Michigan Wins Big Chill

The Spartans were a part of a record crowd at Michigan Stadium for the event dubbed "The Big Chill." The outcome was not favorable for MSU. The Wolverines won the game 5-0 and secured 3 points in the CCHA. The Spartans battled all game, but just couldn't get very many quality scoring opportunities. They did have a goal waived off in the second period that appeared to go in before the net was off. This would have made the game 2-1 at that point and maybe it would have been a closer outcome if the goal would have counted.
The Spartans will have some time off for the holidays and then will be right back into it with the GLI. They will need to come out firing with a tough schedule looming and not very many home games. Michigan State will possibly see Michigan in the finals of the GLI and then have a home and home series with them on January 7th and 8th. They head to Lake Superior the following weekend and then host Miami the weekend after that.

Scouting the Wolverines

Michigan State has played well defensively the last two games. They will need to get the offense going against a tough Michigan team. The Wolverines are 10-5-4 on the season and split a pair of games with Ohio State last weekend. They lost a heartbreaker in overtime on Friday night. They are currently ranked #12 in both major polls. The Spartans did well last season against Michigan in the regular season, but were ousted by them in the CCHA playoffs. Louie Caprousso and Carl Hagelin lead the team in points with 16. The Big Chill will set a world record and should be an exciting hockey game. I wouldn't be surprised to see a tie game like what happened in 2001.

Big Chill

Spartans Prepare for Big Chill

MSU Hockey Weekly

MSU beats Minnesota, Loses to Wisconsin

The Spartans knew it would be another tough weekend of hockey. They started out in Minnesota on Friday and really took it to them to end their losing skid. MSU won 5-2 for their first win over the Gophers in 10 yrs. This is a Minnesota team that had swept their last two opponents and would go on to beat Michigan 3-1. Friday night's victory was much needed for the Spartans to get a little confidence going into some tough games ahead. They may have run out of gas after a three game week and MSU fell to Wisconsin 4-1. Zach Golembiewski recorded the lone goal, which is a good reward for his improved play as of late. A win on the road at Minnesota is always tough to come by, so that is best thing to take away from the weekend. The Spartans need to start playing every night like they did Friday night and the winning will take care of itself.

Report on Gophers, Badgers

Minnesota is 7-4-1 on the season and Wisconsin is 6-6-2. Minnesota just came off a sweep of Michigan Tech, while the Badgers have lost their last 4 games to North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth. The Golden Gophers' Jay Barriball leads the team in goals (9) and points (15). Erik Haula leads the team with 12 assists. Wisconsin's Mark Zengerle leads the team in assists (16) and points (19). Jordy Murray is the team leader with 10 goals.

Spartans Swept by Irish, Lose to Ferris St.

Michigan State has hit a rough patch in their season after getting swept in their second time on the road. Notre Dame is one of the top teams in the CCHA, but MSU could never get anything going on Friday night. They battled back and played hard on Saturday, but came up short of the win. Notre Dame scored a short-handed goal with 2:33 to play in regulation to take the lead 3-2 and eventually won 4-2 on an empty netter. The Spartans played a fairly good game against Ferris State, but were unable to solve the goaltending of Pat Nagle. Drew Palmisano made some big saves in the 3-0 loss on Tuesday.

I would say that Michigan State just needs to stay persistent during the next couple of weeks. It's much better to struggle early in the season than towards the end. They need to stay aggressive and the puck will start bouncing their way. This is not the same team that finished second last year because they lost two big scoring threats and their top defenseman. It needs to be a collective team effort to get back on track and start winning more games. The college hockey showcase will be an extremely tough test for the Spartans. They would do well to win one of the tough road games this weekend. Both are top programs and Wisconsin made it to the national championship game last year.

Scouting the Irish

Notre Dame is 7-3-1 on the season and ranked number 11 in the polls. They split with Michigan last weekend in Ann Arbor. They are 5-2-1 in the CCHA. Ryan Guentzel leads the team in points with 14 (1 goal, 13 assists). Anders Lee leads the team in goals with 8. This team has a lot of young talent and are playing well together thus far. The Spartans take on Notre Dame at 7:35 pm on Friday night and 5:05 pm Saturday.

Split with Ohio State

Michigan State played good hockey through five periods this past weekend. Their poor play in the third period of Friday night's game resulted in an overtime loss. They were ahead by two goals most of the game, but the Buckeyes were able to storm back and take the win. Saturday was a different story. Michigan State took it to the Buckeyes by getting ahead early and keeping the commanding lead. Drew Palmisano was able to get his first shutout of the season in the 4-0 victory. Grant, Merrifield, and Jake Chelios scored Friday night. Perlini (2), Krug, and Jake Chelios had the goals on Saturday night. Derek Grant recorded three assists, while Krug, Leveille, and Perlini had two point nights.

Overall, it was a fairly good weekend of hockey. Michigan State is disappointed that they could not get the sweep, but to come firing back on Saturday after a tough loss shows a lot of character. They have a tough series in Notre Dame coming up.

