Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans, Buckeyes Tangle in Weekend Set
1/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 20, 2010
No. 10/11 Michigan State vs. Ohio State
Date/Time: Jan. 22-23 (7:35/5:05 p.m.) East Lansing, Mich
Tickets: A limited number of tickets remain for this weekend's series. Four Seats, Four Treats promotion (not available at the door). Purchase Tickets
Live Statistics: http://www.livestats.ath.msu.edu/hockey (also for PDA/Blackberry)
Audio: WJIM 1240 AM; all audio can also be heard at www.spartansportsnetwork.com
Television:FS Plus (find your local carriage here (F); Big Ten Network (S)
Download MSU Hockey Notes (PDF)
Live Video Webstream: MSU All-Access
Podcasts: Rick | Matt | Brett
Promotions: : Four Seats, Four Treats; Post-Game Autographs by full MSU hockey team (Saturday)
storyline
MSU welcomes Ohio State to Munn Ice Arena for a pair of games.
media darlings
Friday's game will air on FSN plus at 7:35 p.m., with Ken Daniels and Fred Pletsch on the call. Saturday's game will be on the Big Ten Network at 5:05, with Rick Pizzo, Fred Pletsch, and Lisa Byington as the on-air crew.
state of the union
Michigan State had its six-game unbeaten streak snapped with a loss and a tie against Notre Dame last weekend. The Spartans (15-7-4, 10-4-4-1 CCHA) sit in second place in the conference standings, five points behind league leader Miami and one ahead of third-place Ferris State.
series history
The Spartans lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes by a commanding 78-22-8 margin, which includes a 38-6-3 mark in games played in East Lansing.
recent history
Michigan State took a tie and a win from the Buckeyes last February, tying 1-1 (and winning the shootout) before posting a 2-1 win in the series finale. MSU is has not swept a home series against their Big Ten rival at Munn since January of 2002, and last swept the series in January of 2008 in Columbus. Ohio State swept last in November of 2008 at the Value City Arena.
recapping the action
Michigan State took two of six points from Notre Dame last weekend. The Spartans held a 2-0 lead in the game in South Bend on Friday before Notre Dame rallied with two second-period scores to tie it and exploded for three third-period markers to put the game away, (5-2).
In Saturday's tilt, the Spartans held a 3-0 lead five minutes into the second period, but saw the Irish chip away at it and score four consecutive goals to hold a 4-3 lead. MSU freshman Derek Grant played the role of hero, getting the equalizer at 17:39 of the third to send the game to overtime. The game ended in a 4-4 tie, and MSU captured the extra point in the standings by winning the shootout, 1-0.
one of many positive comparisons
Michigan State won more first-semester games (14) than any other in the eight-year tenure of head coach Rick Comley. It's the most victories for an MSU team on January 1 since the 1999-2000 team had 15 wins - which also included a GLI championship.
on the pond
MSU will play four regular-season games on an Olympic ice sheet during the 2009-10 season (200x100) - last weekend's set at Northern Michigan, and the February series at Alaska. MSU went 1-1 in early December at NMU. With the exception of the games at Northern Michigan, the team has played all other 22 games on NHL ice (200x85).
another sign that 2009 was the exception, not the rule
The Spartans secured their 10th victory of the season on Friday Dec. 4 with a 1-0 win over Northern Michigan - a milestone they reached on Feb. 20 last season with a 3-2 win over Bowling Green. MSU owns 10 wins against CCHA teams, bettering its conference win total (7) from last season.
around the league
Five conference series are on tap in addition to the MSU-Ohio State series: Miami is at AlaskA, Nebraska-Omaha hosts Northern Michigan, Western Michigan is at Bowling Green, and Notre Dame is at Lake Superior. Ferris State and Michigan will play a home-and-home series.
non-conference
Michigan State is 5-3 against non-conference competition this season, sweeping Clarkson, splitting a series at Maine, getting swept in the College Hockey Showcase by Wisconsin and Minnesota, then capturing the GLI with victories over Michigan Tech and Rensselaer.
Rick Comley owns a 38-28-5 record in games against non-conference teams since coming to Michigan State prior to the 2002-03 season. (This includes regular-season, tournament, and NCAA Tournament games) Only once has a Comley team been sub-.500 in games against non-conference foes in a season (2003-04), and is 21-14-4 over the last four years (2005-09.)
