B1G Hockey Gets Going - MSU Offense Does Too

We are into the new year, and the non-conference games (for the most part) have been completed, now all six conference teams are going to be seeing a lot of each other between now and March. This weekend will be the first full weekend of Big Ten Hockey with all six teams in action.

Friday/Saturday

Michigan State at Ohio State  (Fri - BTN)
Michigan at Wisconsin  (Fri - BTN, Sat - FSW)

Sunday/Monday

Minnesota at Penn State (Mon - BTN)

Conference Standings

	GP	W	L	SOW	SOL	Points	Total Points Possible
Minnesota	4	3	0	0	1	10	59
Michigan	2	2	0	0	0	6	60
Wisconsin	4	2	2	0	0	6	53
Michigan State	2	0	1	1	0	2	56
Ohio State	2	0	2	0	0	0	54
Penn State	2	0	2	0	0	0	54

Each team only has a handful of non-Big Ten games remaining. Minnesota plays in the Minnesota Cup with St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, and Minnesota-Duluth. Michigan State only has an exhibition contest with the U-18 USA Development Team. Penn State has a single game with BC remaining. Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are all done with their non-conference games.

The RPI

The conference will play a major hand in the NCAA tournament process. Here is where the Big Ten teams rank in the RPI (59 teams):

Minnesota - #1
Michigan - #9
Wisconsin - #14
Ohio State - #26
Michigan State - #45
Penn State - #50

Minnesota and Michigan are sitting in good position, and Wisconsin is right up there as well. Ohio State could certainly play their way up the rankings. To a lessor extent, Michigan State and Penn State would need to go on a pretty big run, but when you are playing nothing but top 30 RPI teams, you could move up quickly.

The current Pairwise ranking - which has changed a bit this year on the formula, but it will still be used in the selection process:

Minnesota - #1
Michigan - T-#9  (9th based on RPI)
Wisconsin - T-#13 (14th based on RPI)
Ohio State - #25
Michigan State - #45
Penn State - #50

So the conference is looking like they could get 3 teams into the tournament, but obviously there is still a lot of hockey left to be played.

GLI Recap

Michigan State entered the GLI looking to improve their 4th place finish from a season ago. Offense had been a struggle and for the first 40 minutes of the GLI, it continued to be a big issue. Michigan Tech held a 1-0 lead going into the final period, and the Huskies dominated most of the play as they out-shot MSU 27-11 in the first two periods.

Then the offense began to wake up. The Spartans doubled their shot total in the final frame with 12 in that period alone. Michigan State actually rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the game as Matt Berry and Ryan Keller put the Spartans ahead in the first 4:02 of the period. The lead was short lived though as Tech found their footing again, and Michigan Tech would eventually advance in a shoot-out. The game though went down as a tie. This was the second straight year MSU lost in the GLI semi-finals in a shoot-out.

For the second straight year the Spartans played Michigan in the 3rd place game. Michigan dominated the game a year ago, but this time around the Spartans controlled the play for pretty much the entire 60 minutes. Offense wasn't an issue, as MSU got 40 shots on goal - many of them of high quality. Steve Racine stood tall for UM, but it wasn't enough as the Spartans won 3-0. Hildebrand was strong in net as well earning the shutout. Matt Berry added an insurance marker in the 3rd period giving MSU a 2-0 lead.

The question becomes where does MSU go from here. Is this a springboard? MSU may have only gotten 3rd, but more importantly - they seemed to finally find a little more flow in the offensive end from just more than 1 line. They didn't lose on the weekend either. Plus the win against Michigan was the first for MSU away from Munn this season. Now can MSU win a true road game? MSU is 0-5 in true road games (1-5-1 away from Munn), and they only have 9 of those remaining (1 UM game is at Joe Louis Arena). Can they build upon this tournament this upcoming weekend at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes aren't exactly setting the world on fire - though they are coming off an impressive sweep of Mercyhurst (6-3, 7-2), and they have been very good at home this season (9-3-0). OSU is 0-2 in the Big Ten though after being swept by Michigan in a home and home about five weeks ago. Ohio State's schedule gets tougher too with back to back road trips to Minnesota and Wisconsin after this weekend, so they will be gunning for as many points as possible this weekend.

Ohio State swept the series last year winning both games in East Lansing (1-0, 3-1). The last time the teams met in Columbus, Michigan State actually swept the series. In fact going back to last year, the road team has won 5 in a row and 7 of the last 10 games.

Should be interesting to watch to see how the Spartans come out in the second half.

Know Thy Enemy: Starting a New Era - Big Ten Play Begins with #1 Minnesota

This weekend begins a new era in the history of Michigan State hockey. This won't be the first time Big Ten hockey has been around before, but not in quite the same format as we are about to witness. The teams used to compete for a conference championship as part of the WCHA - and they even played in a conference tournament to help determine the conference champion.

Michigan State claims 5 Big Ten championships in its history: 1959, 1967, 1971, 1973 (shared), and 1976. These titles were claimed when the four teams that sponsored hockey (MSU, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) were all part of the WCHA running up until 1981. In fact, Big Ten roots can be traced back to even before that, but this is when the MSU record books started tracking it.

MSU claims a 94-124-6 all-time Big Ten record. Minnesota boasts the best all-time Big Ten record at 122-93-11 with 10 conference championships. Michigan and Wisconsin both claim 5 championships each.

Ohio State does have claim to 6 conference games prior to this season - losing all 6. After Michigan swept them last week, Ohio State is 0 for forever in the Big Ten, 0-8-0. I suspect that'll change this year.

DAWN OF A NEW ERA

Despite that history, this feels like the first time we really see a true Big Ten conference. All six teams are together, not part of the CCHA or WCHA, and instead will battle it out over 20 conference games, 2 home, 2 away. All six teams will qualify for the conference tournament - playing over a 3-day period in St. Paul for the right to play in the NCAA tournament.

It's a new beginning. And while the conference has taken a lot of heat, I think a lot of Big Ten fans maintained that this would be good for college hockey. It brings a major brand name to the table - in terms of conference play. The BTN has picked up just about every game (or the Fox Sports Network has) in the conference.

