Spartans Kick Off Post-Season Hosting Northern Michigan

3/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

March 13, 2008

The Spartans kick off the 2008 postseason by hosting a CCHA quarterfinal series against Northern Michigan. Michigan State finished third in the regular-season standings and had a first-round bye; Northern Michigan dispatched Ohio State in three games last weekend in Marquette to advance to the quarterfinals.

Date/Time: March 14; 7:35 p.m. March 15 (and 16, if necessary), 7:05 p.m..
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series history
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 best-of-three postseason series, 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).
put your feet up and rest for a week
MSU earned a first-round bye by virtue of finishing in the top four, 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.
historically significant
The Spartans are the all-time winningest team in CCHA Tournament history, with a 79-22-0 record (.782) in the annual event.
Michigan State has also won the most titles of any school in the league, past or present - the Spartans captured their 11th title in 2006. Michigan ranks second with seven, their most recent in 2005. Notre Dame won their first and only title last season.
home or neutral, but rarely anything else
MSU has played 53 of its 101 all-time CCHA tournament games at Munn Ice Arena, and owns a 49-4 mark all-time in games on their home rink.
Michigan State has played true road games only twice in their CCHA tournament history, but lost both - at Western Michigan in 1991. The Spartans are 31-15 in neutral site games.

fun with facts
Of MSU's four home playoff losses, three came as part of best-of-three series, and the Spartans eventually captured series wins in each.
we like this round
MSU is 36-10 all-time in CCHA quarterfinal games.
frequent visitors
MSU has advanced to play at Joe Louis Arena in the league's championship weekend 16th straight years and 25 times in 26 seasons.
on a streak
Michigan State is 14-6 in CCHA Tournament games under Rick Comley, and the have won seven of their last eight CCHA tourney games.
ccha recap
Michigan State finished third in the CCHA standings, with a 19-6-3 CCHA record. The Spartans were three points behind league champion Michigan and two behind second-place Miami.
The Spartans won five of their last six games of the season, and were an impressive 10-3-1 on the road this season. MSU's only road losses this season came in the curtain-lifter at then-No. 1 North Dakota, and the sweep at the hands of Northern Michigan in Marquette in February.
The Spartans were swept in only two CCHA sets - at home against Miami in November, and at Northern. The Spartans swept Northern Michigan at Munn, Alaska, Lake State, and Ohio State on the road, and took home-and-home series with Ferris State, Bowling Green, and Western Michigan. In addition, MSU posted three-point weekends against Notre Dame, Lake Superior, and Michigan. There were only two weekend splits, and both came in February: against Nebraska-Omaha, and in the home-and-Joe series against Michigan.
scouting report
The Wildcats, under the tutelage of Walt Kyle, had a slow start to the season with 12 newcomers on the roster (20 players are freshmen or sophomores). The Wildcats finally hit their stride in February, and have gone 7-3-3 since the first of that month - which includes a sweep of MSU in Marquette, a pair of ties with Michigan, and a series win over Ohio State last weekend in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.
Freshman Mark Olver has taken the NMU scoring lead, with 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points. Junior Nick Sirota is tied for the team lead in goals, and is one off of Olver's assist total for 34 points; Sirota had five goals in the four games between the teams this season.
Senior Matt Sidall is third with a 16-16-32 line, while Erik Gustafson leapt up the scoring chart with seven assists last weekend, and has 26 on the season to sit in fourth.
Brian Stewart has earned the starting role between the pipes for Kyle's club, with a 2.54 GAA and .917 save percentage in 31 games.
wayback machine
The teams split the season series two games each, with each team winning the series on its home sheet. The meetings at Munn in October were both one-goal affairs (5-4, 3-2), while MSU struggled to get pucks to the net in the series played in Marquette and Northern prevailed, 3-1, 3-0. In the series at the Berry Events Center, the Wildcats blocked 45 shots over two games, compared to just 21 for MSU.
Northern's Nick Sirota potted five goals in the series, including an impressive hat trick at home on Feb. 8, with an even-strength, power play, and shorthanded tally. Gregor Hanson (0-4-4) ranks second in series scoring, followed by four players who all had three points in the four games. Brian Stewart played three of the four games, posting a 2.25 GAA and .920 save percentage. Derek Janzen made two appearances, with a 2.29 GAA and .906 save percentage.