This season, MSU was 1-1 against Hockey East, 3-0 against ECACH, and 1-2 against the WCHA.
o captain my captain
Senior Nick Sucharski and junior Jeff Petry were elected by team members as the captains of the 2009-10 Spartans. Corey Tropp and Andrew Rowe will serve as alternate captains.
honorary "c"
Michigan State will take part in honoring its past in its present with the introduction of Honorary Captains. In selected games this season, former MSU skaters will come back to campus to serve as an Honorary Captain for one game. The Honorary Captain will attend pre-game meal with team, address the Spartan squad prior to the contest, and stand on the bench during the game. This allows the program not only to honor former players, but also to share with current team members what donning the Green and White meant to those who came before them.
This weekend will feature Ken Paraskevin, a four-year Spartan letterwinner (1977-81) who played for both Amo Bessone and Ron Mason. Paraskevin grew up in the Detroit area playing hockey for teams that won three State Championships and two National Championships, including Little Caesars Midgets.
After two years in the Ontario Provincial Junior A League, he played four years at Michigan State. He was named a captain for his season season and was named Most Outstanding Senior and the James S. Feurig Award winner (top all-around player) in 1980-81). He then went on to play one season in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in Hampton, VA.
Paraskevin is married twith two children: a daughter in her second year at MSU and a son who is a junior in high school. He currently owns Advance Investigative Services, an Insurance Investigations company that specializes in performing surveillances.
Oct. 10 - Dave Kelley (1973-77)
Oct. 17 - Ron Clark (1972-75)
Nov. 6 - Kevin Miller (1984-88)
Nov. 28 - Joe Blackburn (1997-01)
Jan. 8 - Bob Brawley (1964-67)
Jan. 9 - Eldon VanSpybrook (1958, 1960)
Jan. 16 - Paul Hruby (1956-59)
Jan. 23 - Ken Paraskevin (1977-81)
represent your state
MSU's 28-man roster represents six US states and two Canadian provences. Half (14) of MSU's players hail from the state of Michigan, while four are from Ontario. The Spartans have three players each from Illinois and British Columbia, and one player each from Colorado, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin.
prognosticating
Michigan State was selected ninth by the head coaches and eighth by the league's media in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's annual preseason polls. In two close races, Michigan received enough points from the conference's 12 head coaches and 66 media members to be named the preseason favorite in both surveys. The polls were announced in conjunction with the CCHA's pre-season media conference call with all 12 head coaches, held this season in lieu of a media day in Detroit. MSU garnered 46 points in the survey of conference coaches, and 332 points in the media poll, which included one first-place vote.
what's new?
The CCHA announced that a regulation or overtime victory will be worth three points in the league standings this season, a change from when the shootout was instituted last season.
This season, a regulation or sudden-death overtime win will earn a team three points in the standings, a shootout victory will garner two points, a shootout loss will be rewarded by one point, and a loss in regulation or overtime will mean no points. So, any game that goes to a shootout will see the victor credited with a tie and a shootout win in the conference standings, while the loser will receive credit for a tie.
This differs from the system utilized in 2008-09, where a regulation/overtime victory or a shootout win meant two points, a shootout loss gave a team one point, and a regulation/overtime loss was awarded no points.
m.a.s.h. unit
In 2008-09, Michigan State had a total 14 players miss time with 16 injuries, totaling 221 practices missed and 108 games lost. This year, a total of three players have missed just 33 games, which includes senior Jay Sprague missing the first 24 games of the season with injury. He has been cleared to play as of the Notre Dame weekend.
gaining ground
Comley captured his 750th career victory on Friday, Oct. 9 with a 6-1 victory over Clarkson. He now owns a 764-590-104 (.564) career overall coaching record, good for fourth place on the all-time wins list. 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 833 and Jack Parker of Boston University has 823. The Feb. 7, 2009 victory over Ferris State (1-0) was the 150th victory for Comley at MSU.
law of averages
MSU's current roster averages: 6-0, 181 lbs., and the average age is 20 years, 10 months. Among CCHA schools, MSU was one of 10 schools that averaged 6-0 or taller, the Spartans were the lightest team on average, and were third-youngest. (Michigan's roster averages 20 years, two months, and Notre Dame averages 20 years, nine months.)
