Spartan Icers Kick Off Title Defense Friday

3/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

March 7, 2007

in brief
Michigan State begins the defense of its 2006 CCHA Tournament title this weekend when it hosts Nebraska-Omaha in a best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Date/Time: Fri.- Sat. March 9-11; 7:05 p.m., Munn Ice Arena (Best-of-Three Series)
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Audio: WVFN 730 AM (Fri.) / WVFN 730 AM or WJIM 1240 AM (Sat.)/ msuspartans.com
Scott Moore (PBP) and Rob Woodward '00 (Analysis)
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series history
The Spartans own a 15-8-1 record in the all-time series, and earned a win and a tie in the two meetings of the teams this season in Omaha. The Spartans own a 9-5-0 mark against the Mavericks at Munn Arena, but UNO has won its last three games on the Spartans' home ice.
Three of the last five games between the teams were settled in overtime, including a 3-3 deadlock in the last game between the squads on Feb. 3 at the Qwest Center.
These two teams have met twice previously in the CCHA Tournament, with the Spartans claiming victory on both occasions. The most recent meeting was in 2005 in the single-game quarterfinal in the former Super Six format; MSU won, 5-0, before falling to Ohio State in the semifinals. In 2000, the two squads met in the championship game, a 6-0 Michigan State victory.

scouting the mavericks
Nebraska-Omaha, celebrating its 10th varsity hockey season in 2006-07, made a late-seasoncharge up the standings and finished in fifth place. The Mavs have won their last five, which includes a sweeps of Bowling Green last weekend and at Alaska in the last weekend of the regular season.
The Mavs boast the second-highest scoring offense in the CCHA, averaging 3.75 goals per game, compared to a scoring defense that allows 3.00 per game. Their power play is tops in the league at 19.4 percent (49/252), while the penalty kill is an equally healthy 84 percent (173 of 206).
Mike Kemp's top offensive threat is reigning CCHA Player of the Year Scott Parse, who has 24 goals and 52 points, ranking second in the CCHA in scoring and good for tenth in the country in points per game (1.3). Parse is closing in on the 200-point plateau, (he has 197 career points) but was held off the board in the two-game set with Bowling Green a week ago, and exited the second game early, presumably with injury. Classmate Alex Nikiforuk is 10 points behind Parse in the team scoring race, with 13 goals and 29 assists. Brandon Scero is second to Parse on the team in goals with 18, and has 15 assists for 33 points.
Between the pipes is perhaps the youngest netminding tandem in the league, if not the country; Jerad Kaufmann and Jeremie Dupont have each logged significant minutes. The freshman Dupont has saw a bulk of the time in the Bowling Green series, and has played in 29 games on the season - he has a 13-9-6 record, .887 save percentage and 2.83 GAA. Kaufmann, a sophomore, has 15 games under his belt this season (5-4-2), and has a 2.94 GAA and .893 save percentage.

the last meeting
Michigan State extended its unbeaten streak to a nation's-best seven games with a three-point weekend at Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 2-3. 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.

spartans in the four-spot
Michigan State has been the four seed twice 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
The Spartans hold a 47-4 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 enters 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 round series, the Spartans defeated third-seeded Michigan in the semifinals, (4-1), and top-seeded Miami in the championship game, 2-1.

book your tickets now?
Only once in MSU's 26-year history in the CCHA has it failed to have a home series in the playoffs, and it was in that same year that MSU failed to reach Joe Louis Arena for the league's championship weekend - the only time in its history. In 1991, the Spartans fell at Western Michigan (4-3, 4-2) in the quarterfinals. In the 15 years since, the Spartans have appeared in 12 semifinals and seven championship games, and collected three titles.

back-to-back titles?
Michigan State's title defense begins on Friday against the Mavericks, 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 76-21 (.784), 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 2-0 against the Mavericks. Michigan State has the most postseason victories against Ferris State, holding an 11-3 record.

in the polls
As of Feb. 26, Michigan State sits in 13th in both the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll and USCHO.com survey. It is the lowest MSU has been ranked in both polls since sitting 14th on Dec. 18.

hey joe!
With the 3-3 tie against Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 10, 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 .784 winning percentage (76-21-0).

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 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 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 36-24 edge in third-period scoring over its opponent (+12), compared to a +8 in the first period (31-23) and an even mark (36-36) in the middle frame.
Since Dec. 1., the Spartans have outscored their opponents, 26-14, in the final frame and overtime. With two third-period tallies at Bowling Green Feb. 23, which included the game winner by Chris Snavely, MSU broke a five-game goalless stretch in the final period.

recent five-on-five woes
Prior to scoring four even-strength goals in the Feb. 23 contest at Bowling Green, MSU had not scored an even-strength goal in 11 consecutive periods. During its 11-1-1 hot streak from Dec. 8 at Northern Michigan to Feb. 9 against Ferris State, Michigan State averaged 2.15 even-strength goals a game. Since then, they have averaged just 1.0 even-strength tally per game while going 1-4-1.

