Spartans Travel To LSSU For Weekend Series

1/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

Jan. 12, 2011

Michigan State at Lake Superior State
Dates	Friday-Saturday, Jan. 14-15, 2011
Game Times	7:05 p.m.
Location	Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.. \| Taffy Abel Arena (Cap. 4,000; 200x85)
Televison	none
Radio	WJIM 1240 AM
Tickets	Seating Chart \| Ticket Info
Game Notes	Download PDF
Internet Coverage	Live Stats \| Live Audio
Social Media	@MSU_Hockey \| Facebook
Press Conference Video	Head Coach Rick
Press Conference Audio	Rick \| Torey \| Derek \| Lee

storyline
Michigan State travels north for a two-game set at Lake Superior State, its first two-game road CCHA series since before Thanksgiving. The teams will meet both nights at Taffy Abel Arena in Saulte Ste. Marie, Mich. at 7:05 p.m.

media darlings
There is no television for this series. On the radio, both contests against the Lakers will air on WJIM 1240 AM. The radio call can also be heard on www.spartansportsnetwork.com. Scott Moore and Rob Woodward begin their sixth season together on the call of Spartan hockey.

series history
The Spartans are 66-31-5 in the all-time series against the Lakers, which includes a 23-14-6 mark in Sault Ste. Marie.

recent history
MSU earned a win and a tie in last year's series at Munn Ice Arena (which included a Laker shootout victory in the second game), and the Lakers swept the Spartans the last time the teams played at Taffy Abel Arena. Rick Comley is 16-3-4 against the Lakers during his tenure in East Lansing.

LAST TIME OUT
Daultan Leveille tipped a shot from the right point by Matt Grassi 1:54 into the overtime period to give Michigan State a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory over archrival Michigan on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena. Sophomore captain Torey Krug had a hat trick for the Spartans, with all three goals being scored from the same spot on the ice - from the high slot.
The Wolverines battled back from a 3-1 deficit with a pair of goals in the final three minutes, but MSU put the game away with the overtime winner. Freshman netminder Will Yanakeff made his first career start at Munn Ice Arena and had a career-best 37 saves. He had surpassed his previous career best 22) by the second intermission.
On Saturday, the teams entered the third period with a 1-0 Michigan lead on a Carl Hagelin second-period tally, but the Wolverines put up three third-period markers for a 4-0 shutout victory. Drew Palmisano made 36 saves for the Spartans.

where we go from here
The bulk of MSU's remaining schedule lies in two-game series, as the Spartans will play CCHA sets with Lake Superior, Ohio State, and Alaska on the road and against Miami, Northern MIchigan, and Bowling Green at home. The only other weekend features a Thursday road tilt at Ferris State (Jan. 27) before the showdown with Michigan at Joe Louis Arena on Jan. 29.

FIRST night formalwear
Michigan State has three ties this season, and all have come in the first games of two-game sets. The Spartans tied Maine, 4-4, in the first game of their series with the Black Bears, and tied Alaska (1-1) and Alabama-Huntsville (4-4) in the first games of those series as well.

for starters
The Spartans were undefeated through their first six games for the first time since 1998-99. MSU was 4-0-2 that season, and started 5-0-2 before losing to Ohio State on Nov. 13.

tough sledding
MSU had a tough November, winning just twice in nine outings. One of its seven losses came in overtime, two were one-goal games, and two others were two-goal margins thanks only to a late empty-netter. The Spartans had a 2-3-0 December.

traditionally strong
In 25 of MSU's 28 seasons in the CCHA, it has finished fourth or better. MSU has won six regular-season titles, finished second eight times, third eight times, and fourth three times.

this week's popularity contest ...
Michigan State has been left out of both national polls the last five weeks, after at least receiving votes in each of the first 10 surveys of the season.

survey says ...
The 2010-11 CCHA Pre-Season polls found Michigan State picked fourth by the conference coaches and third by the league's media.
For the third time in four years, the coaches and media disagreed over who should own the No. 1 position in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's annual preseason polls. The conference's 11 head coaches ranked defending playoff champion Michigan first, while 75 media members named defending regular-season champion Miami as the preseason favorite.

