Ferris State and Union became the first two teams to advance to the 2012 Frozen Four in Tampa Bay, Florida. Union defeated UMass-Lowell 4-2 in the East Regional Final. Ferris State defeated Cornell 2-1 in the Midwest Regional Final. For both programs, it is the first ever trip to the Frozen Four.
Ferris State is lead by former Spartan Bob Daniels behind the bench.
Props to Cornell
Cornell is often credited for inventing all those cheers you hear at college hockey rinks today, especially at Yost Ice Arena. I don't know if Cornell was trying to punish UofM for this, but the pep band decided to play the MSU Fight Song during the game - perhaps to get in the minds of the Wolverines. It sure looks like Hunwick noticed.
One has to wonder if it worked though, because Michigan tied the game just minutes later, though Cornell won in overtime.
Krug to the NHL
There is a noon press conference at Munn Ice Arena today where it is expected that Torey Krug will officially announce that he has signed with the Boston Bruins and will forego his senior season at MSU. Torey was a great player and leader on the blue line for Michigan State, and we wish him the best in his professional career.
What this does do is leave a big hole on the team that someone will need to step in and help replace. Michigan State does have a pair of transfers R.J. Boyd and Nick Gatt who should help settle down what would otherwise be a very young blue line. Jake Chelios may have to take the biggest jump next year.
Showing posts with label Anastos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anastos. Show all posts
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday Thoughts
So the Spartans finally went into South Bend and won a game. The only problem was they lost the night before which allowed Miami to pass them in the standings and take home ice with it. No problem though, since the Spartans were 6-7 on the road. Not great, but not terrible either.
Also, even though the Spartans were swept in early January by Miami (at Munn), the first game went into overtime, and the second game was 1-0 going into the 3rd period (before Miami won 4-0). The point being is MSU was in both games, but they just couldn't get over the hump. The Spartans went 8-4-2 after that series including 3-3 in road games (and 2-0 in road games in the state of Ohio).
The Spartans probably need to win this series to get them in a great NCAA position. The latest projection has Michigan State as a 3 seed in the Midwest region. Even if Michigan State loses the series in three games, they might have a shot, but they would probably need all the right teams to win. So the moral of the story here is simple: you control your own destiny - win and you are in.
Not to mention the Spartans haven't been to the Joe in March since 2007.
The good news is MSU is 28-11-2 all-time in Oxford, OH. Over the last six series at Miami, the Spartans actually hold a 7-5 edge in the series. The last time they played was back in October of 2009 where they split. So even in recent history, the Spartans have done alright in Miami - and the Red Hawks have had some great teams during that time period.
So even though this team might not be the best match-up for the Spartans, the one thing you can expect is the best effort from the green & white. Miami will earn the series win.
The Munn Minute All-Conference Teams
First Team:
Forwards:
T.J. Tynan (So., Notre Dame) - Tynan finished the season tied for the conference lead in points (29), though his -4 rating could keep him from getting some recognition.
Reilly Smith (Jr., Miami) - Smith finished the year leading the league in goals (18), and a +13 rating isn't too shabby either. If you include non-conference games, he tallied 26 goals in 34 games.
Alex Guptill (Fr., Michigan) - Although he probably won't get it since he's a freshmen, I think he deserves a look. He finished the season leading all freshmen in scoring (25 points, 13 goals), and he has a nice +12 rating which some of the seniors above him in points don't quite have.
Defense
Torey Krug (Jr., Michigan State) - I'll be shocked if he isn't a unanimous first team all-conference selection. He shared the scoring title, a first for a d-man in the CCHA in 25 years. He posted a +19 rating in conference games too.
Chad Billings (Sr., Ferris State) - Ended the year with 25 points, second among d-men to Krug. A +10 conference rating also helps. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if another guy (on my second team) is here instead.
