Icers Tangle With Nanooks This Weekend

Brett Perlini had a pair of first-period scores

2/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

Feb. 16, 2011

Michigan State at Alaska
Dates	Friday-Saturday, Feb. 18-19
Game Times	11:05 p.m. EST
Location	Fairbanks, Alaska.. \| Carlson Center (Cap. 4,595; 200x100)
Televison	none
Radio	(F) WJIM 1240 AM \| (S) WVFN 730 AM
Tickets	Ticket Info
Game Notes	Download PDF
Internet Coverage	Alaska Live Video Stream (b2 Network) Live Stats \| Live Audio
Social Media	@MSU_Hockey \| Facebook
Press Conference Video	Head Coach Rick
Press Conference Audio	Rick \| Trevor \| Torey

storyline
The Spartans head to the furthest CCHA outpost to play the second series of the year with Alaska. It is a critical weekend for both squads, as both were swept last weekend and are desperate for points to solidify a favorable playoff position.

media darlings
There will be no television coverage of this weekend's games against Alaska. There is a video feed available for purchase at http://www.b2livetv.com. On the radio, both games will be carried by the Spartan Sports Network. Friday will air on WJIM 1240 AM, and Saturday's tilt on WVFN 730 AM. Both can also be heard on www.spartansportsnetwork.com. Scott Moore and Rob Woodward are in their sixth season together on the call of Spartan hockey.

series history
MSU holds a 38-12-3 record all-time against the Nanooks, which includes a 14-6-2 mark in games played in Fairbanks.

recent history
MSU took four of six points from the Nanooks when the teams met back in October (shootout loss, and a win). MSU's 4-1 victory on Oct. 23 snapped a four-game winless streak against Alaska, dating back to a January 2009 series split at Munn.
The teams played last year in Fairbanks, with Alaska winning the first night (2-0) before MSU salvaged a 1-1 tie (but suffered a shootout loss) in game two.

LAST TIME OUT
MSU lost both games to visiting Northern Michigan last weekend, 4-2 and 6-5.
In Friday's game, the Spartans launched 52 shots on net, their most since November of 2008 against Mercyhurst. On Saturday, MSU took a 4-1 lead early in the second period, but watched the Wildcats rally for a 6-5 victory, netting the game-winner with just over three minutes to play in regulation.

end of an era
Head coach Rick Comley announced his retirement from his position as head coach at Michigan State, effective at the end of the 2010-11 season. Comley, just the third coach in the modern history of the MSU program, made the announcement at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 25.
Highlights of his Michigan State tenure start with the 2007 National Championship, and include the 2006 CCHA Tournament title, and Great Lakes Invitational titles in 2004, 2006, and 2009. He has had 12 former MSU players skate in the National Hockey League, 15 All-CCHA performers, six All-Americans, and three Hobey Baker finalists. In addition, four have earned Academic All-America honors, and three of the five winners of the CCHA's Ilitch Humanitarian Award have played at MSU under Comley.
Overall, Comley has coached 10 Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalists, 15 All-Americans, four league players of the year, 26 first-team all-league selections, and 85 academic all-league selections.
The coach owns a 778-608-110 (.557) career record in 38 seasons and is one of just five coaches to surpass the 700-win plateau. He has recorded a 181-133-39 record in his MSU tenure. Comley ranks among the top five coaches all-time in wins and top three among active coaches.

gaining ground
Comley owns a 780-612-110 (.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 872 and Jack Parker of Boston University has 848.

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

the road out
MSU's remaining schedule lies in two-game series, as the Spartans will play a CCHA set at Alaska on the road and against Bowling Green at home.

a look back
Michigan State finished the month of January with a 4-3-1 record, which is MSU's first month over .500 since October. It is also MSU's best stretch since the 3-0-3 start to the season. Three of the Spartans four victories came over teams in the top three of the CCHA standings - Michigan (twice) and Miami. The Spartans are 1-3-0 in their February series.

improvement, then a step back
The Spartans won back-to-back conference games the first time this season and for the first time since February 2010 with its Jan. 29 win over Michigan and the 2-0 win at Ohio State on Feb. 4. MSU last won back-to-back CCHA contests against Ferris State on Feb. 20, 2010 (3-2) and Bowling Green on Feb. 26, 2010 (5-2).
MSU was swept at home by Northern Michigan (Feb. 11-12), the first time since Nov. 14-15, 2008 against Miami.