roster capsule
The Spartans returned 19 players from a 19-13-5 team in 2009-10 including Second Team All-CCHA selection Drew Palmisano. Seventeen of the 19 returnees were letterwinners a year ago. MSU is quite "middle-classes" heavy - the roster features just two seniors and five freshmen on a roster of 26 student-athletes. The Spartans lost four players to graduation and three would-be seniors to professional hockey in the off-season. Sophomore Derek Grant is the team's top returning scorer (12-18-30), followed by junior Daultan Leveille (6-19-25). Palmisano boasted a 2.44 GAA and .917 save percentage in his first season as a starter.

the mentor
Rick Comley is in his 38th season behind the bench of a college hockey program, and his ninth season at MSU. With 768 victories entering the season, Comley ranks among the top five coaches all-time in wins and top three among active coaches.

gaining ground
Comley owns a 776-607-109 (.559) 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 862 and Jack Parker of Boston University has 849.

season in review
Michigan State finished the 2009-10 CCHA season in second place. MSU's improvement of eight spots in the league standings from the previous season tied the all-time best jump from one year to another in conference history (Ferris State was ninth in the 2002-03 season, then captured the league title a season later.) Michigan State finished in a tie for 10th in 2008-09, but was the 11th seed in the playoffs due to losing the tiebreaker.
A year ago, Michigan State was picked eighth and ninth in the pre-season polls by the media and coaches, respectively. Michigan State was the CCHA team in 2009-10 which finished the most spots ahead of its preseason projection.

they're honored
Three MSU players have received weekly honors from the CCHA this season. Junior defenseman Brock Shelgren was named the CCHA Defenseman of the Week after the Maine series. It was the first CCHA weekly honor in his career. Drew Palmisano earned CCHA Goaltender of the Week honors for his performance in the Alaska series (Oct. 22-23), and Derek Grant was named the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 15 after a five-point weekend against Ohio State.
Torey Krug was named to the All-Tournament team at the Great Lakes Invitational.

they like our d
Sophomore captain Torey Krug was named to the CCHA Preseason All-Conference Team. Krug received the third-most votes of any blueliner in the conference, garnering three first-place votes and 30 points. Junior goaltender Drew Palmisano was an honorable mention selection, garnering 14 points and one first-place vote.
Krug was named to the Inside College Hockey first-half team.

ranking
MSU's nine games prior to the Dec. 30 game against Michigan Tech were against ranked teams, and the Spartans started 2011 with a pair against No. 7/8 Michigan. Overall, MSU is 5-8-2 against ranked opponents, but is 3-1-2 against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. The only loss against a top-10 opponent is MSU's 4-0 loss to the Wolverines in their most recent outing.

non-conference
Rick Comley owns a 42-30-7 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).
MSU's 2010-11 schedule has one independent (Alabama-Huntsville), four games against WCHA competition (Minnesota, Wisconsin, MIchigan Tech, and Colorado College in the GLI) in addition to the two-game set with Hockey East entry Maine.
This year, MSU went 4-2-2 against non-conference teams, with a win and tie each against Maine and UAH. The Spartans' also split Thanksgiving weekend in the College Hockey Showcase, a win at Minnesota and a loss at Wisconsin. MSU's dropped a 5-4 decision to Colorado College in the GLI, but rebounded to down Michigan Tech, 5-3, in the consolation game.
Michigan State was 5-3 against non-conference competition in 2009-10.

still searching
Head coach Rick Comley has used 44 different line combinations this season in search of scoring, compared to 20 at this same point last year. Last season, there were just seven different pairs of defensemen, compared to 10 this season.

four is a magic number
This year, MSU is 5-1-2 when scoring four goals or more, and is 3-9-3 in games scoring three or fewer. MSU is 7-3-1 when allowing three or fewer, and 0-8-2 when giving up four or more.
The GLI semifinal against Colorado College (12/29)was the only time this season that MSU scored four goals or more and lost.