Goaltender:
Shawn Hunwick (Sr., Michigan) - He is the only goalie in the conference in the top 3 in all the major goalie categories with at least 1,000 minutes played - goals against average (1.93), save percentage (.937), and winning percentage (.635)
Second Team:
Forwards:
Jordie Johnston (Jr., Ferris State) - Led the Bulldogs in scoring (24 pts)
Tyler Gron (Sr., Northern Michigan) - Finished the league in the top 5 in scoring with 27 points
Justin Florek (Sr., Northern Michigan) - Also finished in the league in the top 5 in scoring with 27 points.
Defense:
Lee Moffie (Jr., Michigan) - A +13 rating with 21 conference points gets him in the discussion. He had to do a lot with Merrill out the first half of the year too.
Kyle Follmer (Jr., Northern Michigan) - Although a -1 rating might not be gaudy (Lidstrom did win a Norris Trophy with a minus rating last season), he was still a key part of the Wildcats offense and defense this season.
Goaltending:
Connor Knapp (Sr., Miami) - Knapp actually has better numbers than Hunwick in each of the three categories, but he has played roughly 700 fewer minutes.
All Due Respect to:
Western Michigan. No one on this list is from Kalamazoo, but the stats seem to indicate otherwise. It wouldn't surprise me to see a couple of guys (Balisy, Walters) to get some recognition because of the team success.
Played Of The Year: This one honestly boils down to a two person race in my mind. Torey Krug & Shaun Hunwick. Without either of these guys, who knows where their respective teams end up. It's just so easy to give this award to a goalie though, because you can make that case with just about every goalie in the top half of the league. I don't know that you can say that about every d-man in the league though, so I'll give the nod to Torey Krug (call me biased if you'd like).
Coach Of The Year: It's so easy to give this award to a team predicted to finish in the middle to bottom half of the league that ends up surprising everyone. We have two teams that fit that criteria this year in Tom Anastos and Bob Daniels. Red Berenson should also get a look given where his team was at in right after Thanksgiving. Enrico Blasi could get a look given the same criteria. However, given that Ferris State has zero NHL draft picks right now, and that they just won the league title, currently hold a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, this award has to (and realistically should) go to Bob Daniels.
More playoff coverage to come this week.
Also, even though the Spartans were swept in early January by Miami (at Munn), the first game went into overtime, and the second game was 1-0 going into the 3rd period (before Miami won 4-0). The point being is MSU was in both games, but they just couldn't get over the hump. The Spartans went 8-4-2 after that series including 3-3 in road games (and 2-0 in road games in the state of Ohio).
The Spartans probably need to win this series to get them in a great NCAA position. The latest projection has Michigan State as a 3 seed in the Midwest region. Even if Michigan State loses the series in three games, they might have a shot, but they would probably need all the right teams to win. So the moral of the story here is simple: you control your own destiny - win and you are in.
Not to mention the Spartans haven't been to the Joe in March since 2007.
The good news is MSU is 28-11-2 all-time in Oxford, OH. Over the last six series at Miami, the Spartans actually hold a 7-5 edge in the series. The last time they played was back in October of 2009 where they split. So even in recent history, the Spartans have done alright in Miami - and the Red Hawks have had some great teams during that time period.
So even though this team might not be the best match-up for the Spartans, the one thing you can expect is the best effort from the green & white. Miami will earn the series win.
The Munn Minute All-Conference Teams
First Team:
Forwards:
T.J. Tynan (So., Notre Dame) - Tynan finished the season tied for the conference lead in points (29), though his -4 rating could keep him from getting some recognition.
Reilly Smith (Jr., Miami) - Smith finished the year leading the league in goals (18), and a +13 rating isn't too shabby either. If you include non-conference games, he tallied 26 goals in 34 games.
Alex Guptill (Fr., Michigan) - Although he probably won't get it since he's a freshmen, I think he deserves a look. He finished the season leading all freshmen in scoring (25 points, 13 goals), and he has a nice +12 rating which some of the seniors above him in points don't quite have.
Defense
Torey Krug (Jr., Michigan State) - I'll be shocked if he isn't a unanimous first team all-conference selection. He shared the scoring title, a first for a d-man in the CCHA in 25 years. He posted a +19 rating in conference games too.