Compared to last year, MSU's roster is the same average height, but is six pounds heavier and eight months older - despite adding nine freshmen.
youth movement
Michigan State's roster features 18 underclassmen - nine sophomores and nine freshmen. The Spartans have the most first-year players of any conference team, and rank second in sophomore class size behind Alaska (11). Alaska boasts 19 underclassmen, the only league team with more than MSU.
quite the cluster
Michigan State and Michigan will be paired with Bowling Green and Notre Dame for the 2009-10 season as clustermates. The schools will face off four times, and play against the remaining eight schools in the conference twice.
Currently in cluster play, MSU has emerged as the leader of the pack. MSU is 4-2-2, Notre Dame is 3-2-3, Michigan is 2-4-0, and Bowling Green is 1-4-1.
heft in the schedule
MSU is 4-1-1 against teams ranked in the top ten this season, and 4-3-2 against ranked teams overall.
speaking of rankings ...
The Spartans are No. 11 in the USCHO poll and appear at No. 10 in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine survey. MSU has twice owned a No. 6 ranking (Nov. 16 and Jan. 11), which is the program's highest ranking since March 10, 2008 when they also held down the No. 6 spot. The Spartans have spent ten weeks ranked in the national polls this season.
undefeated no more
The Spartans knocked off previously-undefeated teams in three straight series early this season - Miami on Oct. 24, Western Michigan on Oct. 30, and Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 5.
the irish don't like streaking
The Spartans had an undefeated streak of eight straight conference games snapped on Nov. 22 against Notre Dame, the longest streak since MSU did not lose (5-0-3) in the month of January 2008. The Spartans had a six-game unbeaten streak on the line when they faced off with the Irish on Jan. 15, and Notre Dame again halted the streak, this time with a 5-2 victory.
the floors must be dirty
Against Clarkson, Michigan State recorded its first sweep of a home weekend since Nov. 9-10, 2007 against Mercyhurst. With an abundance of home-and-home series, the Spartans have played only ten two-game home sets since that weekend.
getting a hang of this road game thing
Michigan State won its fifth road game of the season on Dec. 11 at Bowling Green, three more than it won in all of last year.
November was a toughie
MSU had a 6-2-0 mark at the end of October, marginally better than the 4-2-2 mark it owned at the end of October last season. MSU's downward spiral last year began when injuries started to pile up in November - when MSU failed to win a game (0-7-1) and scored just eight goals during the month.
November was not been an easy month for the 2009-10 Spartans, either - it had three straight conference series against ranked teams (No. 10 Nebraska-Omaha, No. 6 Michigan, No. 14 Notre Dame), and wrapped up against Big Ten foes in the College Hockey Showcase against Minnesota and Wisconsin.
january's no picnic, either
Michigan State has its hands full with conference games in January - it opened with resurgent Lake Superior and Notre Dame, and put up a 1-1-2 mark in those two series. Ohio State comes in on Jan. 22-23, and the month closes with a home-and-Joe set against Michigan on Jan. 29-30.
here's another positive
Michigan State has scored four goals or more in nine of its 26 games. MSU only reached the four-goal plateau twice last season.
famine and feast
MSU was limited to just a pair of goals in its two-game November set with Notre Dame (Nov. 19/22), its lowest scoring ouput in a weekend this season. The previous low was four, in a split at Miami.
With 16 goals scored in the GLI, the Spartans scored its most goals in consecutive games since netting 19 in two games against Ferris State on March 2-3, 1990 (6-4, 13-1).
MSU's 10 goals against Michigan Tech was their most goals in a game since a 11-1 victory March 13, 2003 against Alaska-Fairbanks in the CCHA Tournament.
win `em close
Nineteen of MSU's 26 games this season have been settled by two goals or less, and nine were one-goal affairs. Of the six that were two-goal margins or more, three involved an empty-net goal.
you miss 100% of the shots you don't take
Michigan State has been outshot in 16 of its 26 games thus far, but on the seasonhas been outshot only by a 757-743 margin, a total of 14 shots. MSU is averaging 28.6 shots per game, and allowing an average of 29.1.
