Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Kick off Postseason With Northern Michigan Set
3/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 10, 2008
East Lansing, Mich. - With the first round of the CCHA post-season tournament in the books, Michigan State will host Northern Michigan this weekend in a best-of-three CCHA quarterfinal series. Games will be Friday (March 14) at 7:35 p.m. and Saturday (March 15) at 7:05
Sunday's game three, if necessary, will be at 7:05. Friday's game will air live on FSN Detroit.
Tickets are now available for this weekend's series in the MSU ticket office. Ticket prices are $22 for chairback seats, $20 bench seats, and $10 for MSU students (2 per ID). Tickets may be. purchased online, , or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-Go-STATE (or 355-1610 in the local Lansing area).
Fans are reminded that due to the MHSAA Basketball Championships at the Breslin Center, extra traffic and parking congestion is to be expected; please allow extra time to park and reach the arena. On Friday only, the parking ramp on Trowbridge will charge the customary $7 to park, with a free shuttle bus to the arena.
Some of the top notes about the Michigan State-Northern Michigan Series, and Spartan Hockey:
- The Spartans own a 29-20-2 record all-time against their conference rivals. Clustermates this season, the teams split their four-game set: the Spartans took a pair from NMU back in October at Munn, 5-4 and 3-2; Northern swept MSU, (3-1, 3-0) in Marquette in early February.
- MSU mentor Rick Comley spent 26 years at Northern Michigan as the head coach of the hockey program - he recorded 538 of his 737 career coaching victories as the head coach of the Wildcats. Since coming to State, Comley is 9-9-0 against his former charges, which includes a 6-1 record at Munn and 0-2 record in the post-season.
- Michgian State is 2-3 all-time against Northern Michigan in CCHA Tournament play - the teams have never met in a two-game postseason set, however. The teams have played twice in single-game quarterfinal matchups: NMU won, (7-5), in 2003 and, (2-1), in 2004. The other three meetings were all in the CCHA semis - 1998 (5-1 MSU), 1999 (5-3 NMU), and 2002 (2-1 MSU).
- MSU is 36-10 all-time in CCHA quarterfinal games. The Spartans are 49-4 all-time in CCHA Tournament games on their home rink.
- The Spartans are the all-time winningest team in CCHA Tournament history, with a 79-22-0 record (.782) in the annual event.
- MSU has advanced to play at Joe Louis Arena in the league's championship weekend 16th straight years and 25 times in 26 seasons.
- Michigan State is 14-6 in CCHA Tournament games under Rick Comley, and the have won seven of their last eight CCHA tourney games.
- Michigan State wrapped up the regular-season with a 23-9-5 record, the most regular-season victories in the Rick Comley era.
- MSU earned a first-round playoff bye, as it has in each of the three seasons of the current playoff format. MSU has finished second (2006), fourth (2007), and third (2008) in those seasons.
- The Spartans are now 21-1-2 when scoring the first goal of the game, 18-2-2 when leading after one, and 21-0-2 when leading after two.
- Jeff Lerg continues to move up the all-time best lists in the MSU annals. He is now tied with Mike Buzak in career MSU victories (65), and with 2,806 career saves, he is 30 shy of overtaking Buzak for fourth place on that list. Lerg leads the country with 986 saves this season (27.4 spg), 56 shy of the 1,042 he posted last year, which ranked fourth all-time in the MSU annals.
- Justin Abdelkader (4-6-10) and Tim Kennedy (5-4-9) share the team's active point-scoring streak, both at six games. Kennedy has also pulled even with Bryan Lerg with 18 goals on the season. Kennedy has 38 points and 20 assists, also team bests .