Chad Billings (Sr., Ferris State) - Ended the year with 25 points, second among d-men to Krug. A +10 conference rating also helps. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if another guy (on my second team) is here instead.
Goaltender:
Shawn Hunwick (Sr., Michigan) - He is the only goalie in the conference in the top 3 in all the major goalie categories with at least 1,000 minutes played - goals against average (1.93), save percentage (.937), and winning percentage (.635)
Second Team:
Forwards:
Jordie Johnston (Jr., Ferris State) - Led the Bulldogs in scoring (24 pts)
Tyler Gron (Sr., Northern Michigan) - Finished the league in the top 5 in scoring with 27 points
Justin Florek (Sr., Northern Michigan) - Also finished in the league in the top 5 in scoring with 27 points.
Defense:
Lee Moffie (Jr., Michigan) - A +13 rating with 21 conference points gets him in the discussion. He had to do a lot with Merrill out the first half of the year too.
Kyle Follmer (Jr., Northern Michigan) - Although a -1 rating might not be gaudy (Lidstrom did win a Norris Trophy with a minus rating last season), he was still a key part of the Wildcats offense and defense this season.
Goaltending:
Connor Knapp (Sr., Miami) - Knapp actually has better numbers than Hunwick in each of the three categories, but he has played roughly 700 fewer minutes.
All Due Respect to:
Western Michigan. No one on this list is from Kalamazoo, but the stats seem to indicate otherwise. It wouldn't surprise me to see a couple of guys (Balisy, Walters) to get some recognition because of the team success.
Played Of The Year: This one honestly boils down to a two person race in my mind. Torey Krug & Shaun Hunwick. Without either of these guys, who knows where their respective teams end up. It's just so easy to give this award to a goalie though, because you can make that case with just about every goalie in the top half of the league. I don't know that you can say that about every d-man in the league though, so I'll give the nod to Torey Krug (call me biased if you'd like).
Coach Of The Year: It's so easy to give this award to a team predicted to finish in the middle to bottom half of the league that ends up surprising everyone. We have two teams that fit that criteria this year in Tom Anastos and Bob Daniels. Red Berenson should also get a look given where his team was at in right after Thanksgiving. Enrico Blasi could get a look given the same criteria. However, given that Ferris State has zero NHL draft picks right now, and that they just won the league title, currently hold a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, this award has to (and realistically should) go to Bob Daniels.
More playoff coverage to come this week.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Inside Notre Dame Compton Arena
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally got a new rink. For those of you who were familiar with the Joyce Center, the hockey team shared it with the basketball team, and it really didn't feel like a home hockey rink.
The Irish, under Jeff Jackson, have made a new commitment to hockey, and I only bring this up, because Michigan State is looking into the possibility of renovating Munn Ice Arena or building an entirely new rink.
In recent years, Miami was another CCHA team to get a brand new rink. Michigan has put money into Yost (including new video boards). MSU has put money into Munn, but just not to the extent that these other schools have. With the uptick of the program this season under Coach Anastos, it stands that MSU needs to make that same level of commitment to the hockey program - especially moving into the new Big 10 conference, the timing is perfect.
The Irish, under Jeff Jackson, have made a new commitment to hockey, and I only bring this up, because Michigan State is looking into the possibility of renovating Munn Ice Arena or building an entirely new rink.
In recent years, Miami was another CCHA team to get a brand new rink. Michigan has put money into Yost (including new video boards). MSU has put money into Munn, but just not to the extent that these other schools have. With the uptick of the program this season under Coach Anastos, it stands that MSU needs to make that same level of commitment to the hockey program - especially moving into the new Big 10 conference, the timing is perfect.
I love the second deck all the way around. It looks like you are still right on top of the action too with the steeper grade in the seating. Similar to sitting in the club seats at Munn.
Although if I'm honest, I'm not crazy about the center ice logo.....
Now, this isn't meant to sell Notre Dame to anyone, because let's be honest, it's still Notre Dame. The same university that has this as the representatitve of their football program:
And let's not forget Lou Holtz....