It also allowed smaller schools to form conferences and battle for their own spots in the NCAA tournament. Would Ferris State be 8-0-2 in the CCHA this year - if it still existed with the Big Ten teams inside the conference? That's what they are in the new WCHA - 11-2-2 overall. They might be, Ferris State has a good hockey program. What about the other teams? LSSU? Michigan Tech? Northern Michigan? Are they any worse off today than a year ago?

They still get games with the Big Ten schools - MSU went up to Michigan Tech for the first time in two decades. MSU still went to Western, and they still play Ferris State. Minnesota still played in-state rivals Bemidji State, Minnesota State, and Minnesota-Duluth. Wisconsin still has former WCHA rival Colorado College. The list goes on and on. People might hate the Big Ten right now, but it really seems like everyone is in a good position right now - so maybe it wasn't a bad move after all?

THE SECOND SEASON

Ok, so the non-conference season isn't over yet. Michigan State will have 3 non-conference games after this weekend - a single game at home against Ferris State and the two game GLI series at Comerica Park.

MSU is 5-7 on the year, but they've been much better at home posting a 5-2 record so far this season.

 Michigan State has beaten Princeton (twice), American International (twice), and Boston University so far this year. Those three teams are a combined 13-24-1. Not exactly a gaudy record there. In fact, BU is the only team that has an above .500 record of the three, and they are only 7-6-1. On the flip side, MSU has lost to UMass (twice), Mass.-Lowell, Michigan Tech (twice), and Western Michigan (twice). Those four teams are a combined 26-28-6. In fact, only Mass.-Lowell (11-4-0) has an above .500 record in this group as well - though WMU is .500 (6-6-2), and Tech isn't far off (6-8-2) .

Still, it doesn't make you giddy that things are looking up. With that said, MSU is coming off a weekend sweep against Princeton including posting an impressive 8-2 score on Sunday. I don't care who you are - when you win 8-2, that's pretty good. MSU's power play looked good going 3 for 7 on the day, and the d-men got involved, a huge sign for Michigan State.

And yes, the injury bug wasn't kind early, and the freshmen have shown flashes. Hildebrand and Yanakeff have played solid between the pipes. Maybe MSU is simply starting to turn the corner in December?

The schedule coming up will tell us - playing #1 Minnesota, #6 Ferris State, Michigan Tech again, then either Western Michigan or #3 Michigan. The good news for MSU is three of the games are at home - where things have been better. The last time Minnesota was in East Lansing, the Spartans defeated Minnesota 4-3 and followed that up with an exciting 4-4 tie the next night.


LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

Minnesota currently has the 2nd best offense in the country at 4.14 GPG. The defense isn't bad either tied for 8th at 2.14 goals against per a game. MSU is currently 39th in the country at 2.58 goals per a game, and the defense is ranked a little better at 26th overall at 2.69 goals against per a game.

The power plays have been struggling for both teams as Minnesota ranks 46th at 14.29% (10 for 70), and MSU is now only 51st overall at 13.56% (8 for 59). So yes, prior to that 3 for 7 game, MSU was converting at a less than 10% rate of 5 for 52. The PK units haven't been perfect either - Minnesota is tied for 37th at 80% (48 for 60) and MSU's is 40th at 79.6% (43 for 54). The good news is neither team is penalized much as Minnesota is at 11.86 minutes per game, and MSU is only at 10.5.

Minnesota is pretty young too - lead by a strong junior and freshmen class. Sam Warning (Jr.) leads the team with 20 points. Junior Seth Ambroz leads the team with 7 goals, and freshmen Hudson Fasching (8 goals, 14 pts) and Justin Kloos (5 goals, 14 pts) lead the younger guys in scoring. Overall Minnesota is very balanced on offense as 17 players have at least one goal, 15 have at least two,  and 11 have at least three goals.

In goal sophomore Adam Wilcox has been steady between the pipes posting a 10-2-1 record, 2.21 GAA, and .923 save percentage.

In case you are curious, 13 Spartans have at least one goal this season, seven of which have at least two,  and four have more than three.  Senior Greg Wolfe leads the way with 7 goals and 10 points. Michigan State's freshmen have been solid starting the year off as well - MacKenzie MacEachern has 5 goals (8 points) and Joe Cox has 4 goals (6 points).

Big Ten Standings

	GP	W	L	T	SOW	Points	Total Points Possible
Minnesota	2	2	0	0	0	6	60
Michigan	2	2	0	0	0	6	60
Michigan State	0	0	0	0	0	0	60
Penn State	0	0	0	0	0	0	60
Ohio State	2	0	2	0	0	0	54
Wisconsin	2	0	2	0	0	0	54

EXPECTATIONS

Look, expecting a sweep this weekend would be - well - a very tall task. I really don't think it's unreasonable to expect some points though. Michigan State has been better at home, and Boston University was ranked when they came into East Lansing. At this point though  - stepping in the right direction and competing will be just as important as trying to pull out a victory or two. Minnesota is good. Michigan State is trying to learn how to be good night in and night out. Nothing wrong with that - as long as you are consistently making those positive gains - playing hard, finishing checks, winning face-offs, improving the power play, improving the offense, and improving the defense.

Right now I'm not sure anything will shock me with this team - and while the wins are important, how they play is going to be examined throughout the remainder of this season. They did well last weekend, but now it's a bigger test, against a bigger named opponent, and the first game of a new era.

Ohio State Fires Coach Osiecki ....... Would they go after Gwozdecky?

Ever since Denver University somewhat surprised the college hockey world by letting George Gwozdecky go (all he did was win 2 national titles there and get DU back to being a national power), there has been a lot of speculation on what he might do next.

In an equally surprising move - Ohio State has let Coach Osiecki go

This is just thinking out loud - but could Ohio State be going after Gwozdecky next?

Coach Gwozdecky is 59 years old and has stated he's not done coaching yet.

I've always thought Ohio State was a sleeping giant in the college hockey world, only without the past. Ohio State has the resources to build a championship program, but they need to find the right guy to build it up, that can recruit - pulling in kids to Columbus.

Gwozdecky certainly has done that at Denver.