win `em close
27 of MSU's 38 games a year ago were settled by two goals or less, and 12 were one-goal affairs. Of the eight that were two-goal margins or more, four involved an empty-net goal.
MSU was 8-4-0 in one-goal games in 2009-10, and is 5-3-0 in those games this season. Overall in 2010-11, the Spartans have tied three games, had eight one-goal affairs, and three others which had empty-net tallies.

free hockey
Michigan State is now 1-2-3 in over time this season. Friday was MSU's first overtime victory in six chances this season, a 4-3 decision over archrival Michigan. The Spartans' last win in overtime came in December 2009 at Bowling Green - when then-freshman Torey Krug scored the game-winner, his first collegiate tally. Krug had a hat trick in this season's overtime victory.

big games
Michigan State allowed six goals to Notre Dame on Nov. 19, the most since a 7-3 loss to Wisconsin in the College Hockey Showcase last November.
Just a week later, the Spartans scored a season-best five goals in the game at Minnesota, the most since Feb. 26, 2010 when MSU posted a 5-2 victory over Bowling Green. MSU then allowed five goals to Michigan in the Big Chill.
With nine goals in the two games of the Great Lakes Invitational, it was the most goals the Spartans have scored in consecutive games this season. MSU had scored eight in the weekend set with Maine .
MSU had put at least four goals on the board in three straight games before Saturday's (1/8) scoreless performance against Michigan, and 13 scores in that stretch. It is the most prolific three-game stretch since the same three games last year - the GLI and the first game in the second semester. MSU scored 10 (MTU), six (RPI), and four goals (LSSU) in those contests.

big periods
MSU's three-goal opening period against the Gophers tied its season-high for goals in a period, matching the three it put on the board in the first period against Ohio State on Nov. 13.
The Spartans scored twice in the third period in each game of a three-game stretch (12/29-1/7). It accounts for more than a third of MSU's total (16) third-period markers this season.

feast, then famine
The third period has been MSU's lowest-output frame, with just 16 goals in 22 games. MSU's best period has been the first (20 goals)

shooting gallery, part i
MSU has outshot its opponents in just eight of 22 games, including holding its opponents under 20 shots twice. Despite being on the short end of the shot margin in approx. 2/3 of its games, opponents have 648 shots this season, compared to 637 for MSU - a shot discrepancy of just 11 shots overall for MSU.
The Spartans have outshot their opponent in three of the the last five games. MSU's game total of 46 shots against Michigan Tech (12/30) was a season-best. The previous high was 38, set against both Maine (Oct. 14) and Alabama-Huntsville (Oct. 29).

shooting gallery, part ii
Michigan State put 23 shots on the board in the second period against Michigan Tech on Dec. 30 - the highest number for the Spartans in a period this year. In fact, MSU has failed to record 23 shots in a game five times this year - the most recent against Wisconsin (22).

not quite a shooting gallery
The Spartans held Colorado College to just two shots in the third period of the Great Lakes Invitational semifinal, the fewest shots MSU has allowed in a period this season. The Spartans outshot the Tigers 15-2 in the frame, as they mounted a two-goal rally that fell just short, falling 5-4.

someone else's turn for a wall
Michigan Tech netminder Josh Robinson made 41 saves in the GLI consolation game against MSU, the first time an opposing goaltender had made 40+ saves in a game since Northern Michigan's Brian Stewart made 41 on March 16, 2008 - a 3-2 Wildcat win in the third game of the CCHA Quarterfinal series at Munn Ice Arena.

a first ... and second
MSU outshot Michigan, 34-29, in the Big Chill game - yet lost the game, 5-0. It was the first game this season that MSU outshot an opponent and lost. It happened again against Colorado College, where MSU outshot the Tigers 35-23.
The Spartans are 4-2-2 when putting more shots on the board in a contest.

