Nebraska-Omaha 4 Michigan State 3

Michigan State tied Nebraska-Omaha 3-3, but lost in the shootout 2-1. Mike Merrifield, Chris Forfar, and Nick Sucharski had the Spartan goals. Drew Palmisano took the loss after a shut-out the previous night.
Overall, a pretty good weekend for Michigan State hockey. They took four points from a very good UNO hockey team, including a dominating 3-0 victory on Thursday night. Friday's game proved to be a little bit of a letdown because we could have gotten the win. It was just disappointing not to come out with a win after the way we played on Thursday, which seemed to be the mood in the locker room. Michigan State is still looking good at second place in the CCHA, but have to two tough tests in the coming weeks against Michigan and Notre Dame. Penalties hurt us again on Friday night, so limiting them will be important especially in the heated Michigan State-Michigan rivalry. On a side note, Derek Grant was named National Rookie of the Month for his play in October. Check back soon for a quick scouting report on Michigan and some other insight into the rivalry.

Michigan State 3 Nebraska-Omaha 0

Michigan State defeated the #10 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks 3-0 in a Thursday night match-up. Drew Palmisano made 31 saves in the shutout victory for the Spartans. Derek Grant, Anthony Hayes, and Corey Tropp scored the goals for MSU. Michigan State has moved to 4-1-0 in the CCHA and 7-2-0 overall.

The Spartans started their tough road stretch with a very good win over a team that outscored them 10-2 last year in Omaha. There are a few important things that I think will be key for the Spartans in the next few weeks. First of all, special teams must continue to be a strength for MSU. Their penalty kill was 4-4 last night and they scored a power-play goal. The Spartans have done well on the power-play without an actual unit. The lines have remained intact on the power-play and line match-ups are sought to give us the biggest advantage to score. Secondly, Daultan Leveille is a talented scorer, but he has only one goal this season. Look for him to light the lamp a few times in the next few weeks. He plays on a great line with Gazley and Rowe, and he has great speed and stickhandling ability. Finally, can the Spartans stay out of the penalty box late in games? They did well with that last night, but the last few games before that they have taken some costly ones. With these three things in mind, we'll see how Michigan State plays tonight against UNO, next weekend versus Michigan, and then the Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame the following week.

Grant: CCHA Rookie of the Month

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that forward Derek Grant of Michigan State has been named the CCHA Rookie of the Month for October... Full Release

Derek Grant has been a significant contributor to the Spartans all season. Coach Comley was saying very good things about him before the season, and he has exceeded expectations in my opinion. Michigan State needed a freshman to come right in and score, which is exactly what Grant has done thus far. Grant is on one of the top lines in the country with Tropp and Sucharski. He will be counted on as the season progresses not only to score, but add a physical presence to the game. He should be in the running for the top freshman in the conference. I see nothing but good things in his future this season and in his hockey career. Congratulations to Derek Grant on winning CCHA rookie of the month.

Scouting the Mavericks

Michigan State will host Nebraska-Omaha in a Thursday-Friday set this weekend. The Mavericks are coming off of a disputed shoot-out loss to Bowling Green and a 3-1 victory over the Falcons. UNO has a record of 4-1-1 on the season. On October 10th, they beat a very good UMass Lowell team at home 4-3. The Mavs are led by senior defenseman Eddie DelGrosso,who was named the CCHA's Defensemen of the week for his play against BGSU. Rich Purslow leads the team in goals (5) and points (8). John Faulkner is the starting goaltender and he has compiled a record of 3-1-1. Currently, the Mavs sit at #10 in the USCHO rankings. Michigan State has another tough conference test upcoming in Nebraska-Omaha.

USCHO Rankings

Michigan State moved up three places to #17 in the USCHO rankings. Their opponent this weekend, Nebraska-Omaha moved up to #10. Other CCHA teams are Miami (#1), Michigan (#4), Notre Dame (#9), and Alaska (#13).

Complete Rankings

Michigan State 5 Western Michigan 3

On a Halloween night, Western Michigan was looking for treats at Lawson Arena, but Michigan State only gave them tricks with a 5-3 victory (Thanks to Coach Woodward for the opening to my post). Dean Chelios and Anthony Hayes both had their first collegiate goals in the game. Michigan State looked stronger throughout the game than they had the previous night in East Lansing. It was another close game though and the Spartans had to kill a penalty for the last four minutes of the game after Krug was whistled for checking from behind and Walrod was already in the box for boarding. The Broncos scored one goal to make it 4-3, but Gazley sealed the win with an empty-netter.

The Spartans needed to play better on the road and they did just that. The sweep of Western Michigan puts them into a tie for first place with Miami in the CCHA. Michigan State battled hard all game and were rewarded for their efforts. They received some offensive contributions from two fourth liners and Bobby Jarosz was able to get another win. Coach Comley will continue to hammer out the point that we can't take penalties late in games. I thought Krug's was a penalty, but should not have been a 5 and game. The young Spartans are still learning and I expect to see the team make progress throughout the season. We have Nebraska-Omaha coming to town this week and then a home and home with Michigan the following week. Check back later in the week for a quick scouting report on UNO.
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Michigan State 2 Western Michigan 1

In this game, a tenth of a second made all the difference in a 2-1 Michigan State victory over Western Michigan. The Broncos' goal at the end of the game was disallowed because the time had run out on the clock. The Spartans started off the game well and put pressure on WMU goaltender, Riley Gill. Chris Forfar scored a nice goal off a Jeff Petry pass in the first and Dustin Gazley netted a power play goal in the second. In my opinion, Michigan State played the worst third period that they have all season. With around five minutes to play, the Broncos scored a power play goal and were within a second of tying the game at the end. Palmisano made some great saves in the third period to come away with the win for the Spartans.

It was a win and three points for Michigan State, but it sure wasn't the kind of hockey that the Spartans have been playing. They couldn't seem to sustain momentum after getting the two-goal lead in the second period. It hurt that Matt Grassi received a five minute penalty and a game misconduct, which brought them down to five defensemen. MSU was luckily to escape with a win in regulation. They need to avoid the penalties late in the game, which have been costly as of late. On a positive note, the Spartans have won some close games and beat a previously undefeated team in Western Michigan.
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Scouting the Broncos

Michigan State will face-off against the Western Michigan Broncos on Friday and Saturday night. The Friday night game will be played in East Lansing at 7:05 p.m. and the Saturday night game is a 7:35 p.m. start in Kalamazoo. Friday night's game will be televised on Comcast.

Western Michigan is 4-0 on the season with two of their wins coming against Mercyhurst and two against Alabama-Huntsville. They are off to a good start for a team that is predicted to finish 11th in the CCHA's coaches poll. Trevor Elias, former teammate of Derek Grant, is the Broncos top freshman, who has tallied a point in each game this season. J.J. Crew scored four goals and recorded two assists in their first weekend against Mercyhurst, so the Spartans better keep an eye on him. WMU's Riley Gill is the starting goaltender, and he has three of the four wins this season. Both teams come into the weekend with a lot of confidence with WMU's undefeated start and Michigan State beating the top-ranked team in the country. I suspect it will be two games filled with energy and physical play. I give the edge to the Spartans, who are a more talented team. A sweep and six points is a great possibility this weekend. I'm anxious to see how we play at Lawson Arena, which has always been a tough place to play for MSU.

Early Spartan Hockey Memories

I will be making my first trip to Western Michigan for a hockey game since Jan. 31, 1997. I was seven years old at the time and I still have the Broncos puck that was tossed to me during a promotion event at the end of the period. The game ended in a 3-2 overtime victory for Western Michigan on a disputed face-off in our zone. A bench-clearing brawl ensued afterwards and its a game that I will never forget. If anyone would like to share their Spartan hockey memories on the blog, email me at spartanhockeyblog@gmail.com. I will post a few responses. Also, check back soon for the scouting report on the Broncos.

Game Promotions

Check out the Official Michigan State hockey site for upcoming events and promotions.

Corey Tropp- CCHA Offensive Player of the Week

Corey Tropp had a goal and two assists this weekend to be named the CCHA offensive player of the week. This was his first time receiving the weekly award this season. Tropp's 12 points leads the country. Also, he is atop the CCHA in goals (6), assists (6), power play goals (4), and points (12). Tropp has led the Spartans into the rankings, where they sit at #20 in the USCHO.com poll.

Michigan State 3 Miami 2

Andrew Rowe scored an overtime goal to push the Spartans past the RedHawks in the Saturday night game 3-2. Michigan State led 2-0 through two periods, but Miami came back with two goals in the third. Corey Tropp and Derek Grant scored the Spartan goals. Drew Palmisano saved 35 shots in the win.

Wow, what a great win for the Spartans! They go on the road to the #1 ranked team in the country and play two tough games. They split the series and feel pretty good about their start in the CCHA . I was cautiously optimistic after the first two weekends because I thought the competition wasn't the greatest, but the Miami series shows that the Spartans have, at the very least, significantly improved from last season. I'm not expecting championships this season, but I just want to see competitive games against the top teams in the conference. Hopefully this weekend is a preview of what's to come this season. The line of Sucharski, Grant, and Tropp has carried the load offensively, thus far. MSU scored three power play goals against one of the nation's best penalty killers. Both goalies played solid games and we were able to win a close game on the road. I'm not trying to overemphasize these games, but it's a step in the right direction for Michigan State hockey.

Miami 2 Michigan State 1

Michigan State fell to Miami 2-1 on Friday night in Oxford. They played the RedHawks tough all game, but just couldn't come out on top. Miami's Tommy Wingels scored with 2 minutes left in the game to put the RedHawks ahead. Derek Grant had the lone goal for the Spartans. Bobby Jarosz made his first career road start and finished with 24 saves.

