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.

Know Thy Playoff Enemy: Miami

And then there were eight.

The Michigan State Spartans have been playing better hockey over the last month, and they were finally rewarded with a road series victory in Alaska. Their reward for that success was a very short week of practice and a road series at the CCHA Champion Miami Red Hawks.

Some reward eh?

The Spartans enter the weekend with a 13-23-3 overall record. Since the loss on February 8th at Bowling Green, Michigan State is 6-4. Miami enters the weekend with a 22-9-5 overall record, #3 overall ranking, and in position to potentially get a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Miami last played on March 1st and 2nd in a weekend split against Ohio State. That split earned Miami the final CCHA championship. I'm sure they'd like nothing more than to win the last Mason Cup as well, knocking out at least one Big Ten foe along the way.

Michigan State leads the all-time series 68-32-6 and that includes a 28-14-3 record in Miami. The problem is Miami has dominated the series of late going 6-0-1 over the last 7 games. This includes a 2 game play-off sweep in last year's CCHA quarterfinals and taking five of six points this year in the season series. Michigan State tied Miami in Oxford 2-2 in the first game this year, and Miami won the second game 2-0. Miami won the shoot-out on Friday as well.

This was one of those series last season that quite a few MSU fans thought the Red Hawks simply presented a bad match-up for Michigan State. Well, they may have been right since Miami dominated the play-off series.

Given the very short week of prep work MSU had, the odds certainly are stacked up against Michigan State. Last weekend we mentioned how the playoffs present an opportunity for a second chance, to remake your ending if your season didn't go according to plan. Michigan State still has that opportunity this weekend to rewrite their ending. Whether they win or lose, you know they are going to lay their heart on the line and give it their best shot. With Yanakeff and Hildebrand, if both goalies are sharp this weekend, the Spartans will be in the game. It's going to be important to stick around, be pesky, and make them earn everything.

They have nothing to lose at this point, and Bowling Green did it last year from the #11 spot. This Spartan team can do it too.

Miami Leading Scorers:

Riley Barber    15 goals, 36 points
Austin Czarnik  11 goals, 33 points
Curtis McKenzie 9 goals, 22 points
Matthew Caito   5 goals, 18 points
Marc Hagel  5 goals, 17 points

Miami Goaltenders:

Jay Williams    12-5-3, 1.89 GAA, .926 save %
Ryan McKay    10-4-2, 1.17 GAA, .957 save %

Team Comparison

Miami Offense:  5th  -  2.53 GPG
MSU Defense:  8th - 2.74 GAPG

Miami Defense:  1st - 1.61 GAPG
MSU Offense: 11th - 2.10 GPG

Miami Power Play: 5th  - 15.8%
MSU Penalty Kill: T-7th  - 83.9%
MSU Penalty Minutes:  2nd least - 12.2  PIM/G

Miami Penalty Kill:  2nd - 88.6%
Miami Penalty Minutes:  3rd most - 13.9 PIM/G
MSU Power Play:  10th - 13.4%

Series Thoughts:

Game 1 Box Score // Game 1 Recap
Game 2 Box Score // Game 2 Recap

Miami is the clear favorite in this one. There aren't going to be many people, if any outside of East Lansing, that will pick MSU to win this series or even a game in this series. The poll on the right hand side seems to show some confident (or crazy) Spartan fans. But this is why you play the game. No one gave Bowling Green a chance to do it last year. There weren't many people that gave MSU a chance last weekend. Legs are going to be a concern this weekend, which is going to make the start very important. If the Spartans score early, it certainly will give them a lot of confidence, and that pesky underdog can go to work again. In any case, the Spartans simply need to work hard for 60 minutes in each game, and if needed, let the goaltending take over. Then who knows what that pesky underdog is capable of doing. Anything is possible, and it's why games are won on the ice and not on paper.

Friday's game is scheduled to start at 7:35 pm. Saturday and if needed Sunday's game is scheduled at 7:05 pm. All the games can be heard on 730 am or the Spartan Sports Network

Know Thy Playoff Enemy: Miami - A Look Back

The Michigan State Spartans head down to southern Ohio this weekend to take on the CCHA Champion Miami Red Hawks in the CCHA Quarterfinal best of three series. This won't be the first time the teams have met in the play-offs, as they met as recently as last year. Here is a quick look at their playoff history:

1985 CCHA First Round (Total Goal Series) - #1 Michigan State vs. #4 Miami

The two teams first met in the playoffs all the way back in 1985. It was the final year of a three round tournament format, in which the first round was total goals, and the last two rounds were single elimination. 1986 saw the best of three format introduced in the first round.