streakin
MSU's current three-game losing streak matches its longest of the season, which was set twice previously: when the Spartans dropped a pair of games at Notre Dame (Nov. 19-20) and a game to Ferris State on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, then from Dec. 4-29, when MSU lost games to Ferris (1-0, OT), Michigan in the Big Chill (5-0), and Colorado College (5-4).

balance
Since the holiday break, the Spartans have gotten balanced contributions across its roster. Fifteen different players have scored at least one goal, and three players top out at five tallies. Twenty players have at least one point, with 15 of the players having between two and seven points in this span.

scoring surge
Since the start of the GLI, MSU has scored 40 goals, and scored at least four in six of the 14 games. In this span MSU was shut out against Michigan on Jan. 8 and Miami on Jan. 22. MSU is 7-2-2 when scoring four goals or more this season.

late tallies
In their last 14 games, the Spartans have scored 19 third-period tallies, more than half of the third-period goals it has scored this season (29).

seven = heaven
MSU's seven goals on Jan. 21 against Miami was the most for the Spartans since the 10-1 victory over Michigan Tech in the 2009 Great Lakes Invitational, and the most in a CCHA game since Jan. 4, 2008, an 8-2 decision over Lake Superior. It was the most the RedHawks had allowed since also allowing seven to Boston College in the NCAA semifinals last spring.

nice shootin', tex
MSU's seven goals against Miami on Jan. 21 came on just 22 shots. It was the fewest Spartan shots to reach the net since the Dec. 3 game against Ferris State, a 3-2 victory.

shoot out the lights
MSU put 52 shots on net in its Friday, Feb. 11 game against Northern Michigan. It was the most shots for the Spartans in a single game since Nov. 10, 2007, a 6-2 victory over Mercyhurst.
NMU goalie Jared Coreau made 50 stops in the contest. The last time a Spartan opposing goaltender had 50+ saves was when Michael-Lee Teslak of Michigan Tech made 57 in the Great Lakes Invitational semifinals in 2005.

FIRST night formalwear
Michigan State has four ties this season, and three 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. MSU's other tie came in its last game, at Lake Superior on Jan. 15, a 2-2 deadlock after a 4-0 victory in the first game of the series.

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, and were 4-3-1 in January. The Spartans have dropped three straight to fall to 1-3-0 in February.

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 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.

ranking
MSU's nine games prior to the Dec. 30 game against Michigan Tech were against ranked teams, and the Spartans started 2011 with four of their first six against No. 7/8 Michigan, and No. 11/12 Miami. Overall, MSU is 7-9-2 against ranked opponents, but is 4-1-2 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 on Jan. 8 at Yost Ice Arena.

still searching
Head coach Rick Comley has used 56 different forward line combinations this season in search of finding some consistent scoring.

four is a magic number
This year, MSU is 7-2-2 when scoring four goals or more, and is 5-13-2 in games scoring three or fewer. MSU is 11-4-2 when allowing three or fewer, and 1-10-2 when giving up four or more.
The GLI semifinal against Colorado College (12/29) was the first time this season that MSU scored four goals or more and lost; the second was the Feb. 12 game against Northern Michigan in which the Spartans held a 4-1 lead but lost, 6-5.

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 5-6-0 (with two overtime losses) in those games this season. Overall in 2010-11, the Spartans have tied four games, had 11 one-goal affairs, and six others which were two-goal games with empty-net tallies.

free hockey
Michigan State is 1-2-4 in overtime this season. The Jan. 7 game against Michigan was MSU's first and only overtime victory in seven chances this season, a 4-3 decision. 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
MSU had its largest single-game output in a calendar year with seven goals against Miami (1/21).
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 .
Since the start of the GLI, MSU has scored 33 goals, and scored at least four in five of the 12 games. MSU was shut out against Michigan on Jan. 8 and vs. Miami on Jan. 22.