The timing certainly seems odd. It's not that Ohio State has dominated the CCHA or anything, but they have gone longer with other coaches before letting them go, and the results really haven't been much different. Is this a case of - they see a guy they feel they MUST have - and now they are going after him?

Could Columbus be his next stop?

Know Thy Enemy: Penn State

CCHA All-Decade Team Honors Three Spartans

Three Honored on CCHA All-Decade Team

Three former Spartans were named to the CCHA All-Decade Team. D-Men Brad Fast and John Michael Liles were named to the second and first team respectively. Then there is Ryan Miller, who basically made it impossible for another goalie to win the Hobey thanks to his unbelievable year in 2000 - 2001 when he posted a 31-5-4 record with a 1.32 GAA and a .950 save percentage. Miller was named to the *gasp* first team. Seriously.... 1.32 GAA and a .950 save %, and you thought Hildebrand's 2.01 GAA and .937 save % was good.

Know Thy Enemy: B1G Edition - Penn State


For one weekend, the Spartans step out of CCHA play to welcome in the newest D-I member and fellow Big Ten member Penn State. Michigan State comes into the weekend after dropping a pair of games against Ferris State and a mid-week exhibition contest against the US Development Program. Offense continues to be a major issue for Michigan State, and they continue to have more questions than answers. This is a weekend that I've personally been looking forward to since I saw it on the schedule. I've made it no secret that I love the idea of a Big Ten hockey conference, and now we're there. We are.... The Big Ten.

Penn State comes into the weekend with a 9-12-0 overall record. They defeated Vermont last Saturday by a 4-2 score. As far as common opponents go, Penn State split a weekend series with the US Development Program winning 5-2 and losing 3-0. Penn State defeated Ohio State over the holidays at the Three Rivers Classic 5-4.

This is the first of many future contests for the Big Ten members, as the Big Ten conference begins play next season. Penn State is 4-7 on the road this season.

Both games are scheduled to start at 7:05 pm. Saturday's contest can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

Some of the Penn State names on the roster might sound familiar. While Michigan State can claim Chris Chelios and Peter Bondra their own through their sons Dean & Jake Chelios and David Bondra. Penn State has some nice father players as well on their team as well with Tommy Olczyk  (Eddie Olczyk - member of the 1994 Stanley Cup Winning NY Rangers & a current NHL TV analyst) and Nate Jensen (David Jensen - 1984 US Olympic Hockey Team, Former Minnesota North Stars player). That begs the question of who would win a game of two on two.

Penn State Leading Scorers

Casey Bailey   11 goals, 19 points
David Glen      11 goals, 19 points
Max Gardiner    2 goals, 14 points
Connor Varley   4 goals, 11 points
Taylor Holstrom  5 goals, 9 points
Nate Jensen       2 goals, 9 points


Penn State Goaltenders

Matthew Skoff    5-6-0, 2.74 GAA, .911 save %
PJ Musico 4-5-0, 3.00 GAA, .899 save %

PSU PP:   8 for 84  (9.5%)
PSU PK   76 for 91  (83.5%)

Looks like the first period could be key.... Penn State is 8-0 when leading after one this year, but 0-10 when trailing. Michigan State is 1-7-3 this year when trailing after one, and 0-8-3 when giving up the first goal. MSU only has 13 first period goals (six of which have come against Michigan).

Michigan State is 1-6 this year against fellow Big Ten rivals. The lone win was back in November against Michigan, a 7-2 victory.

Overall Thoughts

This is a series that Michigan State can't simply show up and expect to win. Penn State will make them work hard for everything this weekend - even if the Nittany Lions have had their ups and downs. Michigan State has yet to win two games in a row this season, and with no Matt Berry playing on Friday - it doesn't seem like the offense is primed to explode for a lot of goals.

With that said, this isn't Minnesota or Notre Dame coming into town either - and Michigan State needs to be able to show some pride and defend home ice. It's a chance to get back on track and start some positive momentum for the finishing stretch (which begins with Michigan next weekend). You never know what is possible if a team gets some positive vibes going. One win might turn into two, which then turns into three, and so on.....

And it isn't like MSU is out of anything in terms of  the CCHA goes. While a CCHA title (or really top five finish) is out of the question, they could still string some wins together and move up high enough to get home ice (only 3 points out of 9th right now). They play the teams directly in front of them - so there is still a lot to play for. And all it takes is one bounce, one goal, and one win to turn things around.

Big Ten Hockey - Penn State Q&A with TYTBlog

Michigan State and Penn State will square off this weekend in their first ever meeting. Penn State made the jump to D-I this season which will result in the Big Ten Hockey Conference forming for the 2013 - 2014 season. It's an exciting time to be a Big Ten Hockey fan.

 Don't worry - The Land Grant Trophy isn't on the line......

While this move hasn't been met with open arms across the college hockey landscape, it certainly is generating a buzz that college hockey hasn't seen in a little while on a national level. A lot of new conferences are forming as follows:

Colorado College (WCHA)

Denver University (WCHA)

Miami (CCHA)

Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)

Nebraska-Omaha (WCHA)

North Dakota (WCHA)

St. Cloud State (WCHA)

Western Michigan (CCHA)

(note: I don't think that's the actual NCHC logo - but it's all I could find at the moment)

Alabama-Huntsville (Ind.)

Alaska (CCHA)

Alaska-Anchorage

Bemidji State

Bowling Green (CCHA)

Ferris State (CCHA)

LSSU (CCHA)

Michigan Tech

Minnesota State

Northern Michigan (CCHA)

  

Boston College

Boston University

Maine

Massachusetts

Massachusetts-Lowell

Merrimack

New Hampshire

Northeastern

Notre Dame (CCHA)

Providence

Vermont

Brown

Clarkson

Colgate

Cornell

Dartmouth

Harvard

Princeton

Quinnipiac

Rensselaer

St. Lawrence

Union

Yale

 Michigan (CCHA)

Michigan State (CCHA)

Minnesota (WCHA)

Ohio State (CCHA)

Penn State (Ind.)