We hadn't had much use for brooms...
MSU has been swept twice this season - at Western Michigan (Nov. 5-6) by 4-3 and 3-1 scores, and Nov. 19-20 at Notre Dame (2-6, 2-4).
MSU had taken at least a point out of every CCHA series last season - one of just three teams to do so. The WMU series was MSU's first point-less weekend since the final regular-season weekend against Notre Dame in February of 2009.

scoreless
MSU has been shut out four times this season - twice each by Ferris State and Michigan. The Spartans had gone two calendar years without being whitewashed at home - the last had been Oct. 16, 2008 - a 3-0 loss to UMass-Lowell.
Both of Ferris State's shutouts came at Munn Ice Arena, while Michigan's shutouts have both come in Ann Arbor - 5-0 at the Big Chill, and 4-0 in their lone matchup at Yost.
MSU's school record for shutouts against is five, which came in the 2008-09 season. MSU has also been shout out four times in a season in 1959-60 (4-18-2 record), and in 2003-04 (23-17-2 mark).

powering up
On the season, MSU's penalty kill is 77-for-97, (.794), and ranks ninth in the CCHA. MSU has allowed seven of its 20 power-play goals against to Michigan in 14 chances in three games, but has killed off 70 of 83 (.843) in its other 19 games combined.
The Spartan power play is 17-for-102 (.167) on the man advantage, good for sixth in the CCHA.

doubling up
MSU has potted two man-advantage tallies in five different games this season.

shorty
The Spartans allowed shorthanded goals to Notre Dame in each of their two games (Nov. 19-20), including Saturday's game-winner with just under two and a half minutes remaining in regulation. The empty-net goal was also a shorthanded marker, giving MSU three shorthanded tallies against in the series. The Spartans allowed just five shorthanded goals all of last season.

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 nine seasons in East Lansing, the Spartans have been a combined 88-81-20 (53.5%), then compiled a 87-45-17 mark in the second half (64.1%).
With MSU's a 14-6-2 first-semester record last year it surpassed the 2007-08 squad for most wins under Comley in the opening semester. That team had the then-best first-half record (12-5-2, 68.4%), and were 13-7-3 in the 2008 portion of the schedule (63%).
Last year appears to be a juxtaposition of seasons past in the Comley regime - MSU jumped out to a 14-6-2 first-half ledger (.681), and its second-semester record was 5-7-4 (.438).

special specials
Eighteen of MSU's 55 goals scored this season have come in special teams situations - 17 on the power play, and one shorthanded. Of the 62 goals the Spartans have allowed, 18 have come with a man advantage and three shorthanded.

league leaders
Despite a struggle for consistent scoring from the Spartans this season, several individuals do rank among the league's scoring leaders this season. Brett Perlini ranks 13th overall in scoring (20 points) and is sixth in goals (12), Derek Grant is 16th in scoring (19 pts) and fifth in assists (16), and Torey Krug is 19th in scoring (18 points), and ranks tops among all defensemen in points. He is also third in the league in power play points (10), and tied for second in power play goals (5).

he's gone national
Torey Krug ranks 10th nationally among defensemen in points per game (0.82), and is tied for second in defenseman goals (8) with Nick Bailen of RPI, behind Justin Schultz of Wisconsin (13).

hot hand
Torey Krug's hat trick on Jan. 7 against Michigan was MSU's first since Corey Tropp's against Bowling Green on Dec. 12, 2009. To his recollection, it is his first hat trick at any level of the game.
A search of the MSU archives shows this as MSU's first hat trick scored by a defenseman in the modern era of college hockey (1950-present).

historical presence
Not only does he have the first hat trick by a defenseman in school history, but Torey Krug's eight goals this season is the most for a Spartan defenseman since Tyler Howells put up 10 in the 2005-06 season. If he gets three more, he will move into a three-way tie for 9th place in a single season in the MSU annals, tied with All-Americans AJ Thelen (2003-04) and Brad Fast (2002-3), with 11 in a season. The school record is held by Steve Beadle, who had 21 goals in 1989-90.

maiden voyages
Freshman Lee Reimer was the first freshman to get on the board this season, his first collegiate point coming on Brett Perlini's second-period goal in the second game of the Maine series.
Two classmates joined him on the season scoresheet in the Alaska series. Jake Chelios had his first career two-point game on Oct. 23 against Alaska, the same night he had his first career point (an assist on Daultan Leveille's tally) and collegiate goal. Greg Wolfe had his first collegiate point in the same game, an assist on Chelios' third period marker.