CCHA Offensive Player of the Week

Michigan State sophomore forward Derek Grant (Abbotsford, British Columbia) has earned CCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors, as announced by the conference office on Monday morning. This is the winger's first weekly honor of the season, and is the third in five weeks of playing season for the Spartans. Full Article

Scouting the Buckeyes

Michigan State opens a home series with Ohio State tonight and the series concludes on Saturday night. The Buckeyes are 4-5 on the season. They beat Alabama-Huntsville both games last weekend. OSU was swept on the road at Northern Michigan and split with Ferris State on the road, as well. Sergio Somma leads the team in goals (6) and is tied with John Albert in points (10). Cal Heeter is the only goalie to play in all nine games.

State Swept at Western

The undefeated streak for the Spartans was ended at the hands of the Western Michigan Broncos. MSU lost a pair of close games on their first road trip of the season. It has to be disappointing for the players and coaches, but sometimes a team needs a tough weekend to get back on track. They got off to a fast start on Friday, but they were not able to hold the two goal lead. I was not able to see Saturday's game, but I would assume that we just did not play within their system and sometimes the puck just doesn't bounce your way. Brett Perlini has continued to stay on fire with two goals on Friday and two goals were waived off on Saturday... Michigan State will look to right the ship next weekend at home against Ohio State.

Scouting the Broncos

The Spartans will make their first road trip this weekend to Western Michigan. Both games start at 7:35 pm on Friday and Saturday and Friday's game will be shown on Comcast 900. The Spartans come into the game ranked #12 in the country with a record of 3-0-3. Western Michigan is 4-2-2. They opened the conference slate last weekend against Notre Dame and were beaten the first night, and recorded a shootout loss the second night. Max Campbell leads the team with six points and Greg Squires is second with five. Campbell also leads the team in goals with three. Nick Pisellini is the starting goaltender with a 4-1-1 record and a 1.80 GAA. The Broncos are always a tough team to play on the road at Lawson arena. Michigan State is in for two very tough tests. It will be up to Drew Palmisano to make some big saves early in the games to not allow Western to gain momentum.

Spartans Tie, Beat UAH

The Spartans should be a little disappointed that they let a late lead slip away on Friday night, but they rebounded on Saturday to get the win and remain unbeaten. MSU was up 4 to 1 late in the third period, but UAH came charging back and scored their fourth in the final minute to tie up the game. The overtime session did not see much scoring chances and there are no shootouts played in non-conference games. On Saturday night the Spartans had to kill off almost a 4 min penalty to secure the win. It was a tough, emotional game and they were able to persevere.

Daultan Leveille and Brett Perlini scored their third goals of the season on Friday night. Perlini added his fourth the next game. The big story is all the goals scored by defensemen this season. Jake Chelios got one goal on Friday and Grassi netted one Saturday. So far it is Perlini and Leveille leading the way offensively, but look for Derek Grant to get back in the mix like he did last season. The consensus is that the Spartans have to cut back on the penalties and turnovers if they want to continue to stay undefeated.

Palmisano Gets CCHA Honor

Drew Palmisano earned CCHA Goaltender of the Week honors for his performance in the Alaska series, as announced by the CCHA office on Monday, Oct. 25. Palmisano earns the honor for the second time in his career and the first time this season... Full Article

Spartans Keep Rolling

Michigan State tied and beat #9 Alaska Fairbanks this weekend. MSU only allowed one 5 on 5 goal all weekend. They are unbeaten against two top ten teams this season and have 4 points already in the CCHA. It was important for State to get off on the right foot to start CCHA play. Drew Palmisano had a great weekend in goal and our special teams was particularly good. I would say that Friday was kind of a sloppy game by both teams, but we were able to fight back and get the tie. The Spartans fell in a shootout on Friday night with a controversial call disallowing Dean Chelios' goal.The Spartans will have it a little easier this weekend against Alabama-Huntsville, but we can't take a tourney team from last year lightly. MSU is currently ranked #11/#14. They are playing as good if not better than any team in the CCHA.

Scouting the Nanooks

#16 Michigan State will take on a tough #9 Alaska team this weekend in their first CCHA series. Alaska already has two wins against ranked opponents by beating Union and Colorado College. The games should be more physical than in the Maine series. Alaska has a lot of size and experience this year. They are led in points by senior forward Kevin Petovello and junior defenseman Joe Sova with 4 points apiece. Junior Scott Greenham is the starting goaltender and has a 1.75 GAA.

Shelgren- CCHA Defenseman of the Week

Michigan State junior defenseman Brock Shelgren (Chicago, Ill. ) has been named the CCHA Defenseman of the Week, announced by the League office on Monday, Oct. 18. It is the first CCHA weekly honor in his career... Full Article

Spartans Take 3 Points from Maine

Michigan State came back from a two-goal deficit twice on Thursday night to get a tie in their first regular season game. On Friday night, MSU scored a goal in the first and second period to take a 2-0 lead. In the third period, a five on three power play for Maine cost the Spartans two goals in 10 seconds, but Dustin Gazley's goal with around 7 min remaining proved to be the game-winner. Gazley, Leveille, Perlini, and Merrifield scored for the Spartans on Thursday. Friday's goals were by Gazley, Perlini, and Shelgren. Trevor Nill had great passes to assist on the Merrifield and Shelgren goals.