In 2008-09, the Spartans averaged 23.97 shots per game, which ranked last of 58 teams nationally. The Spartans allowed 35.32 per game, which was the second-highest total in the country behind Brown. In shot margin, MSU ranked 57th (-11.34), behind only Brown (-14.85).
scoring drought ... corrected
The Spartans averaged just 1.63 goals per game a year ago, not only the lowest average in Division I hockey, but also a program low for scoring output in a season.
This year has started with a stark contrast - MSU has averaged 3.3 goals over 26 games (and allowed just 2.3).
sloppy seconds
Michigan State has scored the first goal of the game in each of its last seven contests. Michigan State is 12- 2- 3 when scoring the first goal, and 3-5-1 when allowing the opponent to do so.
only wear a tie at home
Michigan State has four ties this season, and all four have been home games. MSU is 7-2-4 at home, and 6-4-0 on the road.
specialties
Michigan State's special teams had been a strength over its recent run of success, but hit a speed bump in last weekend's series with Notre Dame. MSU had killed off 21 consecutive man advantage chances against dating back to the Bowling Green series in December, but was 1-for-6 on the kill against Notre Dame on Friday in South Bend. The Irish struck three times on the man advantage (in seven tries) on Saturday, tying the season-high three power play goals MSU had allowed to Wisconsin on Nov. 27. The Spartans also allowed a shorthanded goal last weekend to the Irish, their third of the season. Overall, MSU is 25-of-136 on the power play (18.4%), and have scored more on the man advantage this season than they did in all of 2008-09 (20). The penalty kill is operating at 83.3% (110-of-132).
multiples
Two of MSU's scores against Wisconsin (Nov. 27) came on the power play in the second period, the first time MSU had multiple power-play goals in a game since the Nov. 5 game vs. Nebraska Omaha. MSU also went 2-for-6 on Dec. 12 against Bowling Green, and was 2-for-3 against Lake Superior on Jan. 8.
compete with the east
MSU took on two eastern teams - Clarkson and Maine - to open the 2009-10 season. The Spartans recently defeated Renssleaer. MSU compiled a 4-1 record in the five games played, and is 6-3 over the last two years against Eastern competition.
MSU's WCHA stretch came in November and December, when played Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan Tech and went 1-2.
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 eight seasons in East Lansing, the Spartans have been a combined 81-71-17 (52.9%), then compiled a 82-40-13 mark in the second half (61.6%). (This does not include spring 2010).
With MSU's a 14-6-2 first-semester record, it has surpassed the 2007-08 squad for most wins under Comley in the opening semester. Those Spartans had the then-best first-half record under Comley (12-5-2, 68.4%), and were 13-7-3 in the 2008 portion of the schedule (63%).
the young ones
Michigan State's lineup has a youthful look for sure - the Spartans have dressed 14 freshmen (9) and sophomores (5) each weekend.
consistency
Michgian State's lineup has not only been fairly consistent thanks to the relative health of the team, but also because Rick Comley has changed his previous philosophy of playing almost all players early on in the season. In fact, the Spartans have employed 17 different sets of forward lines, with the three lines that have played the most together skating in 23, 23, and 18 games. The Grant-Sucharski-Tropp combination has skated together for all but three games, while Rowe-Leveille-Gazley is at 23 as well and Merrifield-Forfar-Golembiewski has logged 18 games together. MSU's defensive pairs have also seen few changes, as Torey Krug and Jeff Petry have played all 26 games together, Crandell and Shelgren for 20, and Josepeher and Grassi (who missed six games early in the season) for 17. Compare that to the 2007-08 campaign, when the most-utilized line (Tim Kennedy-Justin Abdelkader-Chris Mueller) played together for 19 games, and Kennedy and Abdelkader skated with Tim Crowder for another 16. Last year's injury issues led to an astounding 80 different line combinations over the course of the season.
free hockey
Michigan State has played seven overtimes this season with an official record of 2-1-4. In the four ties, MSU has lost the shootout three times (to UNO, Notre Dame on Nov. 19, and LSSU on Jan. 9), then finally got a shootout win on Jan. 16 against the Irish.
MSU's overtime victory on Oct. 24 at Miami was its first in an extra session since the CCHA Tournament consolation game in 2007, a wild 7-6 victory over Lake Superior on March 17, 2007. Between overtime victories, MSU played 12 games that went to an extra session, and owned an 0-2-10 mark in those contests. Five of those ties were last year, with the shootout rule - MSU won the shootouts in three the four conference tilts that required an extra session.