For Michigan State, Tim Kennedy (2-1-3), Corey Tropp (1-2-3) and Daniel Vukovic (0-3-3) all have three points, and an additional four players registered two points. Jeff Lerg played all four games, and had a uncharacteristic .888 save percentage and 3.28 GAA.
academic honors
Jeff Lerg was designated as Michigan State's CCHA Scholar-Athlete. The faculty athletic representative at each school, in consultation with the head coach, selected the institution's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Each school's Scholar-Athlete of the Year serves as the school's nominee for CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Lerg, who was also MSU's Scholar-Athlete last season, owns a 3.75 grade-point average as a finance major.
they're honored
Five players have earned All-CCHA honors, as announced by the league office on Wednesday, March 12. Jeff Lerg earned first-team All-CCHA, Tim Kennedy was a second team selection, and three players earned Honorable Mention All-CCHA distinction: junior forward Justin Abdelkader, and defensemen Michael Ratchuk, and Daniel Vukovic. Senior captain Bryan Lerg and freshman blueliner Jeff Petry appeared in the "also receiving votes" category.
Jeff Lerg earned seven of 11 first-place votes and 42 points to earn first team honors. The junior led the conference in wins, shutouts, save percentage, and games/minutes played.
Kennedy was the team's leading scorer, and had 12-17-29 in conference games (18-20-38 overall), ranking seventh. He had five power-play goals, three game-winners, and was +13.
Abdelkader ranks third in scoring for the Spartans with a 17-18-35 scoring line, and is +14. One of the league's top defensive forwards, he leads the team in penalties and penalty minutes (36/91).
The trio of blueliners all received considerable attention - Ratchuk received two first-place votes and Vukovic one, and each had 12 points. Petry, a selection to the All-Rookie team earlier in the week, had 11 points.
honors, inc.
With five players receiving All-CCHA recognition, its the most MSU players honored by the CCHA since the 1999-2000 season when five Spartans [Shawn Horcoff and Mike Weaver (first team), Adam Hall and Ryan Miller (second team) and John-Michael Liles (HM)] were honored by the league. MSU had a school-record seven players honored in 1985 (which included current CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos), six players in 1989 and 1990, and five in 1983, 1987, 1998, 2000, and now 2008.
finalists
Four Spartans are finalists for major CCHA Awards, which will be given at the league's awards show at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Thursday, March 20. Justin Abdelkader and Jeff Lerg are both finalists for two awards - Abdelkader for the Ilitch Humanitarian Award, and also to be honored as the league's top defensive forward. Lerg is a finalist for Player of the Year honors, as well as for the CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades. Senior blueliner Daniel Vukovic is a finalist for Best Defensive Defenseman kudos, while first-year defenseman Jeff Petry is a Rookie of the Year finalist.

sister-kissers
MSU finished with five ties this season, tied for the third-most all-time in the Spartan annals. The school record of eight was set in 1991-92 and tied in 2005-06.
blankings
With the Jan. 19 win at Ohio State (4-0) and the 1-0 victory at Michigan on Jan. 25, MSU recorded consecutive shutouts for the first time since Feb. 20-21 2004, (vs. Nebraska-Omaha, (3-0, 5-0). MSU posted its third shutout of the year at home against Western Michigan on Feb. 15, then capped the regular season with a 4-0 win at Bowling Green. Three of MSU's shutouts this season have come on the road.
MSU was shut out for the second time this season on Feb. 9 at Northern Michigan. Two of MSU's three road losses this season have been shutouts - the first was opening night at North Dakota (Oct. 13), 6-0.
bonus hockey
The Spartans had their 20-game undefeated streak in overtime games (6-0-14), snapped on Feb. 1 when they dropped a 5-4 decision to Nebraska-Omaha. The Mavericks had been the last team to defeat MSU in the extra period, back on Nov. 12, 2005 (3-2).
