Michigan State University Athletics
Icers Face Off Against Bowling Green
2/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Feb. 19, 2009
Michigan State prepares for a home-and -home series with Bowling Green. The teams face off on Friday in East Lansing, then on Saturday at BG in a 5 p.m. tilt that will be televised on FSN Detroit.
Date/Time: Feb. 20/21, 2009; 7:05/5:05 p.m..
Tickets: A limited number of tickets remain for Friday's game. Purchase Tickets
Gametracker: |
Audio: WJIM 1240 AM. A live video stream with game audio can also be watched at msuspartans.com. All-Access Subscription required.
Television:(S) FSN Detroit (Comcast-34 (East Lansing), DirecTV-663, DISH-430)
Download MSU Hockey Notes (PDF)
Podcasts: Rick | Andrew
series history
The Spartans lead the all-time series with Bowling Green by a 63-28-8 overall record. MSU leads 33-9-3 when playing in East Lansing, and by a 23-16-5 margin when playing In Bowling Green.
recent history
MSU swept last season's series with the Falcons by scores of 6-3 and 4-0; MSU has won three of the last four meetings.
when we last left our heroes
Michigan State is coming off of a four-point weekend against Ohio State. The Buckeyes forged a 1-1 tie with a goal with only 10.7 seconds remaining in regulation on Friday, but the Spartans had the last laugh and defeated OSU in the shootout, 2-1 in four rounds. On Saturday, Jeff Petry's late third-period power-play tally stood as the game winner as MSU emerged victorious, 2-1. MSU registered its first four-point weekend since Oct. 31-Nov. 1 against Western Michigan - a series in which the Spartans also got a win and shootout victory.
a tough go
At the end of 2008, the Spartans stood at 5-12-3, the lowest number of wins at the holiday break since the late 70's. in 1977-78, MSU was 4-12-0 at the holidays, and was 5-13-0 a year later in the 1978-79 season. MSU is 5-7-2 since it's early-December Michigan series.
on an upswing
Michigan State has taken points in four of its six CCHA weekends in 2009, beating two ranked teams along the way: No. 18 Alaska, No. 9 Miami, and No. 16 Ohio State.
degree of difficulty
According to the latest KRACH rankings, MSU has played the fourth-toughest schedule in the country this season. All seven of MSU's games against non-CCHA competition came against teams from Hockey East (2-2-0) and the WCHA (1-1-0). The Spartans played four games against Hockey East competition, (one each against Boston University and UMass, and a pair in East Lansing against UMass-Lowell). The Spartans also played three against the WCHA, (one each against Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota). Michigan State has played 17 games (with a two-game set with second-ranked Notre Dame next weekend) against schools in this week's national polls. The top 20 schools in order of strength of schedule are: (* denotes 2008-09 MSU opponent)
1. Vermont (Hockey East)
2. Boston University (Hockey East) *
3. Boston College (Hockey East)
4. Michgian State (CCHA)
5. New Hampshire (Hockey East)
6. Minnesota (WCHA) *
7. Wisconsin (WCHA) *
8. Denver (WCHA)
9. Northeastern (Hockey East)
10. Michigan Tech (WCHA)
11. North Dakota (WCHA) *
12. Michigan (CCHA) *
13. Minnesota State-Mankato (WCHA)
14. Maine (Hockey East)
15. Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)
16. Providence (Hockey East)
17. UMass-Lowell (Hockey East) *
18. St. Cloud (WCHA)
19. Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA)
20. Miami (CCHA) *
maybe just play on friday ... or saturday?