The Spartans squeaked out a 4-3 victory on the first night, but the team that most MSU fans will say was the greatest team to ever play in East Lansing ended up dominating the second night 7-1 for a total goal series win 11-4.

Sadly the 1985 season did not end the way pretty much every Spartan fan expected. Providence came into Munn and stunned the Spartans with a 6-5 total goal series victory. 

1992 CCHA Consolation Game (Joe Louis Arena) - #3 Michigan State vs. #5 Miami

Michigan State pushed its playoff record against Miami to 3-0 with an 8-5 victory in the 3rd place game at Joe Louis Arena. Michigan State would transform a late season charge into a Frozen Four appearance that ended in the Frozen Four with a 4-2 loss to CCHA rival LSSU. 

1997 CCHA Semi-Finals (Joe Louis Arena) - #2 Miami vs. #3 Michigan State

Michigan State and Miami met in the semi-finals, and the Spartans topped the Red Hawks in a 4-3 overtime thriller. The Spartans would move on to lose to arch-rival Michigan in the CCHA championship game.

2000 CCHA First Round - #2 Michigan State vs. #9 Miami

Game 1 Box Score

The Spartans dominated the game early on building a 6-0 lead before Miami could finally get one past Ryan Miller. Miami did end up scoring the last two goals of the game, but it wasn't enough to really make the Spartans worry. Michigan State's power play was key going 3 for 5 in the game.

Game 2 Box Score

Miami played better, but it wasn't enough as the Spartans broke the game open late in the first period. Andrew Hutchinson scored a backbreaking goal at the 19:59 mark to give Michigan State a 3-1 lead, and with Ryan Miller in net, that was more than enough for the Spartans. Michigan State eventually won 5-1 to sweep the series and push their playoff record against Miami to 6-0 all-time.

The Spartans would go on to dominate the tournament in Detroit beating Notre Dame 4-0 and UNO 6-0 to win the tournament championship. Boston College would beat the Spartans in the NCAA tournament to end Michigan State's season.

2005 CCHA Tournament First Round - #6 Michigan State vs. #7 Miami

Game 1 Box Score  // Game 1 Recap

Michigan State's Chad Hontvet tallied a pair of power play goals in the second period to rally Michigan State past Miami. Michigan State fell behind 1-0 on a power play goal by Nathan Davis, but the two goals in the middle stanza proved to be the difference as MSU won 2-1. Dominic Vicari made 25 saves for MSU.

Game 2 Box Score // Game 2 Recap

Trailing 4-2 in the 3rd period with just over 7 minutes to go, it looked like game three was going to be necessary, and it looked like Miami was going to earn its first playoff win over Michigan State. The Spartans had other ideas as Tom Goebel and Colton Fretter tallied goals just 1:29 apart to force overtime. Then 7:45 into the extra session, Colton Fretter scored again on the power play to give Michigan State a thrilling 5-4 overtime win.

Michigan State would go on and beat UNO in the quarterfinals before dropping a semi-final game against Ohio State and the consolation game against Alaska.

2006 CCHA Championship - #1 Miami vs. #2 Michigan State

Box Score // Game Recap

Michigan State continued its playoff dominance (now at 9-0) over Miami with a hard fought and spirited 2-1 victory over Miami to win the Mason Cup and CCHA Tournament. This marks the last time Michigan State won the tournament, and it allowed MSU to earn a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Spartans didn't get to the Frozen Four though as Maine edged MSU in the regional championship game of the NCAA tournament.David Booth scored the game winning goal in this game at the 5:52 mark of the second period. Jeff Lerg made 22 saves in the win.

2012 CCHA Quarterfinals - #4 Miami vs. #5 Michigan State

Game 1 Box Score // Game 1 Recap

Miami finally earned its first playoff victory against Michigan State, and they did so in dominating fashion. It only took 12 seconds for the Spartans to get on the board, but the first period ended 1-0. Miami then used a four goal outburst in the second period to make the game not-so-close. Miami would go on to win 6-0. This was the first post season game for Coach Tom Anastos as the head coach of Michigan State.