Michigan State is 0-1-5 in overtime games this season, and has played overtime games in four of their seven CCHA series in 2008.
law of averages
MSU's roster averages: 6-0, 188 lbs., and the average age is 20 years, 11 months.
quite the cluster
MSU finished the season tied with Michigan for the most wins in cluster games among its clustermates this season with a .708 winning percentage. (Michigan State and Michigan were paired this season with Lake Superior and Northern Michigan). MSU went 7-3-2, while the Wolverines are 7-2-3, Northern Michigan is 4-5-3, and the Lakers are 1-8-3.
cluster math
The cluster of MSU, Michigan, Northern and Lake Superior had an overall winning percentage of .584 (77-52-20), and finished third, first, sixth, and tenth respectively in the CCHA standings.
Miami (2nd), Ohio State (11th), Nebraska-Omaha (T-7) and Alaska (T-9) went a combined 67-69-14 (.493), while Notre Dame (4th), Bowling Green (T-7), Ferris State (5th) and Western Michigan (12th) were 65-72-12 (.477).
january gems
The Spartans finished the month of January unbeaten (5-0-3) - their first unbeaten regular-season month since February of 2006 (6-0-1). MSU was also unbeaten in April 2007 (2-0).
february flats
MSU has nearly half (four of nine) of its losses this season in the month of February.
superlatives
MSU is ranked sixth nationally in winning percentage (68.9%).
strong second halves
During the Rick Comley era, the Spartans have traditionally been a second-half team. The first three months (October, November, December) of his first five seasons (2002-07), the Spartans were a combined 48-43-8 (52.5%), then compiled a 69-33-10 mark in the second half (66.1%).
The 2007-08 Spartans had their best first-half record under Comley (12-5-2, 68.4%), and are 11-4-3 since the start of 2008 (69.4%).
roadies
The Spartans have played 20 of their 37 games at home this season, but own a 10-3-1 mark in 14 road contests. Nine of the 10 victories have come as part of CCHA sweeps - at Alaska, Lake Superior, and Ohio State and in home-and-home series with Ferris State, Western Michigan, and Bowling Green. The Spartans earned their road tie at Notre Dame (Jan. 13), and defeated Michigan at Yost in a three-point weekend. The Spartans went 0-3 in their only three neutral-site games, all at Joe Louis Arena.
high-yield returns
Michigan State is one of four teams in the CCHA that returned 20 letterwinners this season, the highest number in the CCHA. The Spartans returned 83.9 percent of their goal scoring from a year ago (115 goals), tops in the league. MSU returned 73.9 percent (263) of its points from a year ago, which ranks second in the CCHA behind Miami (81.5%). The Spartans returned five of their top six forwards: seniors Bryan Lerg and Chris Mueller, and juniors Tim Kennedy, Justin Abdelkader, and Tim Crowder.
if it was baseball, we'd win the cy young
MSU has now won 20+ games in 16 consecutive seasons.
early birds
Michigan State earned its 20th victory of the season on Feb. 16 at Western Michigan, the earliest the Spartans have reached 20 victories under Rick Comley. In 2003-04, MSU had earned its 20th victory on Feb. 21 vs. Nebraska-Omaha (5-0).
simply the best
Michigan State owns a 23-9-5 record, the most regular-season victories in the Rick Comley era.
let's end this streak
The Spartans will look to snap a rather inauspicious streak: neither of the last two NCAA titleists made the tournament the year after they won the championship: both the Denver Pioneers (2005 champions) and Wisconsin Badgers (2006 titleists) failed to qualify for the 16-team field.
home sweet home
In 2007-08, MSU played 20 regular-season games at Munn Arena, compared to 15 a year ago. Fourteen of the 20 were televised.
the number ones
MSU took five points from No. 1 Michigan in four games this season, snapping a three-game losing streak to teams ranked No. 1 in the national polls. In last year's NCAA Tournament, the Spartans defeated both Notre Dame (2-1) and Boston College (3-1) when they held the top ranking.
Michigan State has nine losses this season, and four were to teams which held the No. 1 ranking at the time of the game (North Dakota, Michigan, and twice against Miami).
strong starts
MSU has scored the first goal of the game in 18 of its last 24 games. The Spartans own a 21-1-2 record when scoring the game's opening tally, and are 2-8-3 when letting its opponent get on the board first.