The Spartans went to overtime in the back-to-back games on Dec. 5 against Northern Michigan (3-2 L) and then again on Dec. 11 at Bowling Green (3-2 W).
MSU has surpassed last year's total of six overtime contests. All three of MSU's overtime games that did not end in a tie have been decided by 3-2 margins.
league kudos
Michigan State took two weekly awards on Jan. 4 after MSU's impressive showing at the Great Lakes Invitational. Jeff Petry was named the CCHA Defensive Player of the Week, while fellow blueliner Zach Josepher earned Rookie of the Week honors.
Petry was named to the All-Tournament team at the GLI, and was dominant at both ends of the ice. He had a goal and an assist, and was also a team-best +6 in the two games. On the year, Petry is third overall on the team in scoring, boasting a 3-15-18 scoring line, putting him on pace to shatter his career-best 24 points he recorded as a freshman - likely by the end of January. He is a +9 with one power play goal, and leads his team with 40 blocked shots on the season.
Josepher, a native of Wantagh, NY who played three years in the British Columbia Hockey League for the Penticton Vees, had a goal and pair of assists in the GLI, and was a +4. On the season, the defenseman has four goals and five assists for nine points and is a +11, the second highest total on the team. He's also second among defensemen on the squad in scoring, behind Petry.
previous rave reviews
Corey Tropp has twice been named the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week this season, on Oct. 26 and again on Dec. 14. Tropp's first weekly award came after the Miami series, when the winger had a goal and a pair of assists on the split with the Red Hawks (2-1 loss, 3-2 win (OT). Tropp assisted on MSU's lone goal on Friday, then had a goal and an assist in Saturday's win. Defensively, Tropp was not on the ice for any of Miami's four goals against in the two games, and all of his points came with Michigan State skating on the man advantage. His most recent award came after he had a six-point weekend against Bowling Green, and had a hand in six of MSU's seven goals in the two-game set. In Friday's game at BG, Tropp netted the game-tying goal in the third period and assisted on Torey Krug's game-winner early into the overtime period. On Saturday, Tropp recorded his second hat trick of the season, which included the game-winner, and also had an assist on the game's first goal as the Spartans won 4-1. He was a +4 on the weekend. Drew Palmisano was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week on Nov. 16. Palmisano limited Michigan to two goals on the weekend and backstopped the Spartans to their second shutout of the season at home on Saturday. Palmisano posted a 1.00 GAA and .960 save percentage over the two-game set and stopped 48 of 50 shots.
quite the month, with a reward at the end
Corey Tropp was named the RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month for December, while freshman defenseman Torey Krug has been named the CCM CCHA Rookie of the Month. Both went on to capture the national awards from the Hockey Commissioner's Association (HCA). It is the first such honor for both players.
Tropp led the Spartans to a 5-1-0 record in December, including the program's 12th Great Lakes Invitational title. In the month of December, Tropp led the country with seven goals and 10 points; he was named CCHA Player of the Week on Dec. 14 after recording his second hat trick of the season, including the game-winning goal, and an assist in an 4-1 victory over Bowling Green Dec. 12. Tropp also recorded the only goal in a 1-0 win over Northern Michigan (Dec. 4) and a pair of game-tying tallies that forced overtime against NMU (Dec. 5) and BGSU (Dec. 11).
Krug, a member of the Spartans' top defensive pair, helped the team allow one goal or less in four of MSU's six December games. He tallied the first goal of his career, the overtime game-winner against Bowling Green on Dec. 11. He also helped the Spartans capture their 12th Great Lakes Invitational title with two assists during a win over Rensselaer, 6-1, in the championship game. He posted a +6 combined rating in two GLI games.
Krug registered an assist on Corey Tropp's game-tying goal against Northern Michigan Dec. 5 to force overtime and another in a victory over Bowling Green, 4-1, on Dec. 12.