Game 2 Box Score // Game 2 Recap

Miami finished off Michigan State pretty quickly with a 4-1 win in game two. The Spartans hung tougher in the first period coming out of it tied at 1 (Krug with the goal). However, the second period doomed the Spartans again with three goals less the four minutes apart. Michigan State's season would end two weeks later in the NCAA tournament - its first tournament bid since 2008.

Know Thy Playoff Enemy: Alaska The Sequel

The Spartans once again are making the long trip out west, but this time there is a lot more on the line - an entire season. Everything up to this point becomes moot. Everyone is 0-0, and they don't even have to win two straight games to advance - just two out of three.

Of course, they will be fighting recent playoff disappointments. Michigan State has lost ten straight post seasons (CCHA & NCAA) games. Their last CCHA playoff victory came all the way back in 2008 - game 1 of the quarterfinal series with Northern Michigan. The 10 game streak started that year as well after MSU defeated Colorado College in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Add in the fact that Michigan State has yet to win two games in a single weekend, and Michigan State has only won three road games all season, the odds seem stacked against the Spartans. Despite all this, the people that visit this blog seem confident as over half believe MSU can win the series.  And even if Michigan State does win the series, what does that mean? It means they'd head down to Oxford for the quarterfinal series - playing a team that simply has had Michigan State's number of late.

So really, there's no reason to even show up right? MSU can't win. It's just not possible.

Playoffs - The Second Season, A Second Chance

Was it possible for Bowling Green last season, a team that won 5 conference games all year and only 10 games overall (going into the playoffs) to make it to Joe Louis Arena? No, but did it stop them? No. Bowling Green stunned sixth-seeded Northern Michigan in three games, then upset the conference champion Ferris State Bulldogs in three games.  Bowling Green then held a 2-0 lead in the CCHA semi-finals before finally losing in double overtime - a dream ending coming up just a little bit short.

Was it possible for the LA Kings to barely make the NHL playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference to win the Stanley Cup? Heck no. It's funny how sometimes the underdog forgets that they are just that - underdogs.

There are examples all over the place - and let's not forget that Michigan State did win one of their three road games in Alaska, and nearly had the second game of the series in overtime. How about the potential with two great goalies keeping the Spartans chances of stealing a road series? Hildebrand and Yanakeff have both shown they can steal a game this year. 

While the play will certainly need to be sharp, a win over top 10 Western Michigan had to build up some confidence, and if it takes an 'us against the world' mentality, then so be it - shock the world.

2012 - 2013 Leading Scorers:

Andy Taranto   14 goals, 27 points

Cody Kunyk     9 goals, 26 points

Colton Beck    11 goals, 20 points

Tyler Morley    10 goals, 19 points

Nanooks Goaltender

John Keeney   12-9-3, 2.33 GAA, .910 save %

Team Comparison:

Alaska Offense:  4th - 2.56 GPG 

MSU Defense:  9th - 2.75 GAPG

Alaska Defense: 7th - 2.65 GAPG

MSU Offense: 11th - 2.08 GPG

Alaska Power Play: 7th - 14.5 %

MSU Penalty Kill:  7th - 83.6%

MSU Penalty Minutes:  T-3rd Least 12.4 PIM/G

Alaska Penalty Kill:  1st - 89.5%

Alaska Penalty Minutes:  T-4th Most - 13.4 PIM/G

MSU Power Play: 9th - 14.1 %

Series Thoughts:

Game 1 Box Score 

Game 2 Box Score 

The immediate thought is MSU needs to get more rubber on goal. The Spartans only had 38 shots on goal for the entire weekend - 14 in the 1-0 win and 24 in the 4-2 loss. Yanakeff played very well all weekend keeping Michigan State in the game. The Spartans will need another strong goaltending effort in order to win this series, but it's going to take some help in the offensive end as well. 

While Alaska might be the favorite, if the Spartans have their legs going - which won't be easy because of the travel - MSU will be in this series. It's a matter of out-working the Nanooks in front of the goal, in the corners, and limiting the turnovers crossing the blue lines. 