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 12-5-2 its last 19 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 now 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 now have a home record of 11-3-1 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.)

home-road splits
In the 19 games that it has won, MSU averages 4.2 goals per game and has held opponents to just 1.8. 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 23.6 success rate (25-106), while holding opponents to just eight PPG in 90 chances (91.1% 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 12-1-2 this season when leading after two periods. The Spartans were 21-2-1 with a second-intermission lead a year ago and are 102-6-7 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 48th 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, Last Friday's game at Western Michigan was the Spartans longest game of the season, going two hours and 50 minutes.

tight squeezes
Nine of the last 12 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 first 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 - with four of its past eight games being decided by a single tally.

disparity in special teams
Special teams have been at opposite ends of the spectrum for Michigan State in recent weeks. MSU's penalty kill was a perfect 9-for-9 on the weekend in the split with Bowling Green, and has not allowed a power-play tally in five of its last seven games (30-of-33). Since the Miami series, the Spartans have given up just six man-advantage goals in 15 games - going 58-of-64 (.906).
The power play has scored just once in its last 19 chances over the last three games. Since scoring six power play goals at the Great Lakes Invitational, the Spartans have had just 12 power play goals in 15 games.

out of character
In its past 19 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 3.27 goals per game at home, but only 1.0 goal per game in its past three contests at Munn. 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, 21-9, 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 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 11 goals have come in home games. Twelve of Nick Sucharski's 20 points on the year (five 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 - he now boasts a .916 save percentage at home. His GAA is nearly a goal better (2.12) 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 92 of MSU's 106 goals, a total of 87 percent of the team's goal scoring. Seventy-five percent of MSU's 271 points have come from the two classes as well.

mendoza line
MSU posted an over-.500 record for three of the five 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.

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.

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 21 goals lead the Spartans and betters his single-season career high by six markers; he ranks fourth in the CCHA in goals per game (0.64). 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, potting four consecutive in recent games: he potted both in the Lake Superior series, then in the Friday tilt at UNO, and also played the role of overtime hero Friday, Feb. 9 against Ferris State. 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 13 of the Spartans' 19 game-winners this season.
Of his 21 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 its past nine chances against and 58 of its past 64.
His 21 goals in 34 games (0.64 per game) ranks tied for eighth in the country, and is fourth in the CCHA.

... 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).

i need a hero
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.

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.

at the dot
Chris Mueller leads all Spartans (with more than 100 draws) in faceoff winning percentage, with 318 wins and 258 losses (.552). The final weekend of the regular season, Mueller won 25 -of-36 draws, a success rate of nearly 70 percent. Nick Sucharski with 148 wins and 134 losses (.525), as well as Bryan Lerg with 228 wins and 219 losses (.510) 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 both assists (20) and points (33), 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 owns the team lead in multiple-point games with eight, while linemate Justin Abdelkader is right behind him with seven, having recorded two in the past four games. Sophomore Tim Crowder and junior Jim McKenzie also follow close, with six multiple-point games through 32 contests. Kennedy had six multi-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. During the hot streak, Bryan Lerg leads the team with 5-4-9 points, while Justin Abdelkader has notched 3-2-5 points, 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). 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 seven assists (11 points) on the year to lead the defensive corps in scoring. Junior Daniel Vukovic scored his first career power play goal in Friday's game at Western Michigan. Earlier this month 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 eight 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. Jeff Dunne, with eight 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 seven assists in 19 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 had at least a point in seven of his first 12 games played, but saw his name on the scoresheet in 15 of 17 games from the beginning of December through the beginning of February. In all, Lerg has points in 23 of his 33 games played (69.7%). Kennedy has a point in 22 of 34 games, (64.7%).

streakin'
Despite ending the regular season without any scoring streaks of note, 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.

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 21 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 Friday's 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 eight helpers this season. Dunne pitched in 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.

backstopping success
Jeff Lerg's numbers during MSU's 11-1-2 stretch earlier this season were nothing short of impressive. He notched a .936 save percentage and 1.94 GAA in those 14 games.
The hot streak did a lot to improve his season numbers too - Lerg improved his save percentage 26 points (from .891 to .915) and lowered his goals against average from 2.89 to 2.41. His save percentage now sits at .912, and his goals against at 2.45.

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 two weekends were two of his top three games this season. Friday's 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 1982:45 in the Spartan net, which calculates to 96.2% 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 99.4% of available minutes (1924:16). Third behind Lerg is currently Dartmouth's Mike Devine (1689:57, 96.1%). In the CCHA, close behind Lerg is Billy Sauer of Michigan (2061:13:15, 95.2%) and Notre Dame's David Brown (1996:09, 91.4%).

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-five of Tim Kennedy's 33 points have been either goals (13) or primary assists (12), While Bryan Lerg is just a notch above (21 goals, six PA on 32 points). Only three Spartans (with more than two helpers) have more secondary assists than primary: Jim McKenzie (7 PA, 8 SA) Jay Sprague (2 PA, 6 SA) and Tim Crowder (1 PA, 7 SA).

extra advantage
Tim Kennedy (6g, 9a) has been the most prolific scoring Spartan while MSU is skating on the man advantage, followed by Jim McKenzie (4-6-10), Tyler Howells (1-9-10) and Justin Abdelkader (4-5-9). The highest percentage of Howells' 18 total points (55.6%) 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 14-3-0 record when Justin Abdelkader registers a point, 9-0-0 when Chris Mueller scores a goal, 6-1-1 when Tim Crowder lights the lamp, 9-0-1 when Jim McKenzie has an assist, and 7-0-0 when Jeff Dunne has a helper.

• Michigan State has scored 67 even-strength goals, and both Bryan Lerg and Brandon Gentile have been on the ice for 25 of them (37%). Chris Mueller has been on for 24 (36%), while Dan Vukovic has been present for 23 even-strength tallies (34%). Of the 35 power play goals scored, Tim Kennedy has been on the ice for 20 (57%), and Tim Crowder been present for 18 (51%). 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
If the Spartans can add two more wins to their 47-4 CCHA playoff record at home, they will be on their way to the CCHA Championships at Joe Louis Arena March 16-17.