Freshman Derek Grant was named the CCM CCHA Rookie of the Month for October, and earned the national award from the Hockey Commissioner's Association (HCA) later in the week. The top-line winger for the Spartans finished the month tied for the national lead in rookie scoring, goals, and assists with a 4-6-10 scoring line. In the CCHA he ranked second in scoring, and tied for fourth in both goals and assists. His 3-4-7 stats on the power play ranked second in the CCHA, and his three power-play goals is the third-highest total in the country. In addition, he ranked fourth nationally among rookies (appearing in more than one game) in points per game (1.25). Grant opened his MSU career with three-straight multiple-point games, and earned CCHA Rookie of the Week kudos after the Clarkson series (Oct. 12).
quite the month, but no award ...
Corey Tropp, while losing out on RBC Financial October Player of the Month kudos to Alaska goaltender Scott Greenham, had quite the impressive month as well. Through the end of October, the winger was tied for national lead in goals (7) and ranked second in points (13), was the CCHA's leading point (13) and goal scorer, and ranked third in assists (6) . Tropp also led the CCHA in power play goals, assists, and points (4-4-8), and was a +3 He had multiple-point efforts in six of eight games , including his first career hat trick in a road win at Maine. He ranked second nationally in power play goals (4) , tied for third in shorthanded goals (1)m and also tied for second in game-winning goals (2). He was11th nationally in points per game (1.62) and fifth in goals per game (0.88) (among players appearing in more than one game), and through eight contests, was assessed just one minor penalty. He was named the CCHA Player of the Week after the Maine series in which he had four goals and an assist (Oct. 19).
hot hand
Drew Palmisano has made 30+ saves in each of his last three games. Against Notre Dame on Jan. 15, he broke his personal best for saves in a period, making 19 stops in the opening period in the game in South Bend. Palmisano made a season-high 40 saves in the tough loss to Minnesota on Nov. 28. His previous season high in saves was 35, set in a 3-2 overtime win over No. 1 Miami in Oxford.
more hot hands
Brett Perlini has produced offensively since being inserted into the lineup right before the holiday break. Since the GLI, he has a 5-3-8 scoring line and has missed the scoresheet just once, in a 3-3 tie with Lake Superior. He had goals in each of MSU's games against Notre Dame last weekend.
red line, red light
Over the last six games, Michigan State's "Red Line" - Andrew Rowe, Daultan Leveille, and Dustin Gazley - has an 9-15-24 scoring line and is a +19. (the trio wears red jerseys each week in practice).
Rowe scored three times and added an assist (+2) in a four-point weekend against Lake Superior (jan. 8-9). Rowe scored twice in Friday's 4-2 win, and added another in a 3-3 tie. He not only had a five-game point scoring streak, but has multiple-point games in each of those five contests (4-7-11).
Leveille had a seven-game point scoring streak (11 points) snapped on Jan. 15 vs. Notre Dame, but came back with a goal in the tie with the Irish on Jan. 16. Against Lake Superior, he had three assists on the weekend. Gazley had points in four of the last six MSU games, including goals in three of the last six contests.
offense is coming around for the D, too
Freshman Torey Krug has seen his offensive game come around since the middle of December. He had three assists in the first 17 games of the season, but has points in six of the last nine games, with eight points in those contests. He has a game-winning and a game-tying goal in that span. In the Lake Superior series (1/8-9), he had a goal and a pair of assists, and blocked three shots. He netted the equalizing tally on Saturday in a 3-3 tie with the Lakers, and a pair of assists in Friday night's victory, including the primary helper on Derek Grant's game-winner. Krug is the CCHA's top-scoring freshman defenseman. With a 2-9-11 scoring line, Krug is 10th among freshmen overall, and tied for 15th among defensemen.
he's had some "alone time"
Torey Krug is MSU's most-penalized player. At 5-9, he is MSU's smallest-stature defenseman - but he is the Spartans' most-penalized player, with 19 penalties for 49 minutes. Senior centerman Nick Sucharski is next at 14/39, followed by wingers Corey Tropp and Andrew Rowe, who each have 11 penalties.
firsts
Michigan State's 10-1 victory over Michgian Tech on Dec. 29 led to a number of firsts - not only of the season, but also career - for several Michigan State players. Freshman Zach Golembiewski netted his first collegiate tally (a shorthanded marker), as did sophomore blueliner Matt Crandell. Sophomores Trevor Nill and Brett Perlini both scored their first goals of the season against Michigan Tech.
waiting for the call
Only one freshman - winger Kevin Walrod - has yet to score a goal this season. Walrod missed out on the MSU scoring extravaganza in the GLI, as he missed both games with illness.