Gut feeling says it goes the distance - which will make for a lot of late night listening. All the games are scheduled to start at 11:05 pm Eastern time and can be heard on 1240 am in Lansing or on the Spartan Sports Network. We'll be looking to do a very late night live blog as well.

Go Green!

Know Thy Enemy - Western Michigan & The End of an Era

Well, the end has finally come. This weekend Michigan State will celebrate the careers of five Spartans: Kevin Walrod, Matt Grassi, Chris Forfar, Anthony Hayes, and Zach Golembiewski. In addition, this marks the end of an era for Michigan State, Western Michigan, and college hockey. It's the final regular season weekend in the history of the CCHA. Michigan State will join the Big Ten conference next season, and Western Michigan will be joining the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with fellow CCHA member Miami.

In the meantime, the Spartans are looking to end the regular season on a high note, potentially move up the CCHA standings, and prevent Western Michigan from clinching the CCHA championship. Though, Western will need a lot of help as Miami only needs two points for an outright championship. Miami takes on Ohio State this weekend.

Western Michigan is 18-8-8 overall with a 14-6-6-3 CCHA mark (2nd place). They sit one point ahead of Notre Dame for second place, and the Broncos cannot finish worse than third in the CCHA standings. Michigan State comes into the weekend with three straight splits posting a 10-21-3 overall record and an 8-17-1-0 CCHA mark (11th place). The Spartans could finish as high as ninth place with a lot of help. Right now MSU would be heading to Alaska for the first round of the playoffs. The Spartans need Bowling Green to sweep a road series at Notre Dame to bump Alaska from sixth place, or MSU needs to earn four more points than Northern Michigan or sweep Western and have Ferris sweep Michigan in order to move up the CCHA standings.

Western is actually on a five game winless streak right now. Their last win came on February 8th against Miami, a 2-0 victory. Western is 0-2-3 since that point. Speaking of streaks, Michigan State is unbeaten in three games against the Broncos (2-0-1). The Spartans swept Western last year in Kalamazoo, and the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw in the GLI semi-final round earlier this year. Matt Berry tied that game with only 16 seconds remaining. The Spartans hold a 63-29-9 all-time record against Western and that includes a 33-5-6 mark at Munn Ice Arena. The last time the two teams met in East Lansing was on October 30, 2009.

Both games are scheduled to start at 7:05 pm and can be seen on Comcast (Channel 900) or heard on 1240 am or the Spartan Sports Network. For those attending on Saturday, senior night festivities are scheduled to begin at 6:45 pm.

Broncos Leading Scorers

Dane Walters   12 goals, 23 points
Chase Balisy    9 goals, 22 points
Kenney Morrison  7 goals, 18 points
Shane Berschbach  3 goals, 17 points
Mike Leone  6 goals, 16 points
Mike Cichy  4 goals, 16 points
Dennis Brown 3 goals, 16 points

Goaltenders

Frank Slubowski  18-8-8, 1.87 GAA, .922 save %

Western is 5-5-4 on the road this season.

Western's best period is the 3rd where they hold a +11 goal advantage.

Western's offense is ranked 11th in the CCHA (2.29 GPG), but their defense is ranked 2nd (1.94 GPG). Despite the lack of offensive firepower 5 on 5, Western's power play ranks 2nd in the CCHA at 18.1%, and their PK ranks 3rd at 86.4%. By comparison, MSU ranks 12th in offense (2.12 GPG), 9th on defense (2.76 GPG), 9th on the power play (12.3%), and 8th on the PK (83.2%).

Series Thoughts

Northern plays LSSU at home, so you would think they would manage three points on the weekend. Michigan plays at home against Ferris, so you think they would earn at least one point. BGSU probably isn't going to sweep Notre Dame in South Bend. The point of all this is, the odds are Michigan State is going to be heading back to Alaska - even if MSU manages to sweep Western, which most people won't believe they can do. However, the Spartans did hang around Western at the GLI, and the Broncos aren't exactly lighting the world on fire on offense. If the Spartans can manage to put together six periods this weekend, they'll be in position to take points, and that could lead to some momentum heading into the playoffs. 

That is all that really matters at this point. Putting together two games on a weekend to add some much needed confidence that the Spartans could be a dangerous team in the post season. Yanakeff played very well last weekend, and Hildebrand has played well most of the season, so the Spartans have a pair of goaltenders capable of stealing a game in the playoffs. 