Michigan State owns a 5-7-3 record in Friday night games, but is 4-9-2 in Saturday evening tilts. MSU has won on the last two Saturday nights.
a chance to get back in it
MSU's February schedule sees two of four weekend series against teams that the Spartans will be battling with head-to-head to earn home ice in the first round of the conference playoffs. This stretch, which featured a three-point weekend against Ferris State and a four-point outing against Ohio State, now turns to a home-and-home series with Bowling Green which will go a long way in determining MSU's postseason fate.
losing ledgers
MSU had a winless November (0-7-2), its first losing month in more than a year. The last sub-.500 month for Michigan State was in Feb. 2007, going 3-4-2. Incidently, the Spartans were also sub-.500 in November that season as well. MSU is 2-0-2 in February.
traveling road show
Michigan State just wrapped up a rather daunting stretch of the schedule - between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31, the Spartans played 21 games - and only five of them were played at home. The Spartans have five home games in the month of February, and so far are 1-0-2 in those games.
gaining ground
Rick Comley owns a 748-578-100 (.560) career overall coaching record, and recently moved ahead of Bob Peters (744) for fourth place on the all-time wins list. Peters coached from 1964-2001 at North Dakota and Bemidji State. Former MSU coach and athletic director Ron Mason finished his career behind the bench in 2002 with 924 wins, while Jerry York of Boston College has 816 and Jack Parker of Boston University has 804. The Feb. 7 victory over Ferris State (1-0) served as the 150th victory for Comley at Michigan State.
around the league
The CCHA has six series on tap this weekend. Ferris State is at Alaska in what will be the final CCHA series of the season for the Nanooks; Notre Dame gives Nebraska-Omaha its final taste of league action as well this weekend. Michigan is at Ohio State, Western Michigan is at Lake Superior State, and Northern Michgian is at Miami. The final weekend of action features just five conference sets: Michigan will be at Ferris State, Bowling Green will play at Western Michigan, Lake Superior tangles with rivalry partner Northern Michigan in Marquette, and Ohio State and Miami will play a home-and-home. UNO will host Minnestota State-Mankato on Tuesday, and Alaska completes the Governor's Cup with a series with Alaska-Anchorage. Considerable scoreboard watching will take place in Fairbanks and Omaha during the final weekend, as neither team can do anything to help itself for its playoff position.
roster shuffles
Head coach Rick Comley announced two roster changes at the end of the first semester: freshman forward Mike Merrifield will return to junior hockey to play the remainder of the season, while defenseman Ryan Turek has been dismissed from the squad for failure to meet team expectations. Merrifield will return to junior hockey for the spring semester, and will play for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. His coach in Green Bay is John Cooper, who coached Merrifield last season in the North American Hockey League with the St. Louis Bandits. Merrifield will return to the Spartans in the fall of 2009 as a sophomore. On Jan. 26, Comley suspended Corey Tropp and Andrew Conboy for the remainder of the season for their actions in a Jan. 24 game at Michigan. Conboy has since signed a professional contract with the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. In all, MSU has lost the services of eight players for the balance of their seasons due to suspension/dismissal, injury, or in the case of Merrifield, returning to junior hockey.
ccha outlook
The Spartans, who finished third in the 2007-08 season, were projected fifth in the CCHA's preseason coaches poll (96 points), while the media surveyed had MSU third, with two first-place votes and 776 points. The groups were split on their decisions - the coaches selected Notre Dame (128 pts., eight first-place votes) as the favorite, followed by Michigan (122 points, three first-place votes), Miami (108 points, one first-place vote), Northern Michigan (102 points), and the Spartans. From the media poll, the Wolverines were selected as the front-runner (945 points, 43 first-place votes), then Notre Dame (915 points, 35 first-place votes) and the Spartans. In the media poll, Miami was fourth (746 points, two first place votes) and Northern Michigan fifth (700 points, one first-place vote). Ferris State was the consensus sixth-place finisher.
compete with the east
The Spartans opened the 2008-09 season with four straight games against Hockey East competition: the Spartans went 1-1 at the season-opening Icebreaker Tournament, as MSU defeated Massachusetts, 3-1, in the season-opening game, then fell to host Boston University, 2-1, in the championship tilt. In the season's second weekend, the Spartans split a home series against UMass-Lowell.
law of averages
MSU's roster averages: 6-0, 175 lbs., and the average age is 20 years, six months. Among CCHA schools, MSU is one of seven that averages 6-0, the Spartans are the lightest team on average, and are tied with Notre Dame as the second-youngest. (Michigan's roster averages 20 years, five months.)
quite the cluster
Michigan State and Michigan are paired with Miami and Ohio State in the 2008-09 season as clustermates; the schools will all play four times, and face off with the remaining eight schools in the conference twice. Michigan, Miami, and Michigan State were the top three teams in the CCHA a year ago, and combined for a 91-26-10 record overall; MSU and Miami reached NCAA regional finals, and Michigan advanced to the Frozen Four. Both MSU and Michigan were eliminated in the NCAA Tournament by Notre Dame.