mad hatter
Corey Tropp's Oct. 16 hat trick against Maine was the first for MSU since Justin Abdelkader's against Bowling Green on Feb. 29, 2008, a 6-3 victory. Tropp scored on the power play, shorthanded, and even strength. Tropp added a second hat trick on Dec. 12 against Bowling Green, a natural hat trick in which he scored at 19:17 of the second and at 3:37 and 13:22 of the third.
two sets of hats
Tropp is the first Michigan State player to have two hat tricks in a season since Mike York had a pair in the 1998-99 campaign (he knocked in three on Dec. 26 against Northern Michigan and Jan. 8 against Miami). The previous season (1997-98), Sean Berens had three hat tricks - agaisnt Alaska-Fairbanks (Jan. 3), against Northern Michigan (Jan. 10) and Michigan (Feb. 20).
milestones
Junior Jeff Petry skated in his 100th career game in Green and White on Dec. 12 against Bowling Green, and had a goal and pair of assists. His goal was his first since the third game of the season. He shares the conference lead in defenseman scoring (3-15-18).
Classmate Dustin Gazley's 99th game was the championship game of the Great Lakes Invitational; he scored a goal in the game and was named to the All-Tournament Team. He celebrated his 100th game with an assist against Lake Superior
block party
Torey Krug (49) owns the team lead in blocked shots, followed by Jeff Petry (43) and Brock Shelgren (29) and Matt Crandell (26).
back in green
Last December, then-freshman forward Mike Merrifield returned to junior hockey for the remainder of the season, and played for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. His coach in Green Bay was John Cooper, who coached Merrifield the previous season in the NAHL with the St. Louis Bandits. In 38 games in Green Bay, Merrifield had 18 goals and 16 assists (34 points), potted 12 points on special teams, and was a +9.
Merrifield cracked the lineup in MSU's series at Maine, and scored his first collegiate goal (and point) on a beautiful tic-tac-toe score in the second period of the second game. He has been in the lineup in 20 of 26 games, and has a 2-2-4 scoring line.
an eclipse ...
Ten of MSU's 12 returning players who have played in at least one game this season have already bettered their 2008-09 scoring numbers. Highlighting the group ... it took six games for Corey Tropp to eclipse the 11 points he amassed in his sophomore campaign, with 6-6-12 in his first six contests. In 2008-09, he had three goals and eight assists in 21 games. Tropp enters the Ohio State series with 63 career points, 35 of which have come this season.
Tropp's 17 goals is his career high, and is almost double the total he had in his first two collegiate seasons combined. Andrew Rowe's 11 goals is more than he had in his first two seasons as well.
Matt Crandell has surpassed his 2008-09 scoring output, as his three-point game in the GLI semifinal agaisnt Michigan Tech not only provided his first career goal, but pushed his season total to eight points (1-7-8). Jeff Petry (3-16-19) has surpassed his 2008-09 assist total (12) and is has surpassed his point total from a year ago (14). He has 58 points in 106 career games.
multiplicity
Corey Tropp started off his junior season with five multiple-point efforts in the first nine games, and has 10 multiple-point efforts in 26 games. Most recently, Tropp had a three-assist effort against the Notre Dame on Jan. 16, having a hand in three of MSU's four goals scored. He ties the team's season- best that Andrew Rowe put up against Michigan Tech in the GLI. He has scored goals in 13 of MSU's 26 contests, including six of the last 12.
multiplicity, take two
Derek Grant started his college career with three straight multiple-point games, and has at least a point in 14 of 26 MSU games this season. Grant had his first multiple-assist game on Nov. 27 against Wisconsin, a season-best three points with a goal and two helpers against Badgers.
multiplicity, take three
Andrew Rowe had a five-game point scoring streak snapped in the Jan. 15 game against Notre Dame, and has multiple-point games in each of those five contests (4-7-11).
streaking
Corey Tropp (eight games), Andrew Rowe (five), and Daultan Leveille (seven) each had lengthy point-scoring streaks snapped in the Friday tilt against Notre Dame. Both Tropp and Leveille bounced back by getting on the scoresheet the following night against the Irish.
among the bretheren
In the CCHA overall statistics, Tropp is first in points (35) goals (17), and power-play points (16), and ranks second in assists (18) power-play goals (6) and game-winning goals (4). Grant is tied for fifth in points (24), tied for 13th in goals (9) and sixth in assists (15), and is tied for second in power play points (13) and power play goals (6). He also is tied for first for freshman scoring with Alaska's Andy Taranto. Jeff Petry is tied for third in the conference in assists (16), and is third in defensemen scoring (18 pts). He also ranks tied for 11th in power play points (10).