Let's see if they can get something going this weekend, and who knows what could happen.....

 

Know Thy Enemy: Fear the Bear

Michigan State heads off to Alaska to take on the Nanooks for a pair of games. This could be the final time Michigan State ends up going to Alaska, since the Spartans are leaving the CCHA for the Big Ten next season. The Nanooks will join their in-state rival Alaska-Anchorage in the WCHA next season.

The Nanooks come into this series with a 11-12-3-1 CCHA record good enough for 6th place (37 points).  Alaska is going to have to sweep MSU and hope Ferris State AND Ohio State lose out if they want to assure themselves a potential home ice spot and first round bye. They will need other help on top of that, so I suppose at this point Alaska is going to be concerned about playing good hockey. The Nanooks are basically guaranteed a first round home series unless a lot of crazy things happen the last two weekends, and if Michigan State does something they haven't done yet this year (sweep a weekend series - no time like the present!). Alaska is 13-13-4 overall this year and 7-6-1 at home.

2013 started off with a bang for Alaska winning six straight games to start the calendar year. This included back to back road sweeps at Michigan and Notre Dame. However, the Nanooks have hit hard times lately dropping five of their last six games, and they are coming off back to back losses to LSSU.

The Spartans enter the weekend still in last place, but they are playing better hockey of late with back to back splits. Michigan State is a long shot at this point to get home ice for the first round of the CCHA playoffs, so this weekend could be as much about trying to avoid Alaska in the first round and avoid making two trips out west in three weeks.


While I won't miss the 11pm game times, I know I will miss one thing when it comes to Alaska: the videos:

It would be wise to avoid angering the bear

Fear the Bear.

Ah. Good Stuff.

The last time these two teams met, Michigan State swept Alaska in East Lansing on February 17th and 18th (2012). MSU won the first night 3-2 in OT and posted a 3-0 victory on the second night. The last time the two teams played in Alaska for a regular season series was the 2010 - 2011 season when the teams split the series. They met two weeks later in the CCHA tournament (also in Alaska), and the Nanooks won back to back overtime games to sweep MSU out of the CCHA playoffs, and end the Rick Comley era. 

Michigan State leads the all-time series 41-15-3. This includes a 15-9-2 mark in Fairbanks.  Alaska has dominated the series of late holding a 4-1-1 edge in the last three series in Alaska.

Fast forward to this year, the Nanooks look stronger, even on their recent slide, they are going to be a team to pay attention to in the playoffs.

Leading Scorers

Andy Taranto   10 goals, 22 points

Cody Kunyk    8 goals, 21 points

Tyler Morley   10 goals, 18 points

Jarret Granberg 5 goals, 17 points

Colton Beck     10 goals, 16 points

Trevor Campbell  2 goals, 16 points

Goaltenders

John Keeney    9-8-3   2.55 GAA, .905 save %

Steve Thompson   2-3-0, 3.30 GAA, .876 save %

Sean Cahill    2-2-1,  2.37 GAA,  .882 save %

Series Thoughts

The Nanooks have blistered opposing goaltenders getting on average 34 shots on goal a game. On the flip side, they are only allowing 26 per a game. Despite that, they have been outscored 85-78 this season - though the widest margin by period is a 29-24 deficit in the 3rd period. Alaska's penalty kill is very strong at 89.2%, and they are one of the least penalized teams at just over 13 minutes per a game. 

The biggest thing for the Spartans will be to adjust to the larger ice sheet. This will make turnovers even more critical. The Spartans need to be able to protect the puck coming out of the defensive zone and into the offensive zone. If they have a lot of turnovers, Alaska is going to be able to turn that right back on the Spartan goal. 

On the flip side, Hildebrand & Yanakeff will need to be sharp. 

At this point, the Spartans just need to look to build back to back games - and continue to build to the post season. They need to take care of business first before really worrying about anything else. Take it one period at a time, and they need to come ready to go right away. Friday night was a little disappointing to see, but the Spartans played one of their better games of the season the very next night. Now let's see if they can building that into something this weekend. Then, if the two teams happen to face each other again, it may give the Spartans the confidence they need to put it together for a playoff series out there.