Overall, the Spartans must be happy with the weekend result. They showed a tremendous amount of fortitude to fight back from a two goal deficit on Thursday night and they kept working hard in the third period after Maine took all of the momentum on Friday night. Michigan State showed that they will be a solid team like last season. There are still some questions defensively, but the seven goals in the series shows that there is plenty of offensive firepower. Perlini continues to look like he did during the second half of last year. The line of Grant-Leveille-Gazley is very speedy and I expect them to stay together. The power play was pretty good all weekend. The penalty kill was shaky on Thursday, but good on Friday. Hayes and Forfar look like the go-to guys on the kill. Palmisano had a solid weekend. I'm sure he would have liked to play better on Thursday, but he made some crucial saves the next night. It was very important for MSU to start their season off on the right foot and that is just what they did.

Scouting the Black Bears

The Spartans will host the Maine Black Bears this weekend to open the regular season. Maine is ranked #6/8 in the country so this weekend will be a big test. The Black Bears defeated UMASS Lowell 8-2 and tied UConn 3-3. Maine is led by Gustav Nyquist, who led the country in scoring last year and Joey Diamon, who leads the team in scoring this year. Maine has seven newcomers and the core of their lineup back from last year. Shawn Sirman will likely be in net this weekend. The Black Bears were projected to finish second in a tough Hockey East conference. Michigan State and Maine split last year's series in Orono.

Western Ontario 5 Michigan State 3

First of all, it was not a very well played hockey game by Michigan State. The good news is that this game does not count towards their overall record and it should motivate the Spartans knowing full well that they will face a big test this weekend in Maine. They cannot afford to turn the puck over and make such costly mistakes. Western Ontario was a team that did beat Lake St. and played tough against Michigan, but MSU would have liked to play much better. There were many bright spots in the game, though. The Spartans were getting some quality scoring opportunities on their way to outshooting Western Ontario 2:1. Daultan Leveille had two tremendous goals, using his speed to his advantage. The line of Leveille-Grant-Gazley looks like a solid first line, but Coach may decide to change the lines up for this weekend. There will be some forward positions up for grabs this week during practice. There looks to be 7 guys competing for 6 defensive positions, so it will depend on how quickly Grassi comes back from injury. I was most impressed with the first power play line of Grant, Wolfe, and Chelios. Wolfe and Chelios are hard workers down low and they looked to set up Grant or the D men.

For a full press release and stats from the game, please visit msuspartans.com.

Game vs. Western Ontario

The Spartans will host Western Ontario in an exhibition game on Friday at 7 pm. Michigan State was victorious in last year's game between the two teams. I'm looking forward to seeing how the new freshman will fit into the system and who will emerge as the top scoring threat. The Spartans have some big shoes to fill in Petry's departure from the blue line and both Tropp and Rowe's offense. I think Jake Chelios, Greg Wolfe, and Lee Reimer will get significant playing time as freshman. Chelios will likely battle to fit in as the 6th defenseman. I assume the D pairing of Grassi and Josepher will stay together, but I have no idea how the rest of the pairs will turn out. This should be a breakout year for Daultan Leveille and Derek Grant should have another good scoring campaign. The lines will likely be mixed and matched for the first couple of weeks, but expect to see the combo of Hayes-Forfar-Walrod as one of the top lines on Friday. Palmisano is one of the best goaltenders in the conference and has a very capable backup in Yanakeff.

Green Wins 3 to 1

The Green team beat White 3-1 in the intrasquad scrimmage today. Grant, Gazley, and Boyd scored for the Green. Dean Chelios had the lone goal for the White.

Preseason CCHA polls

The 2010-11 CCHA Pre-Season poll was announced on Wednesday, Sept. 29, and Michigan State was picked fourth by the conference coaches and third by the league's media... Full Article

I think a third or fourth place finish in the CCHA would be solid for the Spartans, especially after the early departures of Petry, Tropp, and Rowe. I think the Spartans will battle to gain the top spot, but Miami and Michigan will just be too strong to overcome. Michigan State surprised many with their second place finish last year, so anything can happen. Here are my rankings:
1. Michigan
2. Miami
3. Michigan State
4. Notre Dame
5. Alaska
6. Ferris State
7. Northern Michigan
8. Ohio State
9. Western Michigan
10. Lake Superior
11. Bowling Green

Krug All-CCHA

Michigan State sophomore captain Torey Krug has been named to the CCHA Preseason All-Conference Team, as announced today by the CCHA office... Full Article

Green and White Game

Michigan State will put on its annual Green and White scrimmage on Sunday, October 3rd. Tickets are $4 for adults, $2 for students and children under 5 are free. Come out and see the 2010-11 Spartans for the first time this year. They open their season with an exhibition against Western Ontario on Friday, October 8th.

Hockey Dormstorm

“HOCKEY DORMSTORM”
Michigan State Hockey Team Hits the Dorms
Tuesday, September 28, 2010

5:00pm – 5:20pm
LANDON and SHAW

5:25 – 5:45pm
BRODY and The GALLERY

5:50 – 6:10pm
WONDERS and HOLMES

6:15 – 6:35pm
CASE and AKERS

6:40 – 7:00pm
HOLDEN and HUBBARD

Here’s your chance to meet the Spartan Varsity Hockey Team, get autographs, and pictures taken with the players as well as receive other giveaways!!