However, I think they have done a lot of things right with this rink, and I just hope Michigan State takes notice. Munn Ice Arena is a great place to watch a game. There isn't a bad seat in the house, and you can even walk around the concourse and still see the game. However, I did think it was time MSU did take the time into looking into the idea of building a new one. As I mentioned above, the timing is too perfect (and I didn't even mention how the refrigeration system under the ice needs to be replaced by 2013 anyways).
Coach Anastos was asked if he was going to walk around the facility this weekend at his weekly radio show. He didn't say yes, but he did indicate that if there was time, he would certainly take the opportunity to look around.
In the meantime, we'll begin to focus on the Irish this weekend. Check by later tonight for a preview of this weekend's series.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Monday Hot Topic - Coach Anastos
Michigan State Hockey has gotten some attention this year for their strong turn around after a rough season last year (and rough past few seasons following the 2007 national title). Going around the internet today, this article caught my eye, from the blog: A Beautiful Day For Football. Basically, he makes the comparison (towards the end of the article) that Tom Anastos is the Brady Hoke of College Hockey (minus the weight, of course). That got me thinking if that really was a good analogy.
Brady Hoke didn't have a lot of major head coaching experience when he was hired at UofM. He was, at one point, an assistant coach at Michigan though, and he claimed he would have walked from San Diego State to get the job (the walk probably wouldn't have hurt). Sorry, that's two weight jokes in a matter of a few sentences.....
Anyways, Tom Anastos didn't have a lot of head coaching experience when he was hired here last year. He was, at one point, an assistant coach at Michigan State. As far as I know, he didn't make a claim that he would walk all the way from Farmington Hills, though that wouldn't have been as bad as walking from San Diego. He did come in and supposedly told the players, in his first team meeting, that he was a Spartan. It was the first time the hockey program had actually been under the direction of a former Spartan.
He immediately hit a homerun with the players, and the players have responded. Very similar to Hoke and Michigan. The year before Hoke, Michigan finished in 7th place (tied) in the Big 10. This was preceeded by a 10th place finish (tied) and a 9th place finish (tied). Enter Hoke - and Michigan falls just 1 game shy of playing in the Big 10 championship game - pretty much in 3rd/4th place.
MSU hockey finished the 2010-2011 campaign in 10th place, losing to Alaska in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2009-2010 season, MSU did manage a second place finish, but they were swept by Michigan in the CCHA quarterfinals (and MSU was a distant 20 points behind Miami for the league title). The 2008-2009 campaign saw MSU finish in a tie for 9th place, and they once again lost in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. MSU missed the NCAA tournament each of those three seasons.
Come to think of it, MSU hasn't been to Joe Louis for the CCHA tournament since 2007 (2008, MSU was upset in the CCHA Quarterfinals - though they still made the tournament). I'm sad now.
But then we get to think about Coach Anastos and what he has done. MSU is in fourth place right now, with the same group of guys that nearly finished dead last just a season ago. It's a shame that Ferris State will win the league title, which will probably give the CCHA Coach of the Year award to Bob Daniels (former Spartan) instead of Tom Anastos.
Anastos has already pulled in some great verbal commitments - much like Hoke is on fire on the recruiting trail. The trick in hockey though is to get them on campus and away from the OHL.
And we all know one thing about this weekend - our guys will compete hard. Notre Dame, if they win, will have earned it.
Brady Hoke didn't have a lot of major head coaching experience when he was hired at UofM. He was, at one point, an assistant coach at Michigan though, and he claimed he would have walked from San Diego State to get the job (the walk probably wouldn't have hurt). Sorry, that's two weight jokes in a matter of a few sentences.....
Anyways, Tom Anastos didn't have a lot of head coaching experience when he was hired here last year. He was, at one point, an assistant coach at Michigan State. As far as I know, he didn't make a claim that he would walk all the way from Farmington Hills, though that wouldn't have been as bad as walking from San Diego. He did come in and supposedly told the players, in his first team meeting, that he was a Spartan. It was the first time the hockey program had actually been under the direction of a former Spartan.