MSU's only loss when netting the first goal of the game came against Providence in the GLI (Dec. 29).
specialties
Michigan State has allowed just six power play goals in its last 19 games, and earlier had a streak of 32 consecutive kills over eight games. Most recently, the Spartans extinguished all ten chances against in the last regular-season series against Bowling Green.
In those 19 games, the Spartans have killed 79 of 85 chances against (92.9%), dating back to the Providence game (Dec. 29). The penalty kill is now at 86.1 percent for the season (142/165) and ranks 16th nationally.
The MSU power play ranks ninth nationally (42/199, 21.1 percent).
high yield
In its first nine games, MSU scored nearly half (15 of 34) of goals on the power play. That pace has slowed somewhat, as 27 of its last 89 have come with a man advantage.
its hot when we win
MSU has converted 33 of 123 chances on the power play (26.8%) in its 21 victories, while scoring just four times in 51 opportunities (7.8%) in its eight losses.
The penalty kill is at 87.6 percent (92-of-105) in victories, and just 32-of-41 (78%) in losses.
In its five ties, MSU's power play has connected five times in 26 chances (19.2%) - but has gone 18-for-19 on the penalty kill (94.7%).
peppered
Michigan State's 52 shots on net against Mercyhurst (Nov. 10) was the most since a 52-shot effort against Wayne State in a 7-2 victory on Nov. 21, 2003. The Spartans had their second-highest shot output of the season on Dec. 1 at LSSU (41 shots).

and not
On Jan. 13 at Notre Dame, the Spartans had their fewest shots on net (15) since a 1-0 victory over Michigan on Nov. 4, 2000 in which they had 13 shots.
fast starts
MSU has established a pattern of fast starts - the Spartans hold a 44-23 (+21) scoring edge in the first period this season. MSU has outscored its opponents 36-29 (+7) in the middle frame and holds a 43-35 advantage in the third (+8).
MSU has allowed multiple third-period goals on eight occasions. The Spartans allowed a season-high four goals to Providence in the third period on Dec. 29, and twice allowed three (Oct. 13 at North Dakota, and Oct. 26 vs. Northern Michigan).

that said
If Michigan State holds a lead entering the final period, its a good bet to finish off the game. The Spartans are 21-0-2 if they lead at the second intermission, and are 2-2-2 when tied entering the final frame.
assert yourself
Only nine times this season has MSU been assessed more penalty minutes in a game than its opponent. MSU was whistled for its season-high in penalties (11) on Jan. 13 at Notre Dame and on Jan. 26 agaisnt Michigan, and its season high for penalty minutes (31) came in the Jan. 19 game against Ohio State and again on Feb. 1 against Nebraska-Omaha.
puttin' on the foil
Northern Michigan was assessed 66 penalty minutes in the Feb. 8-9 series against the Spartans, the most against MSU in a two-game set this season. Miami was whistled for 50 in the Nov. 15-16 set, the previous high.
postseason heavyweights
Senior Chris Mueller leads all current Spartans in CCHA Tournament scoring, with a 5-6-11 scoring line in 14 career games. Tim Crowder ranks second, with four goals and five helpers for a point-per-game average in nine contests. Bryan Lerg and Tim Kennedy each have eight points (Lerg 5-3-8 in 14 games, Kennedy 2-6-8 in nine).
second-half scoring surges
The junior class has accounted for more than half of the team's scoring since the calendar turned to 2008. In 18 games, the juniors have 87 of MSU's 159 points (54.7 percent) and have 30 of the 59 goals scored (50.9 percent). Junior netminder Jeff Lerg has posted a 1.91 GAA and .938 save percentage.
Since Jan. 1, junior Justin Abdeklader and senior Bryan Lerg share the team lead in scoring with 21 points each - Abdelkader with 11 goals and 10 assists, Lerg with 10-11-21. Tim Crowder is third on the team in points (19) with seven goals and 12 assists, while classmate Tim Kennedy has 12 helpers and 15 points.
hot hands
Justin Abdelkader and Tim Kennedy share the team's current active point-scoring streak - Abdelkader has 4-6-10 in those six games, while Kennedy has 5-4-9.