big periods
The Spartans entered the third period of the Jan. 14 game at Lake Superior in a scoreless tie, but put four goals on the board in the final frame for their largest scoring output in a single period this season. It was the most in a single period for the Spartans since scoring five in the second period against Michigan Tech in the 2009 Great Lakes Invitational.
MSU had three first-period tallies in the Feb. 12 game against Northern Michigan, the most it has had in a single game this season. It was the third time this year it put three on the board in the opening frame this year; the last time was against Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase on Nov. 26

shooting gallery, part i
MSU has outshot its opponents in just 10 of 32 games, including holding its opponents to 20 shots or less twice. Despite being on the short end of the shot margin in more than 2/3 of its games, opponents have 1007 shots this season, compared to 934 for MSU - a shot discrepancy averaging just over two shots per game.
The Spartans allowed a season-high 47 shots to Miami on Jan. 22, and had surrendered 46 the previous night to the Red Hawks. MSU's game total of 52 shots against Northern Michigan on Feb. 11 was its season best. The previous high was 46 shots against Michigan Tech (12/30) in the Great Lakes Invitational.

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 seven times this year - the most recent against Ferris State on Jan. 27 (20).

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.

We hadn't had much use for brooms...
MSU has been swept three times this season. Twice its happened on the road - both in the month of November - 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 was swept at home by Northern Michigan on Feb. 11-12 (2-4, 5-6), the first time since 2008 that a visiting team swept the Spartans on home ice.
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
Overall, eight of MSU's 32 games this season have been shutouts - three for, and a school-record five against. MSU owns two shutouts against Ohio State, and has been shut out twice by both Ferris State and Michigan. MSU also shut out Alaska, and was shut out by Miami.
Two of MSU's three shutouts of an opponent have come on the road - at Lake Superior (4-0) and Ohio State (2-0). Of MSU's five shutouts against, three have come at Munn Ice Arena (twice by Ferris State, Miami) and the other two in Ann Arbor - one each at Yost, and MIchigan Stadium.

powering up
On the season, MSU's penalty kill is 102-for-130, (.785), and ranks 11th in the CCHA. MSU has allowed seven of its 28 power-play goals against to Michigan in 16 chances in four games, but has killed off 97 of 114 (.850) in its other 26 games combined.
The Spartan power play is 24-for-148 (.162) on the man advantage, good for seventh in the CCHA.

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

shorty
MSU has allowed five shorthanded goals this season, and scored two. MSU both scored and allowed a shorthanded goal in the OSU series - Derek Grant's empty-netter in the 2-0 win on Friday, and CJ Severyn's second-period goal in a 4-2 OSU victory.
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.

special specials
Twenty-six of MSU's 82 goals scored this season have come in special teams situations - 24 on the power play, and two shorthanded. Of the 93 goals the Spartans have allowed, 28 have come with a man advantage and five shorthanded.

they're honored
Four MSU players have received weekly honors from the CCHA this season.The most recent is freshman netminder Will Yanakeff, who was the CCHA Goalie of the Week on Jan. 17 after the Lake Superior series.
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.

conference leaders
Brett Perlini and Derek Grant are tied for 13th in the CCHA overall in scoring (27 points). Perlini is tied for fifth in the conference in goals (16), while Grant's 22 assists has him sixth in the league in that category.

offensive defenseman
Sophomore blueliner Torey Krug is making a case to be strongly considered for CCHA Offensive Defenseman honors and All-CCHA accolades. In league games only - the statistics on which the CCHA voting is conducted - Krug is the league's top-scoring defenseman with 9-8-17, and ranks 21st in scoring overall, 11th in goals, fifth in power play goals (5) and 10th in power-play points.
He is tied for 18th overall in the CCHA in scoring (24 points), tied for 21st in goals (10), and 24th in assists. He is also fifth in power-play points and fourth in power-play goals (6g, 6a, 12 pts) and is the top-scoring defenseman in the CCHA overall.
Nationally, he is 14th in defenseman scoring (0.75 points per game), and is one of only two defenseman in the country to reach double-digit goals. His 10 is behind Wisconsin rearguard Justin Schultz, who has a 15-26-41 scoring line.

throw your hats
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.

historical presence
Torey Krug's two goals against Northern Michigan on Feb. 11 gives him 10 on the season, the most goals for a defenseman since Tyler Howells had 10 in 2006-07. Howells also played a fair amount at forward that season.
If he gets one more, he will move into a three-way tie for 9th place in a defenseman goals 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.

HOT HANDS

Dustin Gazley scored in the third period of the most recent game against Ohio State. His 10 goals has surpassed his career best in a single season (9), set last year as a junior.
Dean Chelios has six points in the last 10 games (3-3-6)after four points in his first 20 contests. His three-game point scoring streak matches his career best, set as a freshman.
Anthony Hayes and Matt Grassi each had their second multiple-point games of the season on Feb. 12 against Northern Michigan. For Hayes, it was the third time in his career. Grassi's two assissts was his second career multi-point effort; the first was Jan. 7 against Michigan.
Jake Chelios and Torey Krug each had two-goal games in the NMU series. Krug's came on Friday, snapping a five-game streak without a point. Chelios' was the first two-goal game of his career.
Since holiday break, Krug has a 5-4-9 scoring line (fourth on the team), is a +5 (second among his teammates) and has 21 blocked shots.
Drew Palmisano made 39 saves in the Feb. 12 game vs. Northern Michigan. In his five starts since Jan. 1, Palmisano has averaged 37.4 saves per game, including a pair of 40+-save games against Miami. Palmisano also had an assist on Anthony Hayes' second-period tally agaisnt NMU last Saturday. It was the third helper in his career.

celebration of a century
Junior Matt Crandell is the second member of the junior class to hit the 100-career game mark this season, et against Ohio State. Classmate Daultan Leveille did it at Lake Superior State on Jan. 15. Brock Shelgren, with 93 career games, is the next likely member of the 100-game plateau.

big winners
MSU's last three game-winning goals have been the player's first tally of the season: Chris Forfar against Miami (1/21), Joey Shean (Michigan, 1/29), and Tim Buttery against OSU (2/4).

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.
The "firsts" continued at Lake Superior State, when he earned his first back-to-back starts. Friday's 24-save performance was his first career shutout, and Saturday's tie was his first collegiate shootout.

offensive defenseman?
Brock Shelgren scored his fourth goal of the season in the first period of the Jan. 15 game at Lake Superior. He had just one goal in the first two seasons of his college career. His six points this season ties his single-season best, set as a freshman with a 1-5-6 line.

long time coming
Joey Shean's goal on Jan. 29, the game-winner against Michigan, was his first goal since Feb. 14, 2009 against Ohio State - the goals came nearly two calendar years apart.
Tim Buttery's second-period goal on Feb. 4 vs. Ohio State - also the game-winner - was his first since Oct. 16, 2009 at Maine.
Anthony Hayes netted his first goal of the season on Feb. 12 vs. Northern Michigan.

he's usually good for one
Daultan Leveille was held without a point in the Northern Michgian series, the first time he has not had at least one point in a conference weekend this season.

block party
MSU has blocked 366 shots in 32 games, compared to 420 for its opponents. In the second game against Alaska (Oct. 23), the Nanooks blocked 30 MSU shots, and Lake Superior blocked 31 in the 2-2 tie on Jan. 15.
Sophomore captain Torey Krug has blocked a team-high 52 shots, while Krug's defensive partner Matt Grassi has 36. Blueliners Brock Shelgren (46), Tim Buttery (30) Jake Chelios (23), and Matt Crandell (19) also register double-digits. Sophomore Chris Forfar leads the forwards (20).
Buttery blocked a career-best five shots against Colorado College on Dec. 29, Shelgren had his career-best (5) against LSSU on Jan. 14, and Grassi turned in his career and a season team-best seven against the Lakers on Jan. 15.

giving back
Michigan State junior alternate captain Trevor Nill was among a record 25 players nominated for the 2011 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award; this week, he learned that he is one of seven finalists for the 2011 award. The other finalists are Brooks Dyroff, Boston College; Alex Higgins, St. Michaels College ; Aleca Hughes, Yale University ; Sam Kuzyk, Adrian College; Tucker Mullin, St. Anselm College; Whitney Pappas, Robert Morris University; and Brigid O'Gorman, Connecticut College.
The award is scheduled to be presented on Friday, April 8 at the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

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.

this week's big news
Anson Carter, an All-America and Hobey Baker finalist who went on to an 11-year career in the NHL, will be honored by the hockey program with its 2011 Distinguished Spartan Award. He wil receive the award at the program's annual banquet on Tuesday, March 1.