*2010 RUSH SHIRTS WILL ALSO BE GIVEN AWAY WHILE SUPPLIES LASTS*

Season Outlook

This year, I would like to get more opinions from our followers on the team as the season progresses. Let's start with the season outlook. How will the team do this season? Do they have a chance to win the CCHA or make the NCAA tournament? What freshman will step up and make a difference this year? What will the line combinations look like? Who will the MVP be?

Tickets

Tickets for the 2010-11 Michigan State Spartans are on sale now at www.msuspartans.com. Single game and season packages are available. Students can become a member of Slapshots, which gives them a season package for a discounted price and automatically guarantees tickets for the biggest games of the year, including rival Michigan. Also, Slapshots members receive a free T-shirt to wear at the games. Support the Spartans and buy tickets today!

MSU Athletics Makes Major Donation to Sparrow Foundation

On Thursday, Sept. 16, former hockey student-athletes and current Detroit Red Wings Justin Abdelkader and Drew Miller were on hand with a handful of current MSU athletes to present a check for more than $22,000 to the Sparrow Hospital Foundation on behalf of MSU Athletics... Article

MSU Hockey on Facebook

Check out the Michigan State Hockey facebook page. Become a fan today!

Spartan Captains for 2010-11

Michigan State hockey coach Rick Comley has announced that sophomore Torey Krug will captain the Spartans in the upcoming season, with senior Dustin Gazley and junior Trevor Nill serving as alternate captains. Krug is only the second player in Michigan State history to wear a captain's "C" on his sweater as a sophomore... Full Article

Schedule Announced

The Michigan State hockey program announced its 2010-11 schedule on Wednesday, and the Spartans will play up to 16 games against teams which qualified for the 2010 NCAA Tournament in addition to an outdoor game at Michigan Stadium. MSU opens its upcoming season on Oct. 8, and will play nine of its first 13 games in the friendly confines of Munn Ice Arena... Full Article

The Summer in Spartan Hockey

Corey Tropp, Andrew Rowe, and Jeff Petry all decided to forgo their senior seasons for the NHL. We wish them the best of luck and we will miss their presence in the lineup this year.

Former Spartan Ryan Miller was awarded the Vezina trophy as the top goaltender and another former Spartan Duncan Keith was the Norris trophy recipient for being the top defenseman. He helped lead the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Championship.

Former Spartan icer Adam Nightingale took over for Damon Whitten as the Director of Operations. Nightingale played two seasons for Michigan State from ('03-'05).

Brett Perlini was taken in the seventh round of the NHL draft by the Anaheim Ducks.

Skate with the Pros was a success for the second year as current professional hockey players took part in a skate and autograph session to raise money to fight children's cancer.

Chelios to Play for Spartans

Jake Chelios will join the Spartans in the fall of 2010. He is the younger brother of current Spartan Dean Chelios and is the son of Chris Chelios. Jake played one season for the Chicago Steel and racked up 12 goals and 22 assists. Chelios will possibly play defense like his dad did, and will provide Michigan State with some speed and depth as a freshman.

Rowe Goes Pro, Kennedy Named to Team USA

Andrew Rowe signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Flyers and will forgo his senior season. He joins teammate Jeff Petry (Edmonton Oilers), who also signed a professional contract. There is speculation that Corey Tropp will go pro as well. The Spartans will lose a great amount of offensive production if both Tropp and Rowe are gone, and they have already lost their best defenseman.

Tim Kennedy was selected to play with Team USA during the World Championships. The games are played in Germany from May 7-23. He is the second former Spartan from the Buffalo Sabres to play for the Red, White, and Blue this year. Ryan Miller was the starting goaltender of the USA Olympic silver medalists.

College to the NHL

Here's an interesting article emailed to me the other day about college hockey players that have made it in the pros. Ryan Miller and Tim Kennedy are mentioned in the article. Link

Also, the NHL playoffs have been very exciting. Unfortunately, Miller and Kennedy's Sabres were knocked out tonight. Drew Miller and Justin Abdelkader will look to help the Wings win their series tomorrow night and Duncan Keith scored two goals in the Blackhawks' 5-3 win tonight.

Spartans Sign Wolfe

Greg Wolfe of Canton, MI became the newest addition to the 2010-2011 Spartans when he recently signed his letter of intent to play at MSU. Coach Comley looks to him as a first or second liner for next year. He plays for the Omaha Lancers in the USHL, which is the former team of goalie Drew Palmisano.
Article

Sucharski in Skills Competition

Senior Nick Sucharski was in the skills competition at the Frozen Four in Detroit on Friday. He became the third Spartan to participate and the fifth Spartan selected. Spartan Coach Tom Newton was one of the West Team coaches.

Petry to Oilers

Jeff Petry signed with the Edmonton Oilers and has played several games with their farm team in Springfield. Article

He was also named to the Reebok All-American second team. Article

Petry and Tropp

The speculation has begun as to whether Jeff Petry and Corey Tropp will stay for another season in the Green and White. Andrew Rowe has already been quoted as saying that he's definitely here for his senior year. In a State News article, I read that Coach Comley believes that Petry will sign and it was unsure about Tropp. I respect their decisions to fulfill NHL dreams, but I think that both would benefit from another year in college and hopefully they could end their careers at a Frozen Four next year. I think one of the two will probably leave early, but I do not see the Spartans losing both for next season.