Bryan Lerg has a point in 12 of the last 14 games,with eight goals and 10 assists in that span.
important firsts
Nine of Bryan Lerg's 18 goals this season have been the first goal of the game. MSU is 21-1-2 this season when scoring the first goal.
more hot hands
Junior Tim Crowder has exploded in the second half, with 19 points since Jan. 1. With 32 points on the season (13g, 19a), Crowder has surpassed his previous single-season high (set his freshman year) of 30 points. He had 25 in his sophomore campaign.
factors on special teams
Michigan State has scored 42 power-play goals this season, and Daniel Vukovic has been on the ice for 27 of them (65%). He has 11 points (2g, 9a) on power-play scores.
Tim Kennedy, Bryan Lerg, and Chris Mueller have all been on the ice for 22 of the 42 extra-man tallies. Kennedy leads the bunch in power-play points (8-9-17), and Lerg has 9-6-15.
Michael Ratchuk has been on the ice for 15 power play goals this season, and had a hand in scoring 13 of them (3-10-13).
milestones
Junior Tim Kennedy potted his 100th career point with a second-period goal against Bowling Green on March 1.
Senior Chris Mueller netted his 100th career point against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena on Feb. 22, a second-period goal on a nifty spin/backhanded move.
Kennedy and Mueller join Bryan Lerg as the only current Spartans to surpass 100 career points - Lerg has 66 goals and 58 assists for 124 points.
Two other Spartans are within striking distance: Justin Abdelkader (90) and Tim Crowder (87).
he's back
Tim Kennedy has five goals in his last six games, and he had a three-point weekend against both Michigan (Feb. 22-23) and Bowling Green (Feb. 29-March 1).
Kennedy snapped a 13-game streak without a goal with a score on Feb. 15 against Western Michigan, then had a goal each night against the Wolverines and Falcons. He now has 100 career points (40g, 60a).
shorties
Tim Kennedy netted his third shorthanded goal of the season in the Feb. 15 game against Western Michigan. Its the third-highest total in the country this year.
mad hatter
Justin Abdelkader potted his first collegiate hat trick on Feb. 29 at Munn Arena against Bowling Green. It was the first for the Spartans since March 12, 2006, when Drew Miller scored three times against Alaska in the quaterfinals of the CCHA Tournament.
to the winners go the spoils
Daniel Vukovic has been on the ice for 16 of 23 game-winning goals this season, and has had a hand in scoring seven of them (1g, 6a). Tim Crowder has a hand in ten game-winners (3g, 7a), and has been on the ice for 12 of the 21.
Tim Kennedy has scored a team-best five of MSU's game-winners, has assisted on two others, and has been on the ice for 13 of 23 game-winners this season. Kennedy has also been on the ice for both of MSU's game-tying goals this season, and had a hand in scoring both - he netted the tying goal against Minnesota (Nov. 23), and assisted on Michael Ratchuk's equalizer in the Lake Superior State deadlock (Jan. 5).
offensive defensemen
Michigan State owns one of the top-scoring defensive units in the country, ranking fifth overall and second in the CCHA. MSU's blueliners average 2.32 points per game (15- 71- 86). RIT's defensive corps leads the nation (2.61 ppg), followed by North Dakota (2.54), Wisconsin (2.44), and Miami (2.39).
multiplicity
Tim Kennedy leads the Spartans with 11 multiple-point outings this season, followed by Bryan Lerg, Tim Crowder, and Justin Abdelkader (9).
moving up the charts
With 60 saves in the Feb. 29-March 1 set against Bowling Green, Jeff Lerg has moved into fifth place in career saves in the MSU annals, now with 2,806. Mike Buzak (2,836) is in fourth, 30 ahead of Lerg; Ron Scott is third with 2,884.
March 1 was Lerg's 109th game between the MSU pipes, giving him fifth place in that category. Scott is just ahead of him in fourth with 112.

tight squeezes
Jeff Lerg is now 6-1 this season in one-goal games, with the only loss coming in overtime. Lerg already has five ties on his ledger this season as well.