Both games are scheduled for 11:05 pm eastern and can be heard on 1240 am or the spartan sports network.

Go Green!

Know Thy Enemy: Northern Michigan

The Michigan State Spartans welcome the Northern Michigan Wildcats for a weekend series at Munn Ice Arena. Michigan State enters the weekend four points behind Northern Michigan for 10th place in the CCHA. Northern Michigan is 6-12-4-1 in the CCHA (12-14-4 overall). With 9th place Michigan idle, the Spartans could actually find themselves in 9th place (tied) by sweeping all six points from Northern.

One game at a time though right? The Spartans, with a win on Friday, will earn their first two game winning streak this season. It has been a little while since MSU has seen Northern. The Spartans last faced the Wildcats on January 13th and 14th (2012) at Munn. MSU won a shoot-out on Friday (5-5 tie), and then the Spartans won the next night 2-1. MSU went 2-1-1 against Northern last year.

Michigan State holds a 34-28-4 edge in the all-time series, which includes a 19-10-3 mark at Munn. Friday's game starts at 6:35 pm and can be seen on the Big Ten Network. Saturday's game starts at 7:35 pm and can be see on Fox Sports Detroit. On your radio dial, it's 1240 AM on Friday and 730 AM on Saturday, or on-line at the Spartan Sports Network.

Michigan State split last weekend with Bowling Green, as each team defended their home rink. Northern Michigan started off the 2013 calendar year on a roll going 5-0-1 in their first six games of 2013. Since then though, they have cooled off going 1-4-0 in their last five games. The Wildcats most recently played on Tuesday and lost 8-2 at Michigan Tech.

Northern Michigan Leading Scorers

Matt Thurber  3 goals, 25 points
Reed Seckel    10 goals, 18 points
Stephan Vigier  5 goals, 17 points
Ryan Daugherty  9 goals, 14 points
Erik Higby       5 goals, 14 points

Goaltender:

Jared Coreau  12-14-4, 2.60 GAA, .918 save percentage

Series Thoughts

Stats wise these teams are very even. NMU ranks 10th in the league at 2.09 goals per a game, and MSU is 11th at 2.00 goals per a game. On defense, the Wildcats sit in 8th at 2.77 goals allowed per a game, and MSU is tied for 6th at 2.45 goals allowed per a game. I think it's safe to say the first to three stands a good chance at winning these games.

While eighth place right now seems like a pipe dream, the Spartans simply need to start building upon victories. These are two very winnable games, but it's going to take a strong effort both nights, and it'd be great to see the Spartans jump out to an early lead and really help carry the momentum from last Saturday. The biggest difference between these teams right now? Northern is 8-3 this year in one goal games. Michigan State is 1-9. I guess we can hope for another empty net goal.

All that's left is a half relevant clip (2nd half):

We might not be the Wildcats, but we certainly want to beat the Wildcats

Know Thy...... (sigh).... Time To Start Calling Sweeps

Michigan State enters this weekend looking for positive momentum to finish the season and perhaps to earn a few points along the way. The Spartans are 7-18-3 overall and 5-14-1 in the CCHA. Michigan State sits four points behind Northern Michigan, and nine points behind Michigan and Bowling Green. This means the Spartans do have a chance to earn home ice advantage still for the first round of the CCHA playoffs. This weekend becomes a must-win for MSU.

Bowling Green comes in with a 10-13-5 overall and a 7-10-3-1 league mark. Bowling Green has been playing better lately going 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. This include sweeping LSSU last weekend 4-1 and 7-3.

The two teams split earlier in the year with each winning on the road. Bowling Green won 1-0 in East Lansing and MSU returned the favor in Bowling Green with a 6-1 victory.

Has it been a tough season? Yes. But there is still a chance to do something, and it doesn't matter if you think that chance is remote, it is still a chance. It's a chance to show up and play the game - and let the pucks fall where they may. It's been getting tougher to write anything here, since it's pretty much the same old thing. But in the end there is a group of kids willing to lay their hearts on the line for a program, and that's reason enough to keep going. You never know what could happen.

Both games this weekend are at 7:05 pm. Friday can be heard on 1240 AM and Saturday on 730 AM. There is no TV for this series.

End of an Era?