Michigan 5 Michigan State 3

Michigan got off to another fast start by scoring the first two goals of the game. Michigan State came roaring back with two goals by Andrew Rowe and one by Nick Sucharski. Rowe made an incredible move on the defenseman and then scored a wrap-around to tie the game up. Sucharski helped MSU take the lead with .7 sec left on the clock in the first period. That was all the goals that Michigan State could muster. Michigan scored early in the second and finished the game with an empty-netter for a 5-3 win. Drew Palmisano had a tough weekend, but he did not get much help from the Spartans defensively. We turned the puck over way too much to give ourselves a chance to win the series. Bobby Jarosz came into the game after Michigan's two goals to spark the team and made 33 strong saves. Corey Tropp was hurt in warm-ups and did not play in the game. I thought that Derek Grant stepped up his physical play in both games and Rowe played well too especially in the 2nd game. Also, Kevin Walrod filled in nicely for Tropp and he was really making an effort to play the body. It was a disappointing end to the season, but the Spartans should be proud of what they have done with a 2nd place finish in the CCHA after a disastrous season a year ago.

Michigan 5 Michigan State 1

The Spartans lost to Michigan in a tough fashion. They were very much out-played and the score was indicative of the game. Derek Grant scored the lone goal for Michigan State.

Spartans Receive CCHA Recognition

Corey Tropp, Jeff Petry, and Drew Palmisano were all named to the CCHA All-Conference Second Team. Andrew Rowe and Torey Krug were among the others receiving votes. In addition, Torey Krug was named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team and Derek Grant was an honorable mention.

Spartan Hockey Awards

Last night, the Michigan State hockey team had its annual awards banquet. The awards are as follows:
MVP- Corey Tropp
Outstanding Offensive Player- Corey Tropp
Outstanding Defensive Player- Jeff Petry
Most Improved- Brett Perlini
Rookie Award: Derek Grant and Torey Krug
Outstanding Senior Award- Nick Sucharski
Top-scholar Senior Award- Nick Sucharski
Amo Bessone Award- Trevor Nill
Goofus Award- Jay Sprague
Spartan Fitness- Brock Shelgren

Miller Named MVP, Canada Wins Gold

Ryan Miller was named the Most Valuable Player of the Olympic Hockey tournament. Miller was by far the top goaltender in the tournament and led his United States team to the gold medal game. Many hockey analysts are calling him the best goalie in the world and he proved it during the Olympics. Miller and the rest of the Americans really represented the country well and showed the strength of US hockey. Also, former Spartan Duncan Keith won a gold medal as a member of the Canadian team. He is a strong NHL player for the Blackhawks and had a great tournament as one of the top D men for Team Canada. Congratulations to Ryan Miller and Duncan Keith for their outstanding play in the Olympics!

Bowling Green 2 Michigan State 2 F/OT; BGSU wins shootout 1-0

Michigan State played a tough game on Bowling Green's Senior Night, but ultimately fell in a shootout. Andrew Rowe and Chris Forfar had the Spartan goals and Drew Palmisano made 32 saves in goal. Despite the loss, the Spartans finished second in the conference because Ferris State also lost a shootout. MSU will host the second round of the CCHA playoffs on March 12-14.

Michigan State 5 Bowling Green 2

The Spartans won a 5-2 contest against Bowling Green on Senior Night. Seniors, Jay Sprague and Nick Sucharski each had goals and Bobby Jarosz made 5 saves after entering the game halfway through the third period. Michigan State moved into second place with the win and the Ferris State tie. Josepher, Perlini, and Leville had goals and Tropp recorded two assists. It was a great way to send the seniors out and MSU clinched a first round bye in the CCHA playoffs.

2010 Winter Olympics

Last night, Ryan Miller's Team USA upset the heavily favored Canadians 5-3. Miller made 42 saves for the Americans, who were out-shot almost 2-1. Ryan Miller was the main reason USA won with his stellar play in net. The game pitted two former Spartans against each other with Duncan Keith playing for Team Canada. USA will play the winner of Switzerland and Belarus on Wednesday after getting a bye into the quarterfinals with an undefeated group play mark. Canada will face Germany on Tuesday and a win would advance them to Wednesday's quarterfinal game with Russia.

Trevor Nill Article

Anyone that hasn't seen this article on the MSU website should read it. Brittany McCormick of the Athletic Communications department writes about the great things Trevor Nill does in the community as well as having a tough mechanical engineering major and being an outstanding player on the MSU hockey team. Many of our players have been great leaders in the community with their roles in the Shoot-for-a-Cure and Spartan Buddies programs for example. I commend Trevor for not only balancing a tough school schedule with hockey, but also doing so much to help others in our community. Full Article

Michigan State 3 Ferris State 2

Michigan State badly needed a win against Ferris State on Saturday night after a tough loss to them the night before. The Spartans played a much more solid game and were able to come out with a big win. They came out faster to start the game in a sold-out Munn Ice Arena. Rowe scored the first goal of the game for MSU, but Ferris State answered with a goal of their own later in the period on the power play. In his first game of the season coming off injury, Jay Sprague scored to put the Spartans ahead 2-1. Ferris tied the game up with a short-handed goal with about three min to go in the second period. Dustin Gazley scored the game-winner in the third period. Palmisano made 25 saves in the victory.

The Spartans have been mixing and matching lines lately to find the right combinations going for forward. Jay Sprague added a physical presence in his first game and scored a big goal. The first lines of Grant-Sucharski-Tropp and Rowe-Leveille-Gazley will probably stay in tact, but it will be interesting to see who will play in the other two lines. The remaining forwards will be put in the lineup based on match-ups and how they are playing. The D pairs have been set for most of the year and there shouldn't be any changes. Michigan Stat can clinch a first round bye in the CCHA playoffs with a single point against Bowling Green next weekend or a Michigan loss or tie against Notre Dame.

Ferris State 4 Michigan State 1

Michigan State struggled on Friday night in Big Rapids in a crucial game in the season. The two teams were tied at zeroes after one, but FSU rattled off three goals in the second period to take a commanding lead. Derek Grant was able to tip a Torey Krug shot in the third to get the Spartans on the scoreboard. Michigan State got off to a slow start and they were completely outplayed by the Bulldogs. Drew Palmisano made 25 saves in the loss, facing some tough scoring opportunities by Ferris State. This was a game for the Spartans to forget, but to also remember that they cannot afford to start out a game like that again the rest of the season. The Spartans committed way too turnovers and did not play physical enough.

Scouting the Bulldogs

Michigan State will face Ferris State in a home and home series this weekend. The two teams are tied for second in the CCHA with 43 points. The Spartans are ranked #12 and the Bulldogs are ranked #14. FSU is 12-8-4-3 in the conference and 18-10-4 overall. Senior forward Blair Riley leads the team in goals and points. He has a 17-15-32 line on the season. Defenseman Zach Redmond leads the team with 18 assists. Pat Nagle and Taylor Nelson have split time in net. This series could very well determine both a second place finish and potentially an NCAA berth.

Season Awards

Michigan State has only four games remaining in the regular season. I want to know what people think about who should win the team awards. I have come up with my MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. I will release them once I get some opinions from my readers. There have been quite a few individual accomplishments this year with weekly and monthly CCHA awards. Three of our players are on the Hobey Baker voting list! Although, it has really been a team effort this year and hopefully we can close out the regular season strong with these last four games.

CCHA Standings

Michigan State is tied for second place in the CCHA standings with Ferris State. Miami clinched the CCHA championship with a win over BGSU on Friday night. The Spartans take on the Bulldogs in a home and home series on Friday and Saturday night. This series will most likely determine who gets second place in the conference because both teams finish out their season with the last place teams in the conference. Nebraska-Omaha sits in fourth place two points back, but they only have two games remaining and Northern Michigan has the fifth spot four points back. Go to CCHA.com for the full standings.

Michigan State 1 Alaska 1 F/OT; MSU wins shootout 2-1

Michigan State won their second straight shootout after tying Alaska 1-1 in regulation and in a five min. overtime session. Jeff Petry scored the lone goal for the Spartans. Corey Tropp was credited with the assist. He and Andrew Rowe scored the two shootout goals. Rowe has become a go-to-guy in the shootout and it seems that Tropp, Rowe, and Chelios are the three shootout players now. Drew Palmisano got his first shootout victory and made 28 saves. The Spartans 12-7-5-2 in the CCHA and 17-10-5 overall. They hold a slim 3 point lead on Ferris State, who will play two games this weekend as MSU has a bye. The following weekend will be a battle for second place with a few teams lurking closely behind.

Alaska 2 Michigan State 0

The Spartans were shutout for the first time this year. After a scoreless first period, the Nanooks rattled the only two goals in the second period. Bobby Jarosz made 22 saves in the loss. MSU was only able to get 16 shots on goal. After a seventeen-hour travel day on Wednesday, the Spartans were obviously still sluggish. More than half of the guys had never made this trip before, so it was a whole new experience for them. I'm not making excuses, but this could be one of the reasons that Michigan State played poorly in the Friday night game.

Krug- CCHA Rookie of the Month

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that defenseman Torey Krug of Michigan State has been named the CCM CCHA Rookie of the Month for January. This is the second time he has earned the award this season... continue

Articles

Great article about Matt Grassi and Zach Josepher from State News' writer Alex DiFilippo. Click here to read the article.

David Goricki from the Detroit News writes about the Spartan captain, Jeff Petry. Read here.

Scouting the Nanooks

Michigan State plays two games up in Alaska this weekend. The Nanooks are 10-9-7 overall and 7-9-6 in the conference. They are tied with Michigan for sixth place in the CCHA. Alaska lost and tied with a shootout loss last weekend at Marquette. They are win-less in their last seven games. Their last win came against Nebraska-Omaha on January 8th. Andy Taranto leads the team with 25 points on 9 goals and 16 assists. Dion Knelsen leads the team with 12 goals. The Nanook goaltender Scott Greenham has started all 26 games this year, so the Spartans will undoubtedly see him in net this weekend. The Spartans can put everything they have into these games knowing that they have next weekend off to recuperate before facing the Ferris Bulldogs in a home and home series.