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 six seasons (2002-07), the Spartans have been a combined 60-48-10 (55%), then compiled a 82-40-13 mark in the second half (66.3%). The 2007-08 Spartans had their best first-half record under Comley (12-5-2, 68.4%), and were 13-7-3 in the 2008 portion of the schedule (63%). This year, MSU finished the first half 5-12-3 (.325), and are gunning for marked improvement as the calendar turns to 2009. So far, the team is 4-7-2 since Jan. 1, with wins over three ranked teams: Alaska, Miami, and Ohio State.
strong starts
MSU scored the first goal of the game in 19 of its final 28 games a year ago and in 25 games overall. The Spartans owned a 22-1-2 record when scoring the game's opening tally, and were 3-11-3 when letting their 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). MSU is 6-6-2 this season when netting the game's first goal, and 1-12-2 when allowing its opponent the first strike. MSU has scored first in five straight games, and is 2-1-2 in those games.
you miss 100% of the shots you don't take
Michigan State has been outshot in 22 of its 32 games this season, with its largest shot disparity coming in the game at Miami on Jan. 18, when the Red Hawks outshot MSU, 60-13. Jeff Lerg tied his career high with 54 saves in that contest. The Spartans are averaging 24.44 shots per game this season, which ranks 57th of 58 teams nationally. The Spartans allow 35.72 per game, which is the second-highest total in the country behind Brown (39.08).
it's been a while ...
MSU outshot Ohio State by a 35-34 margin on Feb. 14. It was the first game that MSU had outshot an opponent since outshooting Minnesota on Nov. 29 (4-4).
specialties
Michigan State's penalty kill is ninth in the latest NCAA statistics, extinguishing 143 of 163 chances against on the season (.877). The Spartans have been perfect on the penalty kill in 17 of 32 games this season, including a perfect 20-for-20 in the last two series against Ferris and Ohio State.
seeing the spectrum
MSU's offensive average of 1.66 goals per game (50 goals in 30 contests) ranks 12th in the CCHA and 56th nationally.
playing with fire
MSU allowed (and killed off) a season-high nine power play chances against on Nov. 29 against Wisconsin, bettering its previous single-game high of eight allowed against Miami on Nov. 15. The Spartans allowed nine chances to Michgian on Dec. 28, but allowed two goals to the Wolverines.
pk success is continued success
The Spartans have allowed just 20 power-play strikes in 32 games, and has allowed more than one in a game just six times in 56 games dating back to last season. Michigan State allowed just seven power play goals in its final 24 games a year ago, and earlier in the season had a streak of 32 consecutive kills over eight games. The kill was 9-for-9 in its two NCAA Tournament games. In those 24 games, the Spartans killed 102 of 109 chances against (93.6%). The penalty kill finished at 87.3 percent for the season (165/189) and ranked seventh nationally. The MSU power play ranked 10th nationally (48/230, 20.9 percent).
finally!