MSU holds a 72-31-8 edge in the all-time series - including a 40-10-3 mark in East Lansing and a 25-18-5 record in Bowling Green. But what this weekend may symbolize is an end of an era. Michigan State and Bowling Green became big rivals in the 80s when MSU became a force in the CCHA. Although the rivalry hasn't been as heated recently, it's series like this that are going to make fans miss the CCHA.

Please Score

MSU has scored one goal or less twelve times this season. MSU is 7-0-1 when scoring 3 or more and 0-18-2 when scoring 2 or fewer. MSU has only won twice this season on Friday night - both were non-conference wins (Niagara, Penn State).

Bowling Green

Leading Scorers:

Ryan Carpenter   11 goals, 24 points
Dajon Mingo  8 goals, 19 points
Dan DeSalvo  3 goals, 17 points
Robert Shea  3 goals, 16 points
Mike Sullivan 1 goal, 15 points
Mark Cooper 9 goals, 14 points
Adam Berkle 4 goals, 14 points

Goalies:

Andrew Hammond  8-10-3, 2.52 GAA, .917 save %
Tommy Burke   2-3-2, 2.23 GAA, .905 save %

Andrew Hammond (senior) is turning into one of those guys that I swear has been at Bowling Green for 5-6 years now.

Series Thoughts

BGSU has done well on the road this season - winning in East Lansing and Ann Arbor. They are 5-6-3 away from home and 5-7-2 at home. Bowling Green has had strong 3rd periods this year outscoring teams 27-19 in the final period. In the first and second periods, BGSU has been outscored 50-41.

We can talk about how MSU's offense ranks 54th nationally. We can talk about how Michigan State has yet to win two straight games this year. We can talk about how MSU is in last place..... But you know what? Screw it. It's time to take the 'Us against the world' attitude. Let's call for the Spartans to sweep - it's bound to happen sometime again (edit: It might take till next season). I Believe.

Know Thy Enemy (Blogger): Michigan (BTYB)

Michigan State. Michigan. Need I say more?

The best rivalry in college hockey hits the ice this weekend for their last two regular season meetings against each other. It should be a barn burner as both teams are once again next to each other atop the standings in the CCHA. So many times the two teams play each other with a lot on the line in the league and this weekend is no different......

.....What?..... I'm looking at the CCHA standings upside down? Michigan is really in second to last and Michigan State is in last?

Crazy times.

This might be the first time the two teams have faced each other - this late in the season - with both teams so low in the CCHA standings. There is still a lot on the line as home ice in the first round is very much in play for both teams. For example, Michigan State is only four points behind eighth place Northern Michigan, and the Spartans have 2 games in hand. In fact, over the next three weekends, Michigan State plays the three teams directly in front of them in the standings (Michigan, Bowling Green, and Northern Michigan).

The two teams will play the 293th meeting at Yost on Friday at 6:35 pm (Big Ten Network), and the 294th meeting at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday at 4:05 pm (Fox Sports Detroit). Michigan leads the overall season series 2-1, but the CCHA series is 1-1. The two teams split a home and home back in early November - both teams holding serve with big home ice victories. Michigan comes into the weekend on a three game losing streak and a 2-7 record over their last nine games. One of those two wins was over MSU at the GLI. The other was at LSSU. Michigan lost to the U-18 team as well, 5-3. Friday's game at Yost is Michigan's last home game until March 1st. I think it is safe to say it is a must win for Michigan.

Leading Scorers

A.J. Treais              11 goals, 18 points
Jacob Trouba           8 goals, 17 points
Alex Guptill            7 goals, 17 points
Cristoval Nieves      4 goals, 16 points
Phil Di Giuseppe     5 goals, 14 points

In Goal:

Steve Racine     4-5-2, 3.11 GAA,  .880 save %
Adam Janceyk  3-7-0, 3.46 GAA, .892 save %
Jared Rutledge  1-4-0, 4.33 GAA,  .849 save %

Interesting MSU stat vs. Michigan: MSU has scored 16 first period goals this season - 6 have been against Michigan. MSU has also scored 10 of its 54 goals this season against Michigan.

In the spirit of - well, I don't know what.....But I thought bringing in the opposing blogger for some thoughts worked out well - which means it's time to turn the blog over to a Michigan fan.

This week The Munn Minute welcomes Tim Williams. Tim is behind The Blog That Yost Built. If you feel the need - he does offer up some good hockey thoughts - albeit about that program down the road. So without further ado:

Know Thy Enemy Blogger Edition:

TMM: So, it's Michigan-Michigan State week. I often tell people that the MSU-UM rivalry is the best on the ice, because (at least under Berenson & Mason) the teams are usually good. Compare this rivalry in hockey, from a UM perspective, to some of your other rivalries.

BTYB: I think it's for sure the top rivalry we have in hockey. Every now and then it seems like we'll get a strong one going with another CCHA team, but no one has been good consistently for long enough to really get the hatred going. I would root for you guys over Minnesota. I friggin' hate the Gophers, but we don't really play them often enough to consider that one a top rivalry either. We play you guys 4+ times a year, and generally its meaningful. Sigh. 

TMM: What is your favorite Michigan-Michigan State hockey moment?

I think I see Tim.

BTYB: One of my favorite Michigan/Michigan State hockey moments has to be from my freshman year (00-01) when we played at the Joe. You guys were unbeaten in 23 games (I knew it was 20+, but I did have to go look that up), and Ryan Miller was at the top of his game. That game at the Joe was phenomenal and it's a game I'll never forget being at because of what it meant to knock off a Ryan Miller team that had been playing so well, but The Big Chill was quite possibly the best weekend of my life (outside of my wedding, of course). 

The weather was perfect, the game was perfect as a Wolverine fan, it was like Homecoming with how many people came back for it, and I got to play in the media game earlier in the week and notched a goal, which will forever be the highlight of my sports-playing life. 

Yeah. Winning 5-0 in front of that many fans is my favorite Michigan/Michigan State moment.

TMM: Who is/was your favorite (current or past) MSU player to watch play?

Miller would laugh at the sieve chants at Yost

BTYB: Ah geez. I'm probably going to have to say Miller. As much as it pains me, that guy was unreal. There have only been a couple of guys since I started closely following college hockey that gave me the "Awww s***, we're playing that guy" feeling that I used to get when the Packers would play Barry Sanders. Miller was one of them. (Mark Hartigan is the other that jumps to mind.) I hated when Michigan would play against him, but you had to respect someone being that freaking good. 

TMM: Back to the teams - Michigan sits in 10th place right now, do they have a long winning streak in them to keep the NCAA streak alive?

BTYB : A small part of me wants to say yes, just because I think the team is WAY more talented than they've shown and because by nature I'm an optimist. Truthfully, though? I don't think so. There's a lot wrong with that team. Red used the word "Fragile" a few weekends ago and it's a great description. They can play some decent hockey but as soon as anything bad happens they completely fold. They don't have the goalie to bail them out like they've had in years past. They don't have the forward that can turn a game in an instant (like a Hensick, Tambellini, Porter, Cammalleri, etc.) and the defense has really underachieved (and has been really banged up). If they could get a goalie to play consistently, I could see them winning a first round series and, who knows, maybe that sparks something. But they haven't won 2 games in a row since the 3rd and 4th games of the year. It's hard to imagine them stringing together that many good performances in a row.

  

TMM: Every year there is always that one Michigan player that I really won't mind seeing graudate - A.J. Treais is earning that honor since he has about 500 points in 15 games against MSU. Currently, he is Michigan's leading scorer. What do you feel are his strengths?

BTYB: He's the guy that's most in the vein of a Hensick-type. A high-end offensive guy that can pile up points. He's got the ability to score a highlight reel goal, or dish off a highlight reel assist. His goal totals and point totals have gone up every year he's been at Michigan, and even though he went through a cold streak after a great start, he's still got a chance to match his total from last year.

TMM: Michigan has been hit hard by early departures and the OHL - which goaltender on the team do you feel can give Michigan a chance to make a run from here on out? How do you see Michigan recruiting going forward with the influence that the OHL has over hockey athletes?

BTYB: It sounds weird, but I really want to see Rutledge in there again. He's been downright awful (1-4-0 with a 4.33/.849), and yet, you brought him in for a reason. He put up good numbers with the NTDP and that typically doesn't happen by accident. In theory he's your most talented goalie. He might not be the best goalie, but he should be the most talented. I kind of feel like we've seen Racine for stretