Neil's Notebook: Jacobs Ready for Outdoor Debut
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
CHICAGO - Josh Jacobs has never played in an outdoor hockey game.
That will change this weekend in a 61,500-seat stadium with the skyline of Chicago lit over the top of the stadium up to the north and west.
The Michigan State freshman will make his outdoor debut in a pretty special setting: Soldier Field in downtown Chicago.
"I think it'll be a great atmosphere. This is pretty exciting,'' said Jacobs, a 6-foot-1, 191-pound defenseman from Shelby Township, just east of Rochester.
Jacobs and his Spartan teammates will take on No. 14 Michigan in a Big Ten matchup at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the second game of the Coyote City Classic at Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears. In the first game, Miami plays Western Michigan in a National Collegiate Hockey Conference game.
"I've played pond hockey outside with friends at home, but never a real game outside,'' Jacobs said. "This will be my first experience. Growing up, we always played in an area, but going outside on the pond was a great experience.
"We had a little pond across the street and we'd take a net out there, get some sticks and pucks and get after it.''
Jacobs said it's been about four years since he last played outside.
"There were times playing travel hockey or AAA hockey that we'd get some free time and we'd go out on Christmas Eve morning and spend about an hour-and-a-half playing,'' he said.
"I think (playing in Chicago) be one of the most exciting games (I've played in). We're playing against Michigan - probably the best college hockey rivalry there is and has been for so long.''
MSU (10-11-2 overall, 4-3-2-2 Big Ten) and Michigan (15-8, 7-2) are meeting for the second time in the last nine days and third of the season.
Last Friday, the Spartans edged the Wolverines 2-1 in front of more than 20,000 fans at Joe Louis Arena to even the season series at 1-1. U-M edged MSU 2-1 in the Great Lakes Invitational title game on Dec. 29, also at Joe Louis Arena.
"We know they'll come out hungry so we have to play even better,'' Jacobs said. "Defense is the most important part of our game. A good defense creates offense. I think our defense and forwards did a great job communicating down low.''
Jacobs came to MSU with the reputation as a top-level recruit, after two seasons with the Indiana Ice of the U.S. Hockey League. He's shown steady improvement as a rookie defenseman getting used to the faster pace of the college game and competing against older and stronger players.
"He's growing a lot in his confidence, and yet he's a freshman and there are mistakes that he's going to make,'' MSU coach Tom Anastos said. "When you help him correct an error, it's not very often he repeats it. We want to make sure we give our (young) players the latitude to try things and get out of their comfort zone to a certain extent.''
Jacobs, who celebrates his 19th birthday on Sunday, was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round (41st overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He and junior Travis Walsh have developed into a top defensive pairing for the Spartans.
"We're asking a lot of Josh. He's playing significant minutes, he's playing against the top lines on top teams, and his game continues to grow,'' Anastos said. "He and Walshie have built a bit of chemistry and personality-wise, it's working. That helps his confidence and he gives Walshie some confidence.''
Jacobs has no goals and five assists, 39 shots on goal and 16 penalty minutes in 23 games. He's plays on the power play and a key role in penalty killing with Walsh.
"Given the amount of responsibility given to him, and it's a lot, I like how his game his growing,'' Anastos said. "He comes with championship expectations. He won a USHL championship last year with Indy, coming off a year in which his team struggled.
"He won a Michigan state championship when he played for Honey Baked, and he's played in multiple national tournaments.''
Jacobs said the aspect of his game that's improved the most is his basic defensive game - defending 1-on-1s and defensive zone coverage.
"It's hard coming in as a freshman with a lot of older guys and bigger bodies around you,'' Jacobs said. "I think my defensive game has improved and kept up, and I want to transfer my game over to the offensive side and create opportunities for our forwards.
"It helps going up against our guys in practice, guys like Mackenzie (MacEachern) and other guys with that pro-type mentality, and going up against those guys at Michigan and Minnesota. It keeps me learning and getting better. `'
STAYING FOCUSED ON THE GAME: Coach Tom Anastos wants his players to enjoy the City Hockey Classic game at Soldier Field as an event, but he's emphasizing that the most important aspect of Saturday's contest is the three points on the line in the Big Ten standings.
"The magnitude of playing in this kind of event in that city can be a distraction but we're focusing our attention on the game. It's an important three points against our rival,'' Anastos said.
"We'll have time on Friday to experience the rink and all those things, we'll skate again Saturday morning, and by the time the drops Saturday night, you hope the only thing that matters is the game.
"I want guys to enjoy the experience but the reason we're going there isn't just to play outside, it's to play an important game worth three points, that happens to be outside.''
After the Spartans outlasted Michigan 2-1 in a tight game last Friday in Detroit, Anastos expects the Wolverines to be highly motivated to come away with a more favorable outcome on Saturday.
"I would expect their team to be hungry. Michigan had a tough loss and they've had a whole week to sit. So we have to come out hungry. There's huge importance in those three points. It's a big advantage in the Big Ten Tournament to finish in the top two spots.''
In the six-team conference tournament in March, the first and second place teams earn first-round byes. They just have to win two games to win the Big Ten title and automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The No 3-6 teams have to win three games in three days to claim the title and advance to the NCAAs.
"We can feel good about winning last weekend but we have to take what we learned from that game and refocus our attention, knowing that it'll be tougher to win the second game (against Michigan),'' Anastos said.
BIG TEN RACE: Michigan State and Michigan on Saturday will both reach the halfway point in Big Ten play with their 10th game in the conference.