Matt Schepke's Dec. 5 shorthanded goal was the first of the season for the team. MSU has surrendered four in its first 32 games tying last year's total of four.
assert yourself
Only nine times last season was MSU assessed more penalty minutes in a game than its opponent (and was 7-2-0 in those games). Just seven times in its last 26 games has MSU been whistled for more penalties, and five times the teams have been called for the same number of infractions.
block party
On the season, MSU has blocked 667 shots, compared to 366 for its opponents. Leading the way in this category for MSU is defensemen Brandon Gentile (62) and Tim Buttery (57), while Jeff Petry and Kurt Kivisto have 55 each. Kivisto had a season-best seven when he dropped back to play defense against Miami on Jan. 17. He has played back on the blueline ever since (nine games).
in-season honors
Jeff Lerg and Jeff Petry were named to the Icebreaker All-Tournament Team. They were joined by Darcy Zajac of North Dakota, Alex Berry of Massachusetts, and Nick Bonino and Kevin Shattenkirk of Boston University. BU's Colin Wilson was named Tournament MVP. Matt Schepke was the lone Spartan named to the Great Lakes Invitational All-Tournament team on Dec. 29. Schepke had three goals in two games.
didn't take long
The CCHA has introduced the shootout for the 2008-09 season, and Michigan State jumped right into action, skating to a 2-2 tie with Northern Michigan in its first conference game of the season. MSU is 3-1 in shootouts this season Kurt Kivisto and Matt Schepke are each 3-1 on shootout attempts for Michigan State. Jeff Lerg has stopped six of 10 shootout attempts against.
so much for home cookin'
The Spartans are only being outshot by an average of 2.1 shots per game (29.2-32.0) in home tilts, but by an average of 16.6 (20.8-37.4) in road games. MSU has been outscored 51-23 on the road (-28), but only 28-22 at home (-6).
season high
Michigan State recorded a season-best 38 shots on net in the Jan. 31 game at Lake Superior.
shoot `em up
MSU is now 2-1 on the season in shootouts. All three tie games ended in a 2-2 score. In the Feb. 7 shootout against Ferris State, Kurt Kivisto missed his first shootout attempt in three tries this season. Matt Schepke is now a perfect 3-for-3.
get them early
The Spartans are 3-5-2 in the first game of a CCHA set this season, and just 2-7-1 in game two.
honor among peers
The CCHA's captain's poll results were released on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Jeff Lerg led all players in the conference with four individual honors, including "Most Respected Player", "Best Difference-Maker", and both goaltending honors, "Best Glove Hand" and "Best Shootout Goalie". Tim Crowder was the CCHA captain's selection as the "Most Accurate Shot". Crowder was the second runner-up for Most Dangerous in the Slot" to Justin Mercier (Miami) and Ryan Thang (Notre Dame). Sophomore defenseman Jeff Petry was a runner-up in three categories: first runner up in both "Hardest Slapshot" (Ian Cole of Notre Dame) and "Best 1-on-1 Defenseman" (Teddy Ruth, Notre Dame) and was tied as the second runner-up (with Erik Gustaffson of NMU) as the "Best Power-Play Pointman" behind Eddie DelGrosso of UNO and Chad Langlais of Michigan.
goal support
The Spartans tied their season high with four goals on Jan. 17 in a 4-1 win over Miami, tying the four scored at Minnesota on Dec. 29. It was also the most it had scored in front of Jeff Lerg all season: In Lerg's 27 games, the Spartans have scored just 39 goals - an average of 1.44 goals per game. In Drew Palmisano's five starts, the Spartans have scored 12 goals - an average of 2.4 per game.
He's No. 1 ... and No. 2
Jeff Lerg became Michigan State's all-time saves leader at MSU on Oct. 31. Lerg broke Dave Versical's career record of 3,108 set from 1975-78. Versical and Lerg are the only goaltenders to ever serve as captains of the Spartans. With 3,849 career saves, Lerg has already set the MSU career record for stops, and trails former Western Michigan netminder Glen Healy by just 83 saves for the all-time CCHA record. Lerg's total currently puts him seventh all-time in the NCAA annals, where Healy (1982-85) ranks third; Tim Thomas of Vermont (1994-97) sits in second with 3,950, and Robbie Moore of Michgian (1973-76) is the all-time NCAA leader with 4,434. Lerg needs 102 more saves to surpass Thomas; the Spartans have at least six games remaining, including playoffs.
closing the door
On Feb. 7, Jeff Lerg recorded his 12th career shutout, and second this season with a 1-0 victory at Ferris State. It is his third by a 1-0 score in his career: the first was against New Hampshire in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman, the second was a win on Jan. 25, 2008 at Yost against Michigan.