In his career (109 GP), Lerg has 10 shutouts, and 26 games in which he has allowed a single goal. He has allowed just two goals on another 30 occasions - a grand total of 66 of 109 games that he has allowed two goals or fewer.
whitewashes
Jeff Lerg has posted a single-season best four shutouts on the season, the most recent coming in the regular-season finale at Bowling Green. It was the tenth of his career.
He previously posted a shutout of Western Michigan, and earlier this season, Lerg posted back-to-back shutouts of Ohio State (Jan. 19) and Michigan (Jan. 25), and ran his shutout streak to 190:54 through all or part of 11 periods of hockey. The streak was snapped with a second-period power play tally on Jan. 26 against Michigan.
In his career, Lerg has two shutouts against Michigan and has twice posted a 1-0 victory - the first was in the 2006 NCAA East Regional against New Hampshire. Two of Lerg's shutouts this season have come on the road.
what have you done for me lately?
Jeff Lerg has been an intregal part of MSU's success. Since Jan. 1, he boasts a 1.91 GAA and sports a .938 save percentage. In the three series at the end of January, (No. 6 Notre Dame, Ohio State, No. 1 Michigan), Lerg's numbers were beyond outstanding - he boasted a .971 save percentage, and 0.86 GAA.
why not help out offensively, too?
Jeff Lerg recorded an assist on a Tim Kennedy shorthanded goal on Feb. 15, a 3-0 MSU victory. It was the third assist of his collegiate career.
The MSU record for goaltender points in a season is nine (9 a), set by Jason Muzzatti in 1989-90. He finished his career with 18 points, all assists.
death, taxes, and Jeff Lerg
Jeff Lerg ranks second among collegiate goaltenders in minutes played, entering the weekend with 2155:42. He ranks sixth in percentage of team minutes played, (96 percent).
In 2006-07, Lerg logged 96.9% of available minutes for MSU, (2465:06), which ranked second only to Boston College's Cory Schneider.
(More Jeff Lerg statistical information on page 12-13.)
he's a winner
Jeff Lerg's 4-0 shutout win over Bowling Green on March 1 was the 65th victory of his career, which puts him tied for fifth in the MSU annals in that category. Ryan Miller is fourth with 73 wins (1999-2002).
shooting gallery
Jeff Lerg ranks first among all Division I goaltenders in saves (986) and makes an average of 27.4 saves per game, 13th nationally. Only two goalies ranked in the top 15 in saves per game play for teams that are better than .500 - Lerg and Kevin Regan of New Hampshire.
in the annals
Lerg has moved into the top 10 in several netminding categories at Michigan State: career wins (65), T-fifth; career games played (109), fifth; career GAA (2.23), third; career save percentage (.921), second; career saves (2,806), fifth; career shutouts (10), fourth; wins in a season (26), T-fifth; games played, season (42), T-first; saves, season (1,042), fourth.
stopper
Jeff Lerg's penalty-shot save on Feb. 2 against Bill Bagron of Nebraska-Omaha was his second of the season, and also of his career. He previously stopped Tyler Burton on Oct. 20 in a 2-1 victory over Colgate. He made 37 saves in that win over UNO, tied for his third-highest single-game total of the season. He made 40 against Providence (Dec. 29) and 39 against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena (Feb. 23).
against the big boys
In eight games against the other top three teams in the CCHA (Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame), Jeff Lerg owns a 1.84 GAA and .943 save percentage, with a shutout at No. 1 Michigan on Jan. 25. Those three rank (as of March 15) first, second, and 21st nationally in team offense.
Against the CCHA's top ten overall scorers, Lerg has allowed just eight goals in 10 games, and five of those goals were on the power play. Has allowed just two assists to nation's leading scorer, Michigan's Kevin Porter, in four games; Ryan Jones (Miami) was limited to an empty-net tally.
milestones
Three players reached the 100-games milestone against Nebraska-Omaha.Junior netminder Jeff Lerg played in his 100th career game on Feb. 1, just the seventh MSU netminder to reach that milestone. Senior blueliner Jeff Dunne and junior winger Tim Kennedy reached the 100-game mark on the next evening. Three other juniors reached the milestone earlier this season: Nick Sucharski (at Notre Dame, Jan. 13); Justin Abdelkader (vs. Michigan Tech, Dec. 28); and Tim Crowder (at LSSU, Dec. 1).