Andrew Rowe ranks tied for ninth in goals (11) and 15th in points (21). Daultan Leveille is tied for sixth in assists (15). Dustin Gazley is tied for fifth in game-winning goals (3).
Freeshman Torey Krug is tied for 15th in defenseman scoring (2-9-11), but is the top-ranking freshman on this list. He ranks tied for 10th among freshmen in the conference in scoring.
the reports of our goaltending demise have been greatly exaggerated
The post-Jeff Lerg era showed that both of MSU's top two netminders are capable of winning hockey games. A week after Bobby Jarosz earned his first career shutout with 20 saves in a win at Northern Michigan (Dec. 4), he posted a 29-save victory on Dec. 11 at Bowling Green. Most recently, he had 28 saves and an additional three in the shootout in a 4-4 tie and shootout win against Notre Dame. He is and is now 4-1-1 overall and 3-1 in road starts. Drew Palmisano has made 30+ saves in each of his last three games. He ranks third in the conference in both GAA (2.13) and save percentage (.926). Nationally, he checks in at 10th and eighth, respectively.
goalie u
Thanks to LSJ scribe Neil Koepke for this gem: Since the 1980-81 season, all but one Spartan starting goaltender has earned All-League honors (the Spartans have competed in both the Western Collegiate Hockey Association or Central Collegiate Hockey Association during this stretch). The list reads like a who's who in Spartan hockey - Ron Scott, Bob Essensa, Norm Foster, Jason Muzzatti, Mike Gilmore, Mike Buzak, Chad Alban, Joe Blackburn, Ryan Miller, Dominic Vicari and Jeff Lerg. Scott, Alban, Blackburn, Miller and Lerg were All-Americans. The only starting goalie who didn't make an all-star team or win an award during this stretch was Matt Migliaccio in 2002-03.
the future in the present
Inside College Hockey had placed freshman winger Derek Grant as No. 17 on its list of incoming forwards.
fun facts for a team you don't know well ... yet.
Nick Sucharski, despite being a fifth-year senior, is not the oldest player on the MSU roster - that honor belongs to netminder Bobby Jarosz. Junior Joey Shean is also older than Sucharski, who came to campus in the fall of 2005 as a 17-year-old ... Torey Krug is the youngest player on the Spartan roster with an April 12, 1991 birthdate. He has won two national championships with Detroit Honeybaked (2003) and Indiana Ice (2009) as a teammate of fellow freshman Zach Golembiewski ... The honor of being the tallest Spartan falls to AJ Sturges (6-4), and the, ahem, least tallest is Dustin Gazley (5-8) ... Matt Grassi is the heaviest (and almost the tallest) at 6-3, 215 ... British Columbia is becoming a hotbed of college hockey recruiting, as Grassi, Kevin Walrod, and Derek Grant all hail from the provence - and Zach Josepher and Trevor Nill both played their junior hockey for Penticton in the BCHL ... Gazley was the youngest member of the 2004 US inline team that won a silver medal at World Juniors in London, Ontario and three ... Seven players were multiple-sport athletes in high school - Matt Crandell, Trevor Nill, and Brett Perlini all played soccer, while Nill, Jeff Petry, Brock Shelgren, and Dean Chelios all played baseball. Golembiewski was a scholastic golfer and graduated with his high school record for best round ... Nill is featured in this year's College of Engineering ad in the MSU hockey yearbook ...
odds & ends
• Two former Spartans will represent their countries in the upcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver. Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres) will be the US netminder, while Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks) will patrol the blueline for the Canadian squad.
• Rod Brind'Amour has relinquished his captaincy of the Carolina Hurricanes in favor of Eric Staal (Jan. 20). Brind'Amour, who had the final say on the move, will remain an alternate captain. He had worn the C in Carolina since 2005.
next up
The Spartans will partake in a home-and-Joe series with Michigan next weekend.