Wisconsin (WCHA)

Air Force

Army

Bentley

Canisius

Connecticut

Holy Cross

Mercyhurst

Niagara

RIT

Robert Morris

Sacred Heart

In case you're curious - overall winning percentage by realigned conference:

1. NCHC  .574 (100-71-24)
2. Hockey East  .525  (113-101-25)
3. ECAC   .523  (106-95-39)
4. Big Ten  .478  (57-63-19)
5. Atlantic  .464 (105-124-34)
6. WCHA   .462  (87-104-35)

NCHC certainly looks like a great conference on paper, and right now they have the record to prove it - the Big East and ECAC are a distant 2-3. The Big Ten sits with the fourth best win percentage - and they can thank Minnesota for that. At the bottom sits the Atlantic and the new WCHA.

As part of Penn State week, I sent some questions over to Kyle Rossi over at Thank You Terry - a great blog on Penn State Hockey. He was kind enough to send back some thoughts on these questions. Here is the first half, check back for part two later this week:

 

TMM: Penn State got off to such a great start winning 6 of their first 9 games - was the start a surprise to you? And how would you assess the season to this point given the team's recent struggles?

 

TYT: It was a huge surprise, and while it hasn't gone quite as well lately, Guy Gadowsky has stressed throughout that this season is about the foundation more than wins and losses. Which is fine for the room, but it's nice when you can do that and win too. Coming into the season, I thought PSU would be about equal to a middle-of-the-pack Atlantic Hockey team. So, in my head, I penciled in all of the major conference games as losses, all of the ACHA and Division III games as wins and split the rest down the middle. Really, my personal expectations were to hit that, except maybe steal a "big" win to stand as a season highlight. It's sort of worked out that way - we're 5-8-0 against Atlantic Hockey and have nice looking wins against Ohio State, Air Force and RIT (even though the latter two aren't doing well this year). And also, it sort of hasn't - we've lost twice to Division III teams and once to an ACHA team. But big picture, I'm happy with where things are, and beyond Michigan State and Wisconsin, the rest of our schedule is ACHA and Huntsville, so it's probably appropriate to start thinking about this first season as a whole.

 

TMM: Do you think it was important that Big Ten teams reached out to Penn State this year for games? Can you make anything out of the fact that only Michigan State and Wisconsin actually got Penn State on the schedule for a weekend series?

 

TYT: One of my friends participated in a Q-and-A with Coach Anastos, and actually asked him, essentially, "why bother scheduling Penn State when it doesn't really help you at all?" His answer, and he really deserves a lot of credit for this, was that he wanted to something for the good of college hockey and the Big Ten, even if his program doesn't have anything specific to gain from it. I'm glad he and Coach Eaves wanted to go above and beyond like that, because they're easily two of the highlights of our schedule. At the same time, I really don't blame teams for shying away, because if you're thinking pairwise or something like that, Penn State's not going to do a whole lot for you this year. While I'm not upset that we're not playing Michigan and Minnesota (although I wouldn't mind a shot at the former this year) per se, I do think it's nice to have a good relationship with a couple of Big Ten teams because they did something they didn't *have* to do.

 

TMM: Outside of Minnesota, the Big Ten schools have struggled this year, though Wisconsin is now on a bit of a roll, and Michigan State just knocked off the #2 team in the country a week and a half ago - what are your thoughts on the struggles of the Big Ten schools?

 

TYT: It's interesting, because there's been a little bit of a malaise over the whole thing ever since the announcement, and obviously a lot made of it by bitter people who want to see the whole thing fail. That first season, Michigan was the only Big Ten team in the NCAA tournament, even though they made it to overtime of the championship game. Last season was better with MSU, Minnesota and Michigan, but this year, it's starting to look like only Minnesota. One thing I've sort of learned in college sports is to trust tradition. With rare exception, programs with multiple national championships just don't disappear forever. Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin will all be fine in the long run - at the very least, I'm still scared to death of trying to compete in a league with them every weekend.

 

TMM: Back to Penn State - obviously they are very young this season, and they are paced by a pair of dynamic freshmen David Glen and Casey Bailey - what are your thoughts on their play so far this season? What are their strengths?

 

TYT: I think most people undersold Glen as a key player coming into the year, but he's been amazing. Generally, he plays with Curtis Loik and Kenny Brooks, and the three of them together, while not carrying the most pure talent in college hockey, just do not get outworked. The points are generally a product of that, but really, the most telling thing is that they're the line that generally hops over the boards during situations needing a momentum shift. Glen was captain of a very successful AJHL team in Spruce Grove, and he's easily the type of guy that you could see getting the C after Tommy Olczyk graduates.

 

Bailey was a little more on the radar, because he had a fantastic season in the USHL last year. He's really just a pure goal scorer. The thing that stood out to me about him almost immediately was his shot. He's a little like a bigger Phil Kessel in that he'll shoot from almost anywhere but somehow make it look like a good idea. Unlike most guys who do that though, he's also willing to get to the dirty areas - if I had to guess, he's actually scored more often that way than with a laser from the circle. Starting with the Three Rivers Classic, they put him together with Max Gardiner (Blues draft pick, Minnesota transfer) and Taylor Holstrom (Mercyhurst transfer). They accounted for four of our five against OSU and have been great since.

 

TMM: In goal it looks like Penn State has split time between Matthew Skoff and PJ Musico - what does each player bring to the table?

 

TYT: The book says that Skoff is the more technically sound of the two, while Musico is more athletic. Musico is all about Caliswag and enjoys surfing, Skoff is a low-key Pittsburgh guy. Skoff, it's probably fair to say, has the pedigree as a long-time solid USHL goalie who actually signed with Ohio State a couple years ago (that was important to me, because it's proof that a guy could have played for another major-conference program), while Musico came, most recently, from SJHL Flin Flon. Regardless, they've sort of jockeyed back and forth all season. Musico sort of took the upper hand by being outstanding in the win against RIT after Skoff had struggled against Buffalo State. Skoff got back on top when he beat Air Force, and actually played both of the Union games, but opened the door back up when we blew a late two-goal lead at Holy Cross. On balance, he's probably been the *slightly* better of the two (more recently, he has the OSU and national development program wins to his name), and I think the expectation of most is that we'll have a Skoff/Eamon McAdam tandem next year, but Musico's made that tough at times by playing well.