He immediately hit a homerun with the players, and the players have responded. Very similar to Hoke and Michigan. The year before Hoke, Michigan finished in 7th place (tied) in the Big 10. This was preceeded by a 10th place finish (tied) and a 9th place finish (tied). Enter Hoke - and Michigan falls just 1 game shy of playing in the Big 10 championship game - pretty much in 3rd/4th place.
MSU hockey finished the 2010-2011 campaign in 10th place, losing to Alaska in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2009-2010 season, MSU did manage a second place finish, but they were swept by Michigan in the CCHA quarterfinals (and MSU was a distant 20 points behind Miami for the league title). The 2008-2009 campaign saw MSU finish in a tie for 9th place, and they once again lost in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. MSU missed the NCAA tournament each of those three seasons.
Come to think of it, MSU hasn't been to Joe Louis for the CCHA tournament since 2007 (2008, MSU was upset in the CCHA Quarterfinals - though they still made the tournament). I'm sad now.
But then we get to think about Coach Anastos and what he has done. MSU is in fourth place right now, with the same group of guys that nearly finished dead last just a season ago. It's a shame that Ferris State will win the league title, which will probably give the CCHA Coach of the Year award to Bob Daniels (former Spartan) instead of Tom Anastos.
Anastos has already pulled in some great verbal commitments - much like Hoke is on fire on the recruiting trail. The trick in hockey though is to get them on campus and away from the OHL.
And we all know one thing about this weekend - our guys will compete hard. Notre Dame, if they win, will have earned it.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The NCAAs.....
After last night, Michigan State ended in a tie for 12th in the PairWise rankings, a tool that mimics the NCAA selection process. Michigan State was tied with Minnesota, but won the comparison, so MSU would be the 12th seed in the NCAA tournament (or the last #3 seed).
Based on this projection, MSU would face Boston College in St. Paul
At first glance, that is one heck of a bracket. Michigan, the top seed, would have to deal with Minnesota who would be playing a home game. Michigan State would have to face a tough Boston College team for the second time this year. Four big time programs in the same regional. That would be a tough hill to climb, but let's face it, most MSU fans would be happy just being in the tournament this year given how last season went.
Most of us thought MSU would be improved, but now the Spartans are in position to be in the top 4 of the CCHA as well as a NCAA tournament team, and as the 2007 Spartans showed - you just need to get in to win. Who would want to face MSU in the tournament at this point? The Spartans would be a very dangerous team.
So, what would it take for MSU to get there? At first glance, MSU would be in pretty good position if they earned 9 of their final 12 points, and won a series in the CCHA tournament. The assumption here is MSU would be at the Joe. The only drawback there might be that MSU has to win at least a game at the Joe (at least the 3rd place game).
It's certainly an exciting time of year to be a Spartan hockey fan. Coach Anastos and company has this team playing very well right now.
Based on this projection, MSU would face Boston College in St. Paul
At first glance, that is one heck of a bracket. Michigan, the top seed, would have to deal with Minnesota who would be playing a home game. Michigan State would have to face a tough Boston College team for the second time this year. Four big time programs in the same regional. That would be a tough hill to climb, but let's face it, most MSU fans would be happy just being in the tournament this year given how last season went.
Most of us thought MSU would be improved, but now the Spartans are in position to be in the top 4 of the CCHA as well as a NCAA tournament team, and as the 2007 Spartans showed - you just need to get in to win. Who would want to face MSU in the tournament at this point? The Spartans would be a very dangerous team.
So, what would it take for MSU to get there? At first glance, MSU would be in pretty good position if they earned 9 of their final 12 points, and won a series in the CCHA tournament. The assumption here is MSU would be at the Joe. The only drawback there might be that MSU has to win at least a game at the Joe (at least the 3rd place game).
It's certainly an exciting time of year to be a Spartan hockey fan. Coach Anastos and company has this team playing very well right now.
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