Senior Zak McClellan (91 career games) and junior Brandon Gentile, (90) will likely be the next to reach the milestone.
double dips
MSU has boasted two, two-goal scorers three times this season, the most recent Michael Ratchuk and Tim Crowder against Lake Superior State on Jan. 4.
Dustin Gazley and Matt Schepke each had two-goal outings on Oct. 19, a 6-2 victory over Colgate, and Schepke and Bryan Lerg completed the feat again against Wisconsin (Nov. 23) in a 4-4 tie.
double dips, part II
In 42 games last season, there were 15 occasions where an MSU skater recorded two goals in a game. Through 35 games this year, it has already happened 15 times.
at the dot
MSU benefits from a deep corps of quality centermen who excel on faceoffs. Senior Chris Mueller has won 275 of 473 faceoffs, for a team-best 58.1 percent; since Jan. 1, Mueller has won an even more impressive 59.2 percent (132 of 223). Justin Abdelkader has won 393 of 727 (52.8%), Bryan Lerg is at 52.6 percent (297 of 565), Zak McClellan is at 52.8 percent (130 of 246), and Nick Sucharski has won 156 of 298 (51.8%).
skill-ful
Senior captain Bryan Lerg has been selected to represent Michigan State at the NCAA Skills Challenge at the Frozen Four in Denver, Colo. on April 11. Now in its third year, the event will be held at the Pepsi Center in Denver and will highlight the Friday Night at the Frozen Four. Only seniors are eligible; those selected will concede their spot for an alternate should their college team advance to the NCAA semifinals. Colton Fretter was selected in 2006, and Tyler Howells was picked last year - but had to forfeit his spot when MSU advanced to St. Louis.
career years
Five veterans have already surpassed their single-season bests through the midpoint of the season. Tim Crowder's 32 points betters his freshman-year total of 30, while classmate Matt Schepke has already bettered his sophomore-year point total (2-3-5) with his 11-14-25 scoring line. He has had two, two-goal games this season. Senior blueliner Daniel Vukovic, who recorded a 7-5-12 stat line in what was a breakout junior season, has three goals and 19 assists for 22 points - the 19 assists betters his career total of nine coming into the season, and puts him tied for second on the team in that category this season.
Sophomore Michael Ratchuk has bettered his 12 points he recorded as a freshman (6-17-23), while classmate Ryan Turek and junior Brandon Gentile are also already ahead of their totals from a year ago. Turek has four assists this season after just two as a freshman, while Gentile's nine helpers betters his total of four last year.
earning their roles
Sophomore Justin Johnston has earned an everyday spot in the MSU defensive corps. He has appeared in 17 of the last 19 games for the Spartans, and has steadily shown growth and improvement this season. Johnston's emergence has not only added another dimension to the defensive corps, but the Spartans have ferquently employed to a seven-defenseman lineup as they did during the 2007 National Championship run.
Freshman Andrew Rowe is making a case for more ice time as well. Playing in just his 10th game of the season, Rowe was inserted into the lineup for the Feb. 2 game against UNO on the second line with Bryan Lerg and Tim Crowder. He responded with a career-best three-point night (1-2-3) and helped MSU earn a split with the Mavericks. Rowe had a hand in all three even-strength tallies on the night, and has stuck on that line in the last four series.
collegiate debuts
The freshman class has found ways to make an impact through the first half of the season. Five of the six MSU freshmen have recorded their first collegiate goal, with blueliners Jeff Petry and AJ Sturges getting their first on Nov. 10 against Mercyhurst. Petry, a regular on the MSU power play, currently has a 2-18-20 line. Dustin Gazley had an impressive home debut, netting a pair of goals in his first home game (Oct. 19 vs. Colgate) and currently has three goals and eight assists; Corey Tropp leads freshmen in goal scoring (6-11-17). Andrew Rowe played in his first game in green and white on Oct. 26 against Northern Michigan, and has a 3-4-7 line on the season. Forward Joey Shean has played in six games, and still looks for his first collegiate tally - but has played well in his role when called upon.
gentleman and a scholar
Senior Jeff Dunne has been honored with a Charles E. and Frances M. Osterman Scholarship. Robert Osterman, past president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, provided this scholarship to the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in memory of his parents. Dunne, a crop and soil science major, has a cumulative grade point average of 3.771.