 

Regardless, it's a pretty safe bet that you'll see both of them against MSU. Will Yanakeff was actually in a tandem with Skoff in 2009-10 with USHL Sioux City before he was traded to Waterloo, so that will be a little bit of an interesting goalie matchup if it happens.

 

TMM: Coach Gadowsky seems to have done a great job this season getting Penn State to compete night in and night out - thoughts on his effort so far this year?

 

TYT: I'm going to have to disagree and modify that a little bit, because there was an admitted focus issues involved with a couple of our lower-division losses, to DIII Buffalo State and to Neumann, so I do think there's a little bit of a consistency problem. But at the same time, this team has done an amazing job bouncing back. Arguably our two best wins this season - RIT and Ohio State - came the day after two very, very ugly shutout losses. I'm hoping that same pattern holds true Saturday of course, with a big win over Vermont following a loss to Neumann. But it's not just a game-to-game thing, it's after goals, it's even after a bad shift. So focus and consistency aren't always there, and that allows bad things to happen, but resiliency is off the charts. 

 

TMM:  What do you feel are some of the more important things that Michigan State fans should know about this Penn State team?

 

TYT: Beyond the stuff you asked, about Glen, Bailey and the goalies, we're hammered with injuries right now - in fact, you probably won't see two of our three best defensemen. Luke Juha is out for the year with an abdominal injury, while Nate Jensen (upper body) is expected back "before the end of the season," so who knows what that means, but MSU seems like a pretty quick turnaround given the statement on him, which was just made Monday. Mark Yanis, the third, just came back last weekend after missing two months with a fractured ankle. So we're definitely a little bit wobbly on the back end, although a couple guys like Joe Lordo and Connor Varley have really stepped up to the point where our depth there hasn't been a huge concern yet. Jonathan Milley, a big forward who's done some nice things around the net in the little we've seen him, will probably be out as well.

 

Also, and I have to point this out as someone with roots in the ACHA team, we have eight guys on the team who came to Penn State with no idea that PSU was about to get NCAA hockey and just went for ACHA. Two of those guys, Michael Longo and Michael McDonagh, are essentially every game players, while George Saad and Eric Steinour also tend to be in most of the time. Brian Dolan and Rich O'Brien are in about half of the time. McDonagh will be the only one left after this year, but regardless, I think it's pretty cool that those guys are playing important roles on a team capable of beating Ohio State, and it speaks well to to the quality of hockey outside of NCAA DI. So does the fact that ACHAs and DIIIs can beat said team, but that's not as much fun to point out for me.

Weekend Recap: Bulldogs sweep Spartans

Game Recaps

Friday Night

MSUSpartans.com Recap  // Ferris State Recap    //  USCHO Recap


Saturday Night

MSUSpartans.com Recap  //  Ferris State Recap //   USCHO Recap


Game Thoughts

Friday night was not pretty, but despite being outplayed for the vast majority of the game, the Spartans still had a chance to win the game thanks to Freshman goaltender Jake Hildebrand. Hildebrand put forth one of the best efforts in goal for MSU since Jeff Lerg's national title performance back in 2007. The problem was MSU simply didn't have enough offense losing 2-1. Matt Berry had a chance as time expired, but his shot went right into C.J. Motte, the Ferris State goalie.

On Saturday, the Spartans battled hard and only trailed the Bulldogs 3-2 going into the third period, but the Bulldogs broke it open with two goals over the final 10 minutes to complete the two game sweep. Bottom line, the Spartans were outplayed this weekend by Ferris State, and it really didn't look like the same team that gave Notre Dame all they could handle the week before.

The Spartans are looking for something positive, and maybe they can start something this week. They play an exhibition game Tuesday against the US Development team, and they host future Big Ten rival Penn State this weekend in a non-conference series. Penn State is coming off a win against Vermont.

Big Week Ahead

This is the week that I've been looking forward to all season. I am a big supporter of the Big Ten finally making the move and forming its own hockey conference. Penn State finally making the leap made that decision possible, and starting with the 2013 - 2014 season, the Big Ten will exist. Despite this move, a lot of people are looking at this as a negative disruption. Is it sour grapes that the WCHA and CCHA are losing their Big Ten rivals? These schools do usually mean big attendance for the other teams in the conference (for example, Ferris State sold out on Saturday - against a last place Big Ten school).

Western Michigan students were chanting "Big Ten sucks" during the GLI, as they held a slim 1-0 lead over Michigan State. But, I really feel these feelings are very shortsighted on their part. The Big Ten schools will still be scheduling plenty of non-conference series, which will still give these teams a chance to fill their rinks along with seeing the Big Ten schools. And at no time did anyone say this was going to be great hockey - just it could be great for hockey. It brings a brand name to the college hockey scene - something the other "major" sports all have (football, basketball, and baseball). It doesn't mean all these schools are going to make a jump all of a sudden to D-1, because Title IX, and of course funding still are a major problem. Penn State only has their program because of a major donation to jump start the entire thing.

I also believe this could be good for the Big Ten. Most Big Ten fans will show up for "brand name" games. Michigan State usually sees larger crowds when Michigan (duh), Ohio State, and Notre Dame roll into town. Minnesota and Wisconsin usually drew well over the Thanksgiving holiday. The casual fan gets excited to see these schools more than a Ferris State, LSSU, or Alaska. It doesn't mean these aren't good programs, but they just don't draw the casual fan in.

Each Big Ten team will need to improve though.

Michigan (8-14-2) and Michigan State (6-15-3) are 10th and 11th in the CCHA at the moment (ok, Michigan is tied for 9th). Ohio State isn't doing much better sitting at 8-11-5 overall sitting in 7th place in the CCHA.

Penn State is 9-12-0 in its first season, but they have had some bad losses against non-varsity teams along the way.

This brings us to the only two Big Ten programs above .500 - Minnesota (17-3-4) and Wisconsin (9-8-5). And for Wisconsin it took an 11 game unbeaten streak to get to that point. Miami finally ended that streak last night with a 2-1 victory.