Krug- CCHA Rookie of the Week

Torey Krug was named the CCHA Rookie of the Week. He had three assists in the split with Michigan this weekend. Krug has 3 goals and 13 assists on the season, which makes him the highest scoring freshman defenseman. He has a chance to be named CCHA Rookie of the Year.

Outdoor Game

The University of Michigan and Michigan State University have announced a second outdoor ice hockey game to be played between the two storied programs. The teams will face off in "The Big Chill at the Big House" at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010. Faceoff is slated for 3 p.m... continue

Michigan 5 Michigan State 4

The Spartans couldn't complete the season sweep of the Wolverines on Saturday night. They allowed two late third period goals after coming back from a three goal deficit in the first period. Rowe, Petry, Perlini, and Chelios each had goals and Krug dished out two assists. Drew Palmisano made 30 saves in the loss. MSU showed great resiliency by coming back from a 3-0 deficit after the first period. It is a tough loss to handle against a team like Michigan, but we have lost the same kinda tough games this year and came back fine the next game. It will be a long trip for the guys this weekend up to Alaska. Fairbanks has a pretty good team this year, so the Spartans must forget about the loss and play the way they are capable of.

Michigan State 3 Michigan 2

The Spartans beat the Wolverines for the third straight time this season. Michigan State got off to an early 3-0 lead before a few Michigan State penalties allowed Michigan to pick up two third period goals. Both teams played really good hockey and there was a lot of flow in the first two periods. The third period saw some scrums after the whistle which is to be expected in a heated rivalry. It's very impressive how this team has really turned it around against Michigan after losing all their regular season games to them last year.

Corey Tropp had two goals to become the nation's second leading goal-scorer and lead the country in game-winning goals. Andrew Rowe had the other goal on a nice pass from Dustin Gazley. Drew Palmisano stopped 22 shots in the victory.

Update on the Wolverines

Michigan State will play against Michigan in a home game Friday night and a game at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday night. Michigan State swept the first series against the Wolverines this year. Michigan is in seventh place in the CCHA with a 9-8-1-0 record and are 14-11-1 overall. The Wolverines have played better as of late with a split against Ferris State last weekend. The weekend before that they beat Alaska the first night and lost in a shootout the second night. So far this year, Michigan has underachieved, but they are still not a team to take lightly. They beat both Wisconsin and Minnesota during the College Hockey Showcase, which were two teams that the Spartans lost to. I think that home advantage will help on Friday night, but Saturday night will be really tough because they always play well against us at Joe Louis.

Ohio State 4 Michigan State 2

Ohio State scored with 1:07 left to go in the game and later scored an empty-netter to clinch the victory. Drew Palmisano stood on his head in the game, making 43 saves in his best save performance of the season. He made some incredible saves and kept the Spartans in the game. I recall one time where he had lost his stick in the first period and was making save after save. MSU was out-shot by 28. We played well at times, but we took too many penalties and let me control the play in our zone. Nick Sucharski had the first goal on the power play and Dustin Gazley scored the second one. Michigan State will have to learn from this game and head into two games with an improved Michigan team next weekend. A split was not terrible against Ohio State, but it's always hard to lose it in that fashion. We have a young, resilient team, who will forget about their last game and have a renewed sense of focus.

Michigan State 5 Ohio State 2

The Spartans got a much needed win after going 0-2-1 in their last three contests. Ohio State hung close with Michigan State, but the Spartans were able to pull away at the end. Derek Grant and Nick Sucharski each had a goal and an assist. Trevor Nill netted an insurance goal to go up 4-2 and pretty much seal the deal. Torey Krug and Zach Golembiewski had the other two tallies. Drew Palmisano looked sharp in net recording 31 saves.

Scouting the Buckeyes

The Spartans will face the Ohio State Buckeyes this weekend in two home games. Ohio State comes into the series tied for eighth place in the CCHA with a 7-8-1-1 conference mark and a 9-12-1 overall record. They beat the US Under 18 team in their last game and their best win came against now ranked #1 Denver. Zac Dalpe leads the team with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists). Michigan State will look to get a much needed sweep in this series before facing Michigan the following weekend. Every series is tough in the CCHA, so the Spartans must keep up their 5 on 5 play and strengthen their special teams from here on out.

Michigan State 4 Notre Dame 4 F/OT; MSU wins shootout 1-0

Michigan State won their first shootout of the season with Andrew Rowe's goal and three saves by Bobby Jarosz. Jarosz also made 28 saves in regulation. Corey Tropp recorded three assists. Nick Sucharski, Daultan Leveille, Brett Perlini, and Derek Grant had the goals. The Spartans took a 3-0 lead, but Notre Dame stormed back with 4 unanswered goals. Grant saved the day with a goal in the last couple minutes of the third period.

Michigan State played two periods of great hockey yesterday. They struggled in the third period, but showed a tremendous amount of resiliency. It would have been a very tough loss for the Spartans, especially after surrendering leads in back-to-back nights. They should have some confidence going into the home series against Ohio State. MSU finally got the monkey over their back by winning their first shootout. It was a much better feeling on this Saturday night getting two points than it was the prior Saturday night after the shootout loss.