The Spartans showed they are an improved team by hanging tough with the #1 ranked team in the country. It's a hard game to lose when you let up a goal so late in the game, but there were many positives from the game. We stepped up our play from the first four games and showed that we are a force to be reckoned with in the CCHA. Grant continues to impress with all the points he has tallied in the first few games. Bobby Jarosz played a nice game on the road as well.

Friday and Saturday Night- Miami Series

The Michigan State Spartans will take on the Miami RedHawks on Friday Night at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday night at 8:05 p.m. Both games will be on the radio (Fri. 1240 AM, Sat. 730 AM) or at msuspartans.com. The Saturday night game will be televised on Comcast, which is ch. 900 in the Lansing area. There will also be a live game tracker at msuspartans.com.

Scouting the RedHawks

Michigan State will travel this weekend to Oxford, Ohio to take on the #1 ranked Miami RedHawks. Miami is coming off a win and a tie at New Hampshire. They opened the season with a sweep of St. Cloud St. and their overall record is 3-0-1. Sophomore Matt Tomassoni was the CCHA's defensive player of the week for his play against New Hampshire. He and Carter Camper scored two goals in the series. Curtis McKenzie, Jarod Palmer, and Tommy Wingels had four points each. Palmer leads the team in points with six (2 goals, 4 assists). Camper is on the Hobey Baker list and his three goals leads the team. Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard have alternated in goal with the Friday-Saturday rotation.

Michigan State will have its hands full this weekend. This is without a doubt the toughest team they will have played so far and may end up being the toughest team they will face all season. The young team did have the chance to play in a hostile environment last weekend, so they know what it feels like. Palmisano will have to be real sharp in net and the Spartans must score early to keep the crowd out of the game. Miami has only allowed one power play goal this season, so we'll see how that matches up with a very good Spartan power play. I think that a split would be huge for Michigan State, but we'll take any points we can get against the #1 ranked team in hockey.

Maine 5 Michigan State 3

Maine came away with a 5-3 hard-fought win over Michigan State. The teams were tied 3-3 with 1:39 left in the game before Gustav Nyquist scored a power play goal. An empty-net goal sealed it and gave Maine their first win. Corey Tropp, Mike Merrifield, and Andrew Rowe scored for the Spartans. Drew Palmisano made 20 saves in the loss.

The Spartans are 3-1 heading into Oxford next weekend to play the number one ranked Miami RedHawks. In the CCHA, Michigan State leads in scoring, as well as, Corey Tropp in individual scoring. Penalties really hurt the Spartans on Saturday night with three straight penalties late in the game, which led to a Maine goal. We will need to both improve our penalty killing and take less "avoidable" penalties. A split seems reasonable this weekend with a young team on the road, but it always hurts to lose a close one.
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Michigan State 5 Maine 3

Michigan State beat Maine by a score of 5-3 for their first road win of the season. Corey Tropp recorded a hat trick for the Spartans and Grant had two assists. In the first period, Maine scored an early goal on the power play, but the Spartans responded. They answered another Black Bear goal later in the period with a power play goal of their own. The Spartans never trailed from that point on. They added two more goals in the second period and Maine netted one. Jeff Petry's third period goal sealed the 5-3 win.

The Spartans have shown that they can respond when they get down early in the game. This was a great win, especially on the road. If Tropp keeps up this early offensive production, Michigan State will win a lot of games. I see a team that has put last year in the past and has come out firing on all cylinders.
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Live Blog

Nathan Fournier from the Maine Hockey Journal will have a live blog for Friday night's game. Tune into the radio broadcast from msuspartans.com and follow the live blog from Maine.

Scouting the Black Bears

The Michigan State Spartan hockey team travels to Maine to take on the Black Bears in a two game set. Michigan State is coming off two wins against Clarkson and Maine dropped their first couple to Union. Maine is a member of the Hockey East conference. Last season, they had an overall record of 13-22-4 and a conference record of 7-17-3. The Black Bears are predicted to finish eighth of ten teams in Hockey East. They have six of their top eight scorers coming back this season. Sophomore Gustav Nyquist led the way for Maine with 13 goals and 19 assists a year ago. Senior goalie Dave Wilson started the first two games in losses to Union, so they may resort to playing sophomore Scott Darling (10-14-3, 2.76 GAA in 08-09). Spencer Abbott has three assists on the season to lead the team in points. Maine has nine new freshman on campus just like the Spartans. Freshman Adam Shemansky scored two goals in the Union series.

Michigan State is coming off a very successful first weekend. They have a lot of confidence heading into the Maine series. It will be a test for this young team on the road. I think that getting at least three points this weekend would be great and we couldn't be too unhappy with a split. It's important that we keep up the offensive production this weekend, especially against a team that doesn't look to be that solid in net. The Spartans need the upperclassmen to step up this weekend just like they did against Clarkson. Games are at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night.

Rookie of the Week

The CCHA named Michigan State's Derek Grant the Rookie of the Week for the first week of the season. This award was well deserved as Grant had a goal and an assist in each game for the Spartans in their two victories over Clarkson. Its a great accomplishment for the freshman and the Spartans expect that kind of play out of Grant to continue all season long.
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