first time
Kevin Walrod's first-period goal against Michigan Tech was his first collegiate tally, which came in his 35th game as a Spartan. Walrod followed freshman Lee Reimer, who had his first collegiate tally in the semifinals against Colorado College.
Walrod has his first points in back-to-back games, as he assisted on Torey Krug's first-period goal against Michigan (1/7).

crease newbie holds his own
Freshman goalie Will Yanakeff saw his first collegiate action on Nov. 19 at Notre Dame, coming in to play the third period in relief of Drew Palmisano. The rookie stopped 12 of 13 shots in that third peirod. He got the starting nod a night later, and made 19 saves against three goals in a 4-2 loss.
In his first collegiate start on Nov. 20, Yanakeff faced a penalty shot against ND's Ben Ryan just 22 seconds into the game. Yanakeff made a right leg -pad save; it was the first saved penalty shot for MSU since Feb. 2, 2008, when Jeff Lerg stopped Nebraska-Omaha's Bill Bagron in a 4-2 Spartan victory.
Yanakeff earned his first collegiate victory over Michigan Tech in the GLI consolation game with 22 saves. He got a win in his first Munn Arena start on Jan. 7 against Michigan, making 37 saves in an overtime victory.

run ... er ... goal support
Drew Palmisano hasn't received much offensive support in his starts over the last six weeks. In his five starts since Dec. 1, the Spartans have scored just four goals with him in net. Will Yanakeff has watched his teammates score 11 goals in front of him in his two-plus games in that same period.
In Palmisano's four complete games in this stretch, he's averaged 30.5 saves per game. He made 36 stops against Michigan in his last outing (Jan. 8), and has six 30-plus save games this season.

another brick in the wall
Drew Palmisano was credited with 17 first-period saves at Ferris State on Dec. 3, a season best for a single-period effort and two shy of his career record.

doubling up
Brett Perlini's two-goal effort on Dec. 3 against Ferris State was his third of the season and the fourth of his career. He has 12 goals, his first time in double-digits in his career.

pretty goals don't count for more
Freshman centerman Greg Wolfe's scored his first collegiate goal on Nov. 19 at Notre Dame. It was a bit of a fluky score - a shot rang off the glass behind the goal cage and flipped high into the air, was missed by a pair of opposing players trying to swat at it, and it instead fell straight down, caromed off the shaft of Wolfe's stick and beat the goalie five-hole.

making an impression
It took first-year player Jake Chelios three games to get on the scoreboard for the first time, but since breaking the ice (so to speak), he had points in five of his next nine games played.
Chelios had a power-play goal in each of the two games against Ohio State (Nov. 5-6). He is the team's top-scoring first-year player, and he is now fourth on the team in goals with four .
On top of the scoring prowess, Chelios has also been rapidly improving not only while adjusting to college hockey, but also playing a new position. All throughout junior hockey, Chelios had played forward - he had expressed an interest in switching to play defense to start his college career. His father, 26-year NHL veteran Chris Chelios, made the same switch at age 19 as well.

you go to the box, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame
Dustin Gazley has spent the most time in the penalty box for the Spartans this season, with 14 penalties for 36 minutes. Torey Krug is second (12/27), followed by Anthony Hayes (6/23) and Derek Grant (7/22). Gazley, Krug and Brock Shelgren (10/20) are the only players in double-digits for penalties.

block party
Michigan State has blocked 227 shots in 20 games, compared to 278 for its opponents. In the second game against Alaska (Oct. 23), the Nanooks blocked 30 MSU shots.
Sophomore captain Torey Krug has blocked a team-high 35 shots, while Krug's defensive partner Matt Grassi has 17. Blueliners Brock Shelgren (27), Tim Buttery (21) and Jake Chelios (14), and Matt Crandell (11) also register double-digits. Buttery blocked a career-best five shots against Colorado College on Dec. 29.

goalie u
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. Drew Palmisano kept the streak alive with his Second Team All-CCHA honor in 2009-10.