Notre Dame 5 Michigan State 2

The Spartans lost to the Fighting Irish in a tough road game. MSU was up 2-0 in the second period, but Notre Dame chipped away and eventually took the lead for good. Freshman Dean Chelios and sophomore Brett Perlini scored the two Spartan goals, while Trevor Nill had the two primary assists. Drew Palmisano made 34 saves in the loss.

Update on Notre Dame

Michigan State will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a home and home series this weekend. The Irish are currently 9-10-5 overall on the season and tied for seventh in the CCHA with a record of 5-7-4-2. They were swept by Ferris State last weekend. ND's Billy Maday leads the way with 7 goals and 12 assist for 19 points on the season. In their previous meetings this season, the Spartans lost in a shootout at home and were defeated in Ft. Wayne by the score of 4-1. MSU looks to get their first win against Notre Dame this season in what should be a highly contested series.

NCAA Rankings

The Michigan State Spartan hockey team has moved up in the rankings with their win and tie over Lake Superior State. They are currently #6 in the USA Today Poll and #7 in the USCHO rankings. They previously held the ninth spots in both polls. The Spartans trail #2 Miami and #6/7 Ferris State in the CCHA by one point.

LSSU 3 Michigan State 3 F/OT; LSSU wins shootout 2-1

Michigan State and Lake Superior State played a tough, physical game. They tied 3-3 in regulation after Michigan State tied the score twice in the third period. The Spartans had their best chances to win the game on a delayed penalty call towards the end of the third. Mahoney-Wilson made some incredible saves for the Lakers. Michigan State lost its third shootout of the season, so they are now 0-3 in shootouts. Dean Chelios was the first shooter and scored the lone goal. The Spartans specifically practice shootout situations, but they have still struggled. The reason may be that there has not been one standout shooter this season. Last year's team could always count on Kurt Kivisto for a shootout goal. I think some guys maybe try to think too much and deke the goalie rather than just shoot it right past him. They still got a point in the CCHA for the tie and the shootout lost does not count nationally. Gazley, Krug, and Rowe had the goals in regulation. Daultan Leveille tallied two assists. MSU would have liked a sweep this weekend, but a win and a tie will suffice. Torey Krug is starting to become a more offensive player, which bodes well for our offense the rest of the way.

Michigan State 4 LSSU 2

Michigan State beat Lake Superior State 4-2 in the opening game of the series. It was their fifth straight win and they now lead the country with 15 victories. Andrew Rowe scored two of the Spartan goals and Nick Sucharski and Derek Grant had the other two. Drew Palmisano made 31 saves in the win.

The Spartans battled hard all game and came away with a win over a team that had not lost in their last eight games. They did not allow a goal on the dangerous LSSU power play, which was key. Michigan State had easy victories in their last four games, so this close game was a good test. MSU played very average, but still beat a good hockey team.

Tropp, Krug Earn CCHA Awards

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that Corey Tropp of Michigan State has been 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... (continue)

Scouting the Lakers

Michigan State will host Lake Superior State this weekend in two games. Friday's game will take place at 7:35 p.m. and Saturday's game is at 5:05 p.m. Michigan State comes into the game at #9 in both national polls, while the Lakers are unranked. LSSU is 12-7-3 overall and 7-6-1 in the conference. They swept Robert Morris in their last two games and they have won their last six. Lake St. swept a good Northern Michigan team that the Spartans split with. Rick Schofield and Zac MacVoy lead the team with 19 points apiece. Mahoney-Wilson is their goaltender with a 2.58 GAA. The Spartans can expect a tough series with a team that is 6-3-1 in road games.

Michigan State 8 US-18 2

Michigan State won 8-2 in an exhibition contest with the US NTPD U-18 team. Leveille scored two goals and recorded an assist to lead the team. Corey Tropp and Derek Grant added a goal and an assist apiece, as well. Bobby Jarosz made 21 saves before being replaced by Kyle McMahon. Seven different Spartans scored in the game.

It could have been easy for the Spartans to lay an egg after winning the GLI. By winning in another domination fashion, it shows how focused the Spartans are. They are playing like CCHA champion contenders right now. MSU has two CCHA games with Lake St. this weekend, which should result in two W's. Hopefully, the players can continue the balance scoring and keep putting those pucks in the net.

Petry and Josepher Win CCHA Honors

Two Spartans earned CCHA weekly honors for their play in the Great Lakes Invitational, as announced by the CCHA office on Monday, Jan. 4. Junior defenseman Jeff Petry (Farmington Hills, Mich.) was named the Defensive Player of the Week, while fellow blueliner Zach Josepher was named the Rookie of the Week... (continue)

GLI Champions- Michigan State 6 RPI 1

The Michigan State State Spartans captured the GLI crown with an easy win over RPI. Brett Perlini was named tournament MVP with a goal and an assist in the game. Perlini, Gazley, Petry, and Palmisano were named to the all-tournament team. With the win, the Spartans moved to 14-6-2 overall.

All I can say is that the Spartans did not lose any momentum over the Christmas holiday. They came back strong and crushed two pretty good hockey clubs. Perlini really deserved the MVP award with his performance in the two games. He is a guy that made the most of his opportunity to play in the tourney. Scoring came from all lines in the two games, which is a great sign. Palmisano's two games were overshadowed by all the goals, but he played two excellent games in net by only allowing a goal in each game.