"shoot for a cure"
The Michigan State hockey team is joining the fight against children's cancer. For the past three years, team members have been volunteers at the Sparrow Hospital Pediatric Ward. Through the Spartan Buddies program, they have visited with many children who have had to face this awful disease. In an effort to help, MSU juniors Justin Abdelkader and Daniel Sturges have spearheaded an initiative called "Shoot for a Cure"
Every 2008 home game through February 22nd, 200 pucks were sold for $1 each. Weekly prizes were awarded from the puck numbers sold at that game, with winners receiving a prize package courtesy of the MSU hockey family. Fans brought back purchased pucks to the February 22nd game against Michigan for "Chuck A Puck", with the grand prize package consisting of items donated by former Spartans now playing in the NHL. In the prize package was a puck fro the Frozen Four, a touque identical to the one worn by Ryan Miller in the Outdoor Classic on New Year's Day; a game-used David Booth stick, and gloves autographed by Jim Slater. More than $2,500 was raised through "Shoot for a Cure" t-shirt sales and chuck-a-puck.
Thanks to the generosity of the former MSU skaters now in the NHL, there were also silent auction items which netted more than $2,000. Silent auction items included a Ryan Miller autographed baseball cap from the Outdoor Classic, a Miller autographed photo from the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, and a stick autographed by the Sabres goaltender; a stick autographed by Anaheim's Drew Miller, a John-Michael Liles Colorado Avalanche jersey autographed by all the members of the 2007-08 Avalanche team, an autographed picture of Sindey Crosby. Also included in the silent auction will be an autographed street-pole banner from the 2007 Frozen Four in St. Louis, autographed by the MSU coaching staff, as well as a 2007 team picture with the National Championship trophy also signed by the staff.
in-game, and in-home entertainment
MSUSpartans.com has continued its weekly video content in its All-Access subscribers. "In the Box with Zak McClellan" provides interviews with players and personnel within the MSU hockey program. McClellan's guests have also included the Hanson Brothers, Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose.
McClellan, a Frankenmuth, Mich. native and senior forward for the Spartans, is the three-time winner of the team's Goofus Award, given annually to the team humorist at the team's awards banquet.
In addition, McClellan has added some in-arena entertainment to his resume this season. He headlines "Zak and the Macs", a lip-synch music video series that began as a backdrop for highlight packages. The videos can only be seen in Munn Arena, and a new Zak and the Macs premiered during the home game against Michigan on Feb. 22. In addition, a "Zak and the Macs: Behind the Story" is part of the "In the Box" series.
Also participating as band members in the "Zak and the Macs" videos are Justin Abdelkader, Michael Ratchuk, Kurt Kivisto, Dan Sturges, and Jay Sprague. The "band" premiered Loverboy's "Workin for the Weekend" in late November, rolled out Hall and Oates' "You Make my Dreams" in January, and joined with three MSU football players (Otis Wiley, Ross Weaver, and AJ Jimmerson) to do Run DMC and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."
an even dozen
A total of 12 former Spartans are currently on NHL rosters: David Booth (Florida), Rod Brind'Amour (Carolina), Adam Hall (Pittsburgh), Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton), Duncan Keith (Chicago), John-Michael Liles (Colorado), Drew Miller (Anaheim), Ryan Miller (Buffalo), Jim Slater (Atlanta), Bryan Smolinski (Montreal), Mike Weaver (Vancouver) and Mike York (Phoenix).
up next
MSU looks to advance past Northern Michigan to participate in the league semifinals and final at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. MSU has advanced to play at Joe Louis Arena in the league's championship weekend 16 straight years and 25 times in 26 seasons.