris Mueller has the team's current active longest streak, with 2-3-5 in the past four contests. triple helpings Jim McKenzie's three assists on Feb. 2 at UNO 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. He sits tied for second on the squad with 15 helpers. Tim Kennedy tied that feat with three assists in Friday `s match at Western Michigan. Kennedy has assists in four of the past six games.
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 22 goals betters his previous single-season best of 15, set last year. Justin Abdelkader's two goals at Joe Louis against Michigan on Feb. 10 pushed him past the ten he netted as a freshman, and Chris Mueller matched his career-best of 11, also set in 2005-06, in the Friday Feb. 23 game at Bowling Green. Daniel Vukovic has scored four goals this season (after netting just one in his first two collegiate seasons combined) and has seven points on the year after a combined five in his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Jeff Dunne, who had six assists as a freshman and no points in an injury-shortened sophomore year, has nine helpers this season. Dunne scored his first career goal in the Spartans final regular season game.
perani cup supremacy Jeff Lerg, with 41 Perani Cup three-star points, was crowned the Perani Cup champion, beating out Lake Superior's Jeff Jakaitis and Northern Michigan's Mike Santorelli. In MSU's 28 CCHA conference games, Lerg was chosen the first star six times, second star twice and third star five times. He becomes the second Spartan, and first since Ryan Miller in 2000-01 to win the Cup. Cousin Bryan Lerg was second on the the Spartans' Perani Cup points parade (29), and he finished tied for ninth overall. Only Notre Dame (David Brown, Ryan Thang) and MSU had two players among the top 10.
peppered Jeff Lerg's 54-save effort against Michigan on Feb. 10 was his career best, improving on the 45 stops he had against Harvard in the GLI semifinals. The 54-save effort is the second highest total in the country this season, behind the 61 made by Andrew Loewen of Canisius vs Miami on Oct. 14. Jordan Wakefield of Mercyhurst also had 54 in a game, against Brown on Dec. 30. Lerg's 54 and 33-save efforts in those two weekends were two of his top three games this season. Feb. 9ths 33 saves versus Ferris State was the most he's made since a 45-save effort against Havard in the GLI semifinals and just the third time he was forced to make more than 30 stops in a game this season. He made 35 earlier in the season in the 2-2 deadlock with the Bulldogs.
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 In the Spartans final two-game weekend series at home, Jeff Lerg 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 In second half of the Spartans home-and-home with Western Michigan on Feb. 17, Michigan State was shut out at home for the first time since Jan. 7, 2000 vs. Michigan, falling 2-0. It was the second blanking of the MSU offense this season - the Spartans were shutout by Wisconsin, 2-0, on Nov. 25. Prior to that, the Spartan offense hadn't been whitewashed since Feb. 12, 2005, at Alaska Fairbanks (1-0). Spartan goaltenders had posted 10 shutouts in between.
workhorses Jeff Lerg has played 2102:45 in the Spartan net, which calculates to 96.4% of the time possible, the highest percentage of any netminder in the CCHA and the second- highest percentage in the country. Nationally, Cory Schneider of Boston College tops the list having played 99.1% of available minutes (2157:02). Third behind Lerg is currently Dartmouth's Mike Devine (1809:24, 96.3%). In the CCHA, close behind Lerg is Billy Sauer of Michigan (2175:35, 95.2%) and Notre Dame's David Brown (2115:51, 91.8%).
jeff the point producer Goaltender Jeff Lerg was credited with assists on both the first and third Spartan tallies on Friday evening; Before Friday night's two-assist performance Lerg, the last MSU goalie to record two points in a game was Chad Alban when he scored an empty-net goal and added an assist Feb. 28, 1998 in a 6-3 victory over Ferris State.
ccha weekly honors • Jeff Lerg earned CCHA Goaltender of the Week honors on Feb. 12, stopping 87 of 91 shots against in a three-point weekend and earning first-star honors each night. Lerg made a career-best 54 saves against Michigan in a 3-3 tie at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday, which followed a 33-save effort at Munn on Friday. His 54 saves is the second-highest single-game total in the country by a goaltender this season. Lerg remained unbeaten in his career in Detroit (4-0-3), and posted a .957 save percentage and 1.90 GAA over the weekend.
• Bryan Lerg earned 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. Bryan 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 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 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 Lerg was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week after a sweep of Lake Superior. 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.
• Jeff Lerg was 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 13 points (9-4-13) in 13 games.
raising his game Justin Abdelkader has three multiple-goal games this season - two of which came in a three-game span in early February. All three have come against in-state rivals/clustermates, with two of the three having come against Michigan. Before tallying two power play goals at Western Michigan Feb. 16, he scored twice in the most recent game at Joe Louis Arena, and he also had a pair in a 7-4 win at home on Nov. 3.
playmakers Twenty-six of Tim Kennedy's 34 points have been either goals (14) or primary assists (12), while Bryan Lerg has more goals but equal points (22 goals, six PA on 34 points). Only two Spartans (with more than two helpers) have more secondary assists than primary: Jay Sprague (2 PA, 6 SA) and Tim Crowder (1 PA, 8 SA).
extra advantage Tim Kennedy (7g, 9a) has been the most prolific scoring Spartan while MSU is skating on the man advantage, followed by Jim McKenzie (4-8-12), Tyler Howells (1-10-11), Tim Crowder and Justin Abdelkader (4-5-9, each). The highest percentage of Howells' 19 total points (57.9%) have come on the PP, while Bryan Lerg has just 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.
• Four of MSU's six overtime games this season have come at home. MSU is 3-0-1 in those contests - a 2-2 deadlock with Ferris State in November, a 3-2 victory over Alaska on Jan. 12, another 3-2 decision a week later (Jan. 19) over Lake Superior, and a 2-1 besting of Ferris State on Feb. 9. MSU has not won in overtime away from East Lansing - it has a 3-3 deadlock at UNO and against Michigan at Joe Louis.
• Bryan Lerg, Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder are the only active Spartans with overtime game-winning goals in their MSU careers. Lerg now has three.
• The earliest goal MSU has scored in a game this season is 1:44 into the first period - its first game of the season against Western Michigan. The Spartans six fastest goals into a period have come in the middle or final frame. The latest the Spartans have scored in regulation (excluding an empty-net tally) is 18:33 of the third frame. MSU has allowed only one empty-net goal this season.
• 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 15-3-0 record when Justin Abdelkader registers a point, 10-0-0 when Chris Mueller scores a goal, 7-1-1 when Tim Crowder lights the lamp, 11-0-1 when Jim McKenzie has an assist, and 8-0-0 when Jeff Dunne has a helper.
• Michigan State has scored 72 even-strength goals, and Bryan Lerg has been on the ice for 28 of them (39%). Chris Mueller has been on for 27 (37.5%), while blueliners Dan Vukovic and Brandon Gentile have been present for 26 even-strength tallies (36%). Of the 35 power play goals scored, Tim Kennedy has been on the ice for 21 (60%), and Tim Crowder been present for 19 (54%). Tyler Howells follows closely having been on for 18 of 36 (50%) 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.
• MSU failed to win a midweek tilt in three tries this season. The Spartans tied (2-2) and lost (2-1) to Ferris State, and dropped a 2-1 decision to Michigan. All three games were Tuesday tilts.
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 will await word of an NCAA Tournament bid. The 16-team field will be announced on Sunday, March 18 at 2:30 p.m. live on ESPN2. The Spartans are in search of their 25th bid in program history and third bid under Head Coach Rick Comley.