And even if the programs are having bad years, historically they've been very good, which means it stands to reason that they will eventually bounce back. So now some of these other schools that have never contended could find themselves in a new conference that might be slightly more realistic to win a little bit more.

Time will tell how things will work out, and while it might not be perfect at first, I do think it will be good for the most part for college hockey, and those people who have been crying foul ever since the announcement will realize that eventually.

Penn State Week

On this note, I wanted to try something different this week since it's our first ever match-up with Penn State. I don't mean to ignore the Tuesday night exhibition match-up, but  I've touched base with the popular Penn State Hockey Blog - Thank You Terry for assistance this week. Some questions were asked, and some great responses were received - and we'll post those Q&A's during this week in two parts (yes, it's that good). The blog is just as good - so you should check it out and learn a little bit about Penn State hockey.

CCHA Standings

 

	GP	W	L	T	SOW	Points	Total Points Possible
Notre Dame	16	11	5	0	0	33	69
Western Michigan	16	10	4	2	1	33	69
Miami	16	8	4	4	4	32	68
Ferris St.	18	10	7	1	0	31	61
Alaska	18	8	7	3	1	28	58
LSSU	18	8	9	1	1	26	56
Ohio State	16	7	6	3	1	25	61
Northern Michigan	18	5	9	4	1	20	50
Bowling Green	16	5	8	3	1	19	55
Michigan	18	5	11	2	2	19	49
Michigan State	18	5	12	1	0	16	46

Well, Notre Dame is human. Alaska continued their strong play by sweeping Notre Dame in South Bend. Now all of a sudden a run-away season has turned back into a big race. ND, WMU, and Miami still are the teams to beat, but Ferris, Alaska, LSSU, and Ohio State aren't far behind. Bowling Green finally lost on Saturday. That ended a six game unbeaten streak. Another full slate of games with only Michigan State stepping out of conference.

Games This Week

Tuesday

US U-18 Team at Michigan State  (exhibition)

Friday & Saturday

Bowling Green at Miami
Ferris State at Notre Dame
LSSU at Ohio State
Northern Michigan at Alaska
Michigan at Western Michigan
Penn State at Michigan State

CCHA Power Rankings

1. Alaska (10-8-4, LW: 4). Notre Dame's run at #1 ends this week as the Nanooks won four straight at Michigan and at Notre Dame.

2. Western Michigan (14-6-4, LW: 2). The Broncos split with Bowling Green - and now they've caught ND.

3. Miami (13-6-5, LW: 3). Miami split at red-hot Wisconsin.

4. Notre Dame (15-9-0, LW: 1). The Irish have now lost four straight.

5. Ferris State (12-9-3, LW: 6). The Bulldogs can find themselves in first place this week with some help and a great weekend at Notre Dame.

6. Northern Michigan (11-10-4, LW: 5). The Wildcats have a tough trip out west as their second half surge continues.

7. LSSU (13-12-1, LW: 8). The Lakes salvaged a weekend split against Michigan.

8. Bowling Green (8-11-5, LW: 10). The Falcons went 2-1 this week with a win at Western and against Notre Dame. Who wants to play the Falcons now?

9. Ohio State (8-11-5, LW: 7). The Buckeyes can regroup at home against LSSU.

10. Michigan (8-14-2, LW: 11). The Wolverines finally got back on track with a win, but a loss on Saturday probably doesn't make them feel better about the season.

11. Michigan State (6-15-3, LW: 9). A chance to regroup this week with an exhibition game and Penn State.

Big Ten Power Rankings

1. Minnesota (17-3-4, LW: 1). Unbeaten streak hits 10 (8-0-2).

2. Wisconsin (9-8-5, LW: 2). Unbeaten streak ended at 11.

3. Michigan (8-14-2, LW: 6). Just not sure how to rank the rest of the Big Ten at this point.

4. Ohio State (8-11-5, LW: 3). Not much difference between the rest of these teams at this point.

5. Michigan State (6-15-3, LW: 4). The Spartans have two must win games this weekend.

6. Penn State (9-12-0, LW: 5). A nice win over Vermont doesn't really mask the 3-2 loss to Neumann during the week.

Weekend Recap: Wake Up The Echoes?

Coming into the weekend, the Spartans didn't have much to cheer about. At times, they played better over the month of December, but they still finished the month with a 1-4-1 record. However, in the victory over Ferris State and the tie against Western Michigan in the GLI, the Spartans did show signs of promise - but the issues on offense continued. And they rolled right into the new year when the Spartans were outplayed and shutout by Ferris State in Big Rapids.

Enter the second-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This was a weekend that few people thought the Spartans could get many (if any) points. On Friday night those fears were confirmed when Notre Dame won 1-0. It marked the fifth time this season Michigan State was shutout. Even worse, it marked the third time Michigan State had lost 1-0 wasting a superb effort in goal by Jake Hildebrand.

Despite all that though, the Spartans still played well. They had chances, none more closer than Forfar's crossbar shot in the third period. Frustrations had to be building in the locker room. They still were working hard, and they were really doing a good job by doing the little things better (i.e. winning face-offs, playing hard in the corners, etc...). But nothing on the scoreboard.

Then this happened:

MSUSpartans.com Video Highlights

Obviously it's way too soon to say this is the type of win that turned a season around, but a weekend like this has to give Michigan State some confidence as they head into another home and home series with Ferris State.

CCHA Standings

	GP	W	L	T	SOW	Points	Total Points Possible
Notre Dame	13	11	2	0	0	33	78
Miami	16	8	4	4	4	32	68
Western Michigan	14	9	3	2	1	30	72
Ferris St.	16	8	7	1	0	25	61
Ohio St.	14	7	4	3	1	25	67
LSSU	16	7	8	1	1	23	59
Alaska	16	6	7	3	1	22	58
Michigan State	16	5	10	1	0	16	52
Michigan	16	4	10	2	2	16	52
Northern Michigan	16	3	9	4	1	14	50
Bowling Green	13	3	7	3	1	13	58

Notre Dame is still really in the driver's seat. They hold a huge advantage on Miami with the 3 games on hand. Western Michigan is really the next closest team. Ohio State and Miami seem to hold the inside track to a top four spot and home ice in the quarterfinal round. The next group appears to be Ferris State, LSSU, and Alaska right now battling it out for the fifth spot - and the final spot for a first round bye. Bowling Green has the games on hand to really move up the standings, and they are unbeaten in three straight games and 4-1-2 in their last seven games. They just won in Ann Arbor 5-1.