picking up where he left off
Jeff Lerg has earned CCHA Goaltender of the Week honors three times this season. His first weekly honor came on Oct. 13. He posted a .955 save percentage and 1.50 GAA in the weekend tournament; Lerg's 63 saves (on 66 shots) was the second-most of any goaltender on opening weekend (Juliano Pagliero of Niagara had 68). He won the award again on Oct. 27, stopping 52 of 54 shots in a four-point weekend against Northern Michigan. He had 24 saves in a 2-2 tie on Friday, but won the subsequent shootout with two saves. On Saturday, he recorded his 11th career shutout (2-0) over the Wildcats. His most recent award came on Feb. 16. He stopped 69 of 71 shots in a weekend set with Ohio State, and made three shootout saves after a 1-1 tie. he also recorded a 2-1 victory in the second game of the series. The win allowed Lerg to record his 14th consecutive game with 29+ saves.
he's good at hockey
Jeff Lerg tied his career high with 54 saves in the Jan. 18 game at Miami, and posted an additional 35 the previous evening in MSU's convincing 4-1 win. Lerg ranks first in the country in total saves (893) and is second in saves per game (33.074). He has recorded 29 or more saves in each of his last 14 games, and the Feb. 6 Miami game was also his fifth game this season of 44 or more saves.
records, records, and more records
Lerg's 54 saves against Miami on Jan. 18 is the single-game high in Division I hockey this season. He also is tied for the second-most saves (50), which he had on Nov. 28 at Wisconsin. (Andrew Loewen of Canisius made 50 vs. Ferris State on Oct. 10, and Jerry Kuhn of Western Michigan replicated the feat on Oct. 18 vs. Minnesota-Duluth.) Lerg's 49 saves against Michigan in the GLI final (Dec. 29) gives him three of the top-five single-game performances by a goaltender this season.
in on the action
Drew Palmisano made a career-high 46 saves in the Jan. 24 game against Michigan. His previous high had been 33 in a 3-1 loss at Nebraska-Omaha. Six times this season, MSU has had a 44+ save performance: Jeff Lerg has had 54, 50, 49, and 46, and 44--save efforts.
tight squeezes
On Feb. 7, Jeff Lerg recorded his 12th career shutout, a 1-0 win at Ferris State. He moved into a tie for third place with Chad Alban, and sits behind Ryan Miller (26) and Dominic Vicari (16). In his career (141 GP), Lerg has 12 shutouts, and 35 games in which he has allowed a single goal. He has allowed just two goals on another 36 occasions - a grand total of 83 of 141 games that he has allowed two goals or fewer (58.9%).
death, taxes, and Jeff Lerg
Jeff Lerg is consistently a workhorse for the Spartans, and has been for his two previous seasons as the full-time starter. Despite playing in only 27 of MSU's 32 games this season, he still ranks 15th nationally in minutes played (1622:20, 82.4% of the team's available minutes). He ranked fourth in the nation in minutes played a year ago (2464:14), and ranked sixth in percentage of team minutes played, (96.3 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.
a lot of actual miles
Jeff Lerg became MSU's all-time goaltending leader in games played in the Spartans' Jan. 2-3 series against Alaska. He passed Chad Alban, who played in 131 games (1994-98) Lerg collected his 74th career victory on Feb. 7 at Ferris State, moving ahead of Ryan Miller to claim sole possession of fourth place in the all-time victories list. With 75 career wins, Lerg needs one more to tie Norm Foster for third in all-time MSU victories. Chad Alban (88) is the career leader, and Jason Muzzatti (83) ranks second.
shooting gallery
Jeff Lerg currently ranks first in the country in saves (893), an average of 33.074 shots faced per game (second nationally). Last year, he ranked second among all Division I goaltenders in saves (1,136) and faced an average of 27.7 shots per game, the second-most of any CCHA netminder and 13th nationally. Last year, only three goalies ranked in the top 15 in saves per game played for teams that are better than .500: Lerg, Alex Kangas of Minnesota, and Kevin Regan of New Hampshire.
shooting gallery, part deux
Michigan State allowed 23 third-period shots to Miami on Jan. 18, single-period season high. MSU's previous season high was 18, set in the first period against to Wisconsin on Nov. 28 and again to Michigan on Dec. 28. MSU allowed its season high twice in the same game, as it had allowed 19 shots to the RedHawks in the second period of that same game. Jeff Lerg's 21 third-period saves against Miami in that Jan. 18 game set his career record for saves in a period, which he had last recorded on Feb. 10, 2007, against Michigan. In that game, Lerg made his career-best 54 saves. He tied that 54-save performance against Miami.
career achievement
Jeff Lerg ranks among the all-time NCAA leaders in several categories, and continues to move up the all-time charts as his time in East Lansing starts to wind to a close. In addition to closing in on second place in career saves (he needs 102 to surpass Tim Thomas (Vermont) in second place), his career save percentage currently ranks 14th (.923). His career shutouts, currently 12, is tied for 16th with four players, (and one more puts him tied for 11th) and his 75 career wins currently ranks 11th. Lerg's 61 consecutive games played/started streak from earlier in his career is tied for third in the ranking of goalie games played, and the 61 consecutive starts is second only to Brant Nicklin of Minnesota-Duluth, who started 76 from 1996-98.
a peek beyond the present
Michgian State is quite confident about its goaltending, with perhaps the best netminder in the nation (Jeff Lerg) and the top first-year baskstop in Drew Palmisano, according to InsideCollegeHockey's preseason rankings. Drew Palmisano won his first collegiate start on Oct. 17, a 2-1 victory over UMass-Lowell. Palmisano, who had 21 saves, is the 14th netminder (of 20) since 1980 to win his first start at Michigan State. All three of MSU's current goaltenders have won their debut: Jeff Lerg had 22 saves against Cornell (a 4-3 victory) in October of 2005, Bobby Jarosz had 24 saves in a 5-2 win over Mercyhurst a year ago. Palmisano has made five starts, the most recent on Jan. 24 at Michigan. He owns a 3.02 GAA and .908 save percentage with a 1-2-2 overall record. He owns one shootout victory, over Western Michigan on Nov. 1.
a road warrior
Four of freshman netminder Drew Palmisano's five starts this season have come in road tilts. His lone home start came on Oct. 17 against UMass-Lowell. Three of his four road starts have come in hostile, spirited road venues: WMU, Minnesota, and Michigan.
in the annals
Jeff Lerg has moved into top-10 positions in several netminding categories at MSU:
Career records:• Wins: 75, fourth (record: 88)• Games Played: 141, first (Previous record: 131)• Consecutive Games Played: 61, first• GAA: 2.31, third (record: 1.54)• Saves: 3,849, first• Save Percentage: .923 second (record: .941)• Shutouts: 12, T-third (record: 26)*complete goaltending records can be found on pgs. 110-111 of the Michigan State media guide
Single-Season records:• Wins: 26, (2006-07), fifth; 24, (2007-08), eighth• Games: 42, (2006-07), first; 41, (2007-08), third• GAA: 1.96, (2005-06), seventh; 2.22, (2007-08), ninth• Saves: 1,136 (2007-08), third; 1,042 (2006-07), fifth• Save Pct. .928 (2006-06), fourth; .926 (2007-08), sixth
a hot hand
Matt Schepke owns the team's longest active point-scoring streak, with points in each of MSU's last five games. He had a pair of goals in MSU's Dec. 27 victory over North Dakota, his first multiple-goal game since Nov. 24, 2007 against Wisconsin. It was his third career two-goal game. He leads the Spartans with 13 scores and 21 points. He was MSU's lone representative on the Great Lakes Invitational All-Tournament Team.
hey, newbies
Michigan State has added a pair of former club team players to the roster for the remainder of the season. The most recent is junior Jacob Schering, a forward who last played at Trenton High School. Senior Shaun Fulton made his debut for the Green and White in the Lake Superior State series (Jan. 301-31). Due to a myriad of different circumstances, Michigan State has lost a total of eight players for the season.
m.a.s.h. unit
Several Spartan veterans have missed time with injuries this fall. Senior Nick Sucharski, who suffered two shoulder injuries this fall, will be taking a medical redshirt this season and will return as a senior next fall to complete his eligibility. Sophomore blueliner AJ Sturges is also out for the season. The most recent additions to the list are senior Tim Crowder, who suffered a shoulder injury at Miami and is out for the remainder of the season, while freshman blueliner Matt Crandell has missed five of the last eight games, and returned last weekend. Andrew Rowe missed three games with injury in October. Shaun Fulton, who joined the team in mid-January, also suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
rookie kudos
Daultan Leveille was named the CCHA Rookie of the Month for October, as released by the league office on Nov. 5. Leveille led the Spartans over the course of the month with a 3-2-5 scoring line. He had his first career two-goal game on Oct. 31; two of his three goals on the season have been game-winners, tying him for second in the CCHA in that category. Leveille's two goals against Minnesota (Nov. 29) were his first scores since a two-goal outing against Western Michigan on Halloween.
late bloomers
Adam Henderson scored his first collegiate goal at 1:13 of the third period of the Jan. 24 game against Michigan at Yost Ice Arena. He was the second freshman that weekend to pot his first collegiate tally, as Tim Buttery got his on the previous night against the Wolverines. Joey Shean recorded his first collegiate point on Matt Schepke's first period power-play marker against North Dakota on Dec. 27. He then scored his first collegiate goal at 4:21 of the second period of the Feb. 6 game against Ferris, tipping a Brock Shelgren shot from the right point.Brett Perlini got his first career tally on Feb. 13 against Ohio State and recorded his first career assist the next night against the Buckeyes.
milestones reached
Alternate captain Brandon Gentile reached the 100-career games mark on Oct. 16 vs UMass-Lowell. Dustin Gazley's two assists on Oct. 24 against Northern Michigan tied his single-game career high, set in Nov. 2007 against Wisconsin in the College Hockey Showcase. His two goals against Michigan on Dec. 6 also tied a career single-game best, first set against Colgate in his second collegiate game. Jeff Lerg surpassed Dave Versical's school record in career saves on Oct. 31. Tim Crowder recorded his 100th career point, an assist on a Matt Schepke power-play goal on Nov. 22. He scored his 50th goal as a Spartan on Jan. 17 in a 4-1 win at Miami.
multiplicity
Sophomore Andrew Rowe had his first career two-goal game on Oct. 24, and has four goals through the first 18 games of the year. Rowe had three goals in all of his freshman year. Daultan Leveille has had a pair of two-goal games through the first two months of the season. Matt Schepke is the latest with a two-goal effort, scoring twice against North Dakota on Dec. 27. Kurt Kivisto had a goal and an assist on Jan. 31 at Lake Superior, with his shorthanded tally opening the scoring in the game. It was Kivisto's first career multiple-point game. Brock Shelgren had his first career multiple-point game in the Jan. 17 in a 4-1 win at Miami, with two assists.
the young ones
Inside College Hockey has ranked MSU's freshman class fifth nationally, behind Boston College, Minnesota, Boston University, and North Dakota. Daultan Leveille was ranked sixth among incoming freshmen forwards, and Drew Palmisano was the top-ranked freshman goalie recruit.
graduation comes early
Senior Kurt Kivisto has completed his requirements for his bachelor's degree in civil engineering and graduated in December. He begins graduate work this spring.
academic kudos
MSU's hockey program recorded a 3.05 cumulative grade-point average in the fall semester, an all-time best. Seventeen players recorded a semester GPA of 3.0 or better, highlighted by a perfect 4.0 semester for first-year blueliner Brock Shelgren.
more kudos for Lerg
Jeff Lerg is among 10 collegiate hockey players who have combined excellence in athletics, academics and community service were announced on Feb. 11 as candidates for the men's hockey division of the 2008-09 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The winner will be announced at the Frozen Four on April 10. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I student-athlete in nine sports based on achievements in the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award was launched in 2001 to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who fulfill their entire athletic eligibility and pursue the many rewards of a senior season and complete college education.
uh, yeah ... and even more kudos
Jeff Lerg was among the 21 nominees for the BNY Mellon Hockey Humanitarian Award. The award honors college hockey's finest citizen. The 10 finalists for the award will be announced in mid-February.
feeling a draft
Three of Michigan State's freshmen were selected in the last two NHL entry drafts. Forward Daultan Leveille was the only Spartan taken in 2008, but did not wait long to hear his name called as he was selected by Atlanta in the first round, the 29th pick overall. Both Trevor Nill and Andrew Conboy were selected in the 2007 NHL draft - Conboy went to Montreal in the fifth round (pick 142), while Nill was the seventh-round selection (190th overall) of the St. Louis Blues. Overall, the Spartans have six players who have been drafted by NHL teams. The upperclassmen are Tim Crowder (Pittsburgh, 2005, 5/126), Nick Sucharski (Columbus, 2006, 5/136), and Corey Tropp (Buffalo, 2007, 3/89).
powerful influences
Former Michigan State hockey standouts Ryan Miller and Tom Anastos were recognized on the Hockey News' annual list of the 100 People of Power and Influence. Miller, a goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, was listed at No. 25 while Anastos, the current commissioner of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, was slotted at No. 86.
Ten in the show ...
Ten former Spartans are currently on NHL rosters, the second-most in the CCHA behind Michigan. They are: Jim Slater (Atlanta), Ryan Miller (Buffalo), Rod Brind'Amour (Carolina), Duncan Keith (Chicago); Andrew Hutchinson (Dallas); John-Michael Liles (Colorado); Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton); David Booth (Florida); Mike Weaver (St. Louis); and Adam Hall (Tampa).
... and a dozen more in the A
Twelve Spartans are currently on American Hockey League rosters: Justin Abdelkader (Grand Rapids), Drew Miller (Iowa Chops); Jim McKenzie (Binghamton Senators), Jared Nightingale, Corey Potter and Ethan Graham (Hartford Wolfpack), Chris Mueller (Lake Erie Monsters), Michael Ratchuk (Philadelphia Phantoms), Colton Fretter and Tim Kennedy (Portland Pirates), Bryan Lerg (Springfield Falcons) and Mike York (Syracuse Crunch).
pro notables
• Drew Miller ranks third in scoring for the Iowa Chops (19-12-31). He spent time with the Anaheim Ducks earlier this year, but was returned to the Chops prior to the All-Star break, to participate in the AHL All-Star Game.
• Tim Kennedy (Portland Pirates) was named the AHL Player of the Week on Feb. 16. In four games, Kennedy scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points and recorded a plus-5 rating as the Pirates went 2-0-0-2. Kennedy leads all AHL rookies in scoring with 46 points, and assists with 34. He made his NHL debut with the Sabres on Dec. 27 against the New York Islanders. He was selected to the AHL All-Star game on Jan. 26, but could not participate due to losing six teeth in an on-ice incident a week prior.
• Justin Abdelkader ranks fourth in AHL rookie scoring with 18-19-37 in 51 games for Grand Rapids. He had a two-game stint in Detroit in January.
• David Booth's 20 goals lead the Florida Panthers, and he ranks second on the team with 37 points.
• John-Michael Liles is the top scoring defenseman (7-19-26) for the Colorado Avalanche.
next up
The Spartans entertain Notre Dame in a home-and-home series next weekend. The teams face off on Friday in South Bend at 7 p.m., then back in East Lansing on Saturday. MSU's seniors will be honored in a pre-game ceremony prior to Saturday's tilt with the Irish. Fans are asked to come early to support the MSU Class of 2009 - Tim Crowder, Brandon Gentile, Kurt Kivisto, Jeff Lerg, Matt Schepke, and Dan Sturges. The senior night ceremony will begin promptly at 4:45 p.m.