The Wolverines, with 21 points, are in first place, five ahead of Penn State and MSU, who are tied with 16. The Nittany Lions, who host Wisconsin this weekend, have played one fewer game than U-M and MSU.
Minnesota, with 12 points, is four points behind the Spartans and Nittany Lions. The Gophers, who play at Ohio State this weekend, have one game in hand on MSU and Michigan.
Ohio State is in fifth place with six points and Wisconsin is sixth with four points, all coming on two shootout victories against the Gophers. The Badgers (0-6-2) are still in search of their first Big Ten victory.
OUTDOOR ISSUES: Michigan State and Michigan played two outdoor games last season in the GLI at Comerica Park in Detroit and will use what they learned in dealing with another outdoor game.
"There are different things that we're prepared for, just like we were last year,'' MSU coach Tom Anastos said. "For our first game last year, the ice conditions weren't very good. There were some areas of the ice that were concerning.
"But the issues were more related to the sun (beating on the ice during the morning and afternoon) than the ice.
"You have to keep your game simplistic, whether there's wind or blowing snow. You just have to deal with whatever comes up.''
Anastos said he would not want to play an outdoor game every year but would like for each player that comes into the program to have a chance to experience a game at great outdoor venue during their four years at MSU.
"What made this game attractive was the city - it's Chicago, a good hockey city and it's in an iconic (stadium),'' he said. "Michigan State has a huge alumni base in the Chicagoland area. So, I thought the dynamics made it pretty unique. I know our guys love to play in these games.''
IT ALL STARTED AT MSU: No matter how many outdoor games are played, Michigan State can always say it all started with the Spartan athletic department undertaking a major project and risk to host a game at Spartan Stadium in 2001.
On Oct. 6, 2001, Michigan State and Michigan played to a 3-3 tie in front of 75,554 fans, setting the stage for the NHL to get in on the act and schedule several outdoor games over the last 13 years.
About four-and-a-half years after the first outdoor game at MSU, Wisconsin hosted Ohio State at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and drew a crowd of 40,890 to watch the Badgers edge the Buckeyes 4-2.
There have been 27 outdoor hockey games involving NCAA Division I men's programs. The last 25 have come in the last five years, with Fenway Park in Boston hosting 10 games - one in 2010, four in 2012 and five in 2014.
Chicago's Soldier Field is hosting its third and fourth games involving college teams as Miami and Western Michigan meet in Saturday's Hockey City Classic opener.
On Feb. 17, 2013, Notre Dame defeated Miami 2-1 and Wisconsin edged Minnesota 3-2, at Soldier Field, witnessed by a crowd of 52,051.
Michigan has played in the most college outdoor games with six.
After the game at Spartan Stadium, the Wolverines played Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., in 2010, with the Badgers winning 3-2 with a crowd of 55,031 looking on.
Michigan then hosted Michigan State in the Big Chill at the Big House at Michigan Stadium, defeating the Spartans, 5-0, and drawing a crowd of 113,411, the largest ever to watch a college hockey game, topping the record set by MSU.
The Wolverines' next outdoor experience was in Cleveland in 2012, hosted by Ohio State at Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. U-M topped the Buckeyes, 4-1, in front of 25,864.
Michigan's fifth and sixth outdoor games were in Detroit last December in the GLI at Comerica Park, with the Wolverines losing to Western Michigan, 3-2 in overtime, and to MSU, 3-0.
Wisconsin's 3-0 record is the best in outdoor games. Michigan State is 1-1-2 and Michigan is 2-3-1.
Other sites for outdoor games involving Division I teams include: Rentschler Field, East Harford, Conn. (2011); Ameritrade Park, Omaha, Neb. (2013); Frontier Field, Rochester, N.Y. (2013); TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis (2014) and; Fifth Third Field, Toledo (2014).
SPARTAN-WOLVERINE POTPOURRI: The MSU-Michigan game Saturday in Chicago is only the second time the two schools have played against each other outside the state of Michigan. The only other time was in the Big Ten Tournament in Madison, Wis. on Dec. 28, 1968, a contest won by the Wolverines 8-2. ... The Spartans and Wolverines would have played each other in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals in Denver in 2008 if MSU had defeated Notre Dame in the NCAA West Regional final in Colorado Springs two weeks earlier. The Wolverines had won their regional and advanced to the Denver Frozen Four but the Irish upset MSU, 3-1, and then went on upend Michigan in the Frozen Four, 5-4, before losing to Boston College 4-1 in the title game.
In 1,077 combined meetings between MSU and Michigan in hockey, men's and women's basketball and softball, just 12 games have taken place outside the state of Michigan. The breakdown: Hockey, 1 of 301; football, 0 of 107; men's basketball, 1 of 175; women's basketball, 4 of 81; softball, 5 of 111; baseball, 1 of 302.
Michigan State and Michigan have been at the same Frozen Four twice but each lost in the first round, both times in Albany, N.Y. In 1992, the Spartans lost to eventual champion Lake Superior, while the Wolverines fell to Wisconsin. In 2001, North Dakota eliminated MSU, while eventual champ Boston College did the same to U-M.
Through 23 games last season, Michigan State's record stood at 8-12-3 overall and 2-4-2 in the Big Ten. The Spartans have already won four conference games with 11 remaining. Last season, MSU won only five, going 5-9-6-4. After 23 games in 2013-14, Michigan was 14-6-3 and 6-2-1 in the Big Ten.