Speaking of Michigan, the Spartans and Wolverines and tied for 8th - which is the final home ice spot for the first round of the playoffs. However, if Bowling Green wins all their games on hand, they could be as high as seventh place. The Falcons have a tough stretch coming up with a weeknight game against Notre Dame followed by a home and home with Western and a road series at Miami.

Michigan was just swept at home by Alaska - which has never happened before. One wonders if that second half run is really going to happen. Northern Michigan is known for having strong second halves as well, and they are unbeaten in four games (3-0-1).

A full weekend of CCHA action is on tap this weekend, though Miami does go out of conference:

Games This Week:

Tuesday:

Notre Dame at Bowling Green

Friday:

Western Michigan at Bowling Green
Michigan at LSSU
Ferris State at Michigan State  (Fox Sports Detroit)
Alaska at Notre Dame
Ohio State at Northern Michigan
Miami at Wisconsin  (Big Ten Network)

Saturday:

Michigan State at Ferris State
Michigan at LSSU
Alaska at Notre Dame    (CBS Sports Network)
Ohio State at Northern Michigan
Bowling Green at Western Michigan
Miami at Wisconsin   (Fox Sports Wisconsin Plus)


CCHA Power Rankings

1. Notre Dame (15-6-0, LW: 1). Even after a 1-2 week where the Irish only scored three goals, the Irish still hold the spot for the best team in the CCHA.

2. Western Michigan (13-5-4, LW: 3). The Broncos are in position to potentially challenge Notre Dame for the league title.

3. Miami (12-5-5, LW: 2). A rough weekend up in Marquette brings up some question marks if Miami can contend in the CCHA.

4. Alaska (8-8-4, LW: 8). The Nanooks just did something they've never done before - sweep Michigan.

5. Northern Michigan (9-10-4, LW: 6). The Wildcats are unbeaten in four.

6. Ferris State (10-9-3, LW: 5). The Bulldogs are hanging around the top four - can they go on another run?

7. Ohio State (8-9-5, LW: 9). Ohio State managed a split in Big Rapids, can they cool off the Wildcats?

8. LSSU (12-11-1, LW: 4). It might be a little harsh dropping them this far, but I think that just goes to show you how even some of these teams are.

9. Michigan State (6-13-3, LW: 10). A good weekend against South Bend and still a lot of home games coming up.

10. Bowling Green (6-10-5, LW: 11). Are the Falcons finally making a move? A tough week coming up with Notre Dame and Western Michigan.

11. Michigan (7-13-2, LW: 9). Has Michigan hit rock bottom yet?

Big Ten Power Rankings

1. Minnesota (16-3-3, LW: 1). Just keep winning, just keep winning, just keep winning. Gophers are unbeaten in eight (7-0-1)

2. Wisconsin (8-7-5, LW: 2). Just keep winning, just keep winning, just keep winning - Badgers are now unbeaten in ten games (7-0-3) which includes six straight wins.

3. Ohio State (8-9-5, LW: 4). The Buckeyes continue an up and down season.

4. Michigan State (6-13-3, LW: 6). Can Michigan State do something they haven't done yet this year - win three straight?

5. Penn State (8-11-0, LW: 5). A weekend split with the USA Development U-18 team - a pair of home games this week for Penn State before their first Big 10 weekend series against Michigan State (note: they have played Ohio State - but that wasn't a series).

6. Michigan (7-13-2, LW: 3). Just keep wishing, just keep wishing - the nation's longest NCAA tournament streak looks to be on life support and dependent upon a CCHA tournament championship.

Know Thy Enemy: Michigan

Well. It's that time of year (perfect timing for MSU with the football bye week).

Excuse me while I shower to clean myself for posting that logo......

Seriously though, it's time for the first installment of the most played rivalry in college hockey history. It's Michigan week.

Yeah, We really can't blame you for reacting this way.....

Friday night the teams will get together at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, and Saturday the teams will play at Munn. Both games can be seen on Comcast (Channel 900), at 7:35 pm on Friday and 7:05 pm on Saturday. If you can't tune in, you can turn on your radio to 730 am on Friday and 1240 am on Saturday. 

This will be the 290th and 291st time the two rivals have met. According to MSU records, the Wolverines lead the series 145-125-19. Last season Michigan went 3-1-1 against Michigan State (includes GLI). Michigan State went 1-0-1 at Munn (MSU won the shoot-out). Michigan won at Yost and then won two overtime games at Joe Louis Arena.

MSU is 64-48-10 at home against Michigan. Michigan holds a 71-44-4 edge at Yost. Both teams have done well in the regular season at home against the other one. Michigan last won a regular season game at Munn on December 6, 2008 (a 5-3 win). Michigan did win two play-off games at Munn back in March of 2010. Michigan State last won at Yost (3-2) on November 13, 2009. That was the last time MSU also swept a weekend series from Michigan (MSU won the next night at Munn 2-0).

Although it's not likely - you never know when Shegos will be in the middle of a MSU-UM brawl

Highlights From The Last MSU-UM game at Munn

The bad news for Michigan State fans is Torey Krug isn't walking out on the ice. The good news for MSU fans is that Michigan still seems to be figuring things out right now. They have question marks on the blue line and in goal. They only earned two out of a possible six points last weekend at Northern Michigan, and it took a three goal third period comeback on Friday just to force OT and eventually a shoot-out. Plus, the last goal Michigan scored in regulation happened at the 19:59 mark of the final period. 

I guess it goes without saying that you'll need to play 60 minutes against Michigan to try to beat them in regulation. 

Top Scorers:

A.J. Treais        7 goals, 10 points

Mac Bennett     3 goals, 9 points

Alex Guptill     4 goals, 8 points

Kevin Lynch    2 goals, 6 points

Jacob Trouba   2 goals, 6 points

Phil Di Giuseppe  1 goal, 6 points

In Goal:

Steve Racine   3-1-1, 2.96 GAA, .885 save %

Jared Rutledge  0-2-0, 4.52 GAA, .852 save %

Michigan is averaging 41 shots a game, and they are only allowing 27 shots a goal. The one period that stood out was the 105-57 shot edge in the 3rd period this year. 92-62 in the opening frame isn't bad either. Michigan out-scores teams 16-8 in the 3rd period. Michigan holds a slim 8-6 edge in scoring in the first period, and trails 9-7 in the second period this season.

So this could be interesting, because MSU has outscored teams 11-4 in the third period. They still need to work out the first two periods though as MSU has been outscored 19-3 in the first two periods combined.

Michigan's power play is clicking at a 21.9% rate right now, and the PK is at 82.1%. MSU has been out-shot 218-201 on the season. 

Final Thoughts

This can be said about any hockey game, the start is important. In a rivalry game, it adds to the importance to put the first goal in the net. Michigan State probably needs to get off to a faster start than Michigan (meaning it seems Michigan would be more apt to come from behind than Michigan State), but you just never know what could happen in this series. Anything is possible - so it wouldn't be surprising to see a 6-5 type game or a 1-0 type game. Michigan State has to have some confidence coming from the six goal outburst on Saturday at Bowling Green, but this weekend starts  quite the stretch of games to end the 2012 calendar of games (including series with Miami & Notre Dame). Every point matters, and you can't really expect anything less than an all-out effort from both clubs not wanting to give up a single inch to their arch-rival.

Weekend Recap: Splits Become The Norm

For most people, the CCHA has really become a difficult league to earn points in as the conference depth has improved a great deal in recent years. This weekend shows just what can happen - five series - basically five splits. The lone exception is going to be Michigan-Northern as one game went into a shoot-out, so it wasn't a clean 3 point split for both teams.

Michigan rallied to earn the extra point on Friday, but Northern held on for the regulation win on Saturday. Western stunned Notre Dame in South Bend on Friday, but the Irish rebounded with a dominating win on Sunday afternoon. Miami and Ferris split as the Bulldogs won on Friday, and Miami returned the favor the next night. Bowling Green won in East Lansing for the first time since 2007 on Friday, but the Spartans dominated the game on Saturday to earn the split in Bowling Green. Finally, LSSU made the long trek out west and earned a split in Alaska.


CCHA Standings:

	GP	W	L	T	SOW	Points	Total Points Possible
Notre Dame	4	3	1	0	0	9	165
Alaska	4	2	2	0	0	6	162
Ferris State	4	2	2	0	0	6	162
LSSU	4	2	2	0	0	6	162
Miami	4	2	2	0	0	6	162
Michigan State	4	2	2	0	0	6	162
Bowling Green	4	1	2	1	1	5	161
Michigan	4	1	2	1	1	5	161
Northern Michigan	4	1	2	1	0	4	160
Ohio State	2	1	0	1	0	4	166
Western Michigan	2	1	1	0	0	3	165

Right now it looks like if anyone can go on a winning streak, they might pull away from the pack early on in the season. However, if the depth really is improved, it's going to be hard for anyone to pull away.

Games Next Weekend:

Friday:

Ferris State at Lake Superior State
Northern Michigan at Miami
Alaska at Ohio State
Bowling Green at Western Michigan
Michigan State at Michigan
Notre Dame at Boston College

Saturday:

Ferris State at Lake Superior State
Northern Michigan at Miami
Western Michigan at Bowling Green
Michigan at Michigan State
Alaska at Ohio State


While everyone in East Lansing will be focused on the series against Michigan, there are other series that should peak your interest. Alaska going down to Columbus for a pair should be interesting to see if either team can come away with a sweep. Ferris State traveling up to LSSU will be a good series, as well as Northern Michigan visiting Miami (though I bet most people will have Miami sweeping that series). Then there is the single non-conference game between Notre Dame and Boston College.

Around the country, Penn State won again this weekend against Buffalo State (D-III), and it's rivalry week in the Big 10 as Wisconsin and Minnesota face-off against each other. 

CCHA Power Rankings:

1. Notre Dame (6-2-0, LW: 1). The Irish benefit from everyone splitting.

2. Western Michigan (4-2-0, LW: 3). The Broncos earned a split in South Bend - let's see how many other teams can do that this season.

3. Miami (5-2-1, LW: 2). Miami finally returns home after a decent 2-2 road trip.

4. Ferris State (3-3-2, LW: 6). The Bulldogs may have just sent a message to the rest of the CCHA that they still are a force this year.

5. Michigan (4-3-0, LW: 4). A lot of question marks remain in Ann Arbor, as they needed a miracle finish to manage any points against Northern.

6. Alaska (4-3-1, LW: 5). The Nanooks return to the lower 48 again trying to show they can do it away from home.

7. Northern Michigan (4-3-1, LW: 9). Despite the collapse on Friday, Northern still managed to earn four out of a possible six points against Michigan.

8. LSSU (4-4-0, LW: 7). Really not much separating the Lakers from anyone else in these rankings.

9. Michigan State (3-4-1, LW: 8). Same can be said about the Spartans - not much difference from them and the rest of the middle of the pack in the CCHA.

10. Ohio State (2-2-2, LW: 10). It might be time to move up if the Buckeyes can sweep Alaska.

11. Bowling Green (2-5-2, LW: 11). They could have moved up by sweeping MSU, but it has to be a disappointing split for the Falcons after winning at Munn on Friday.

Big Ten Power Rankings:

1. Minnesota (5-2-0, LW: 1). Splits seem just as popular early on in the WCHA.

2. Michigan (4-3-0, LW: 2). I just can't move Penn State this high this early on.

3. Penn State (5-2-0, LW: 3). Anyone else notice they are tied with Minnesota for best record among Big 10 teams?

4. Michigan State (3-4-1, LW: 4). Big series awaits MSU this week (and next).

5. Ohio State (2-2-2, LW: 6). The Buckeyes looking for as many CCHA points as possible this week.

6. Wisconsin (1-4-1, LW: 5). Starting off 0-4 "at home" is never a good thing.  A big series against rival Minnesota awaits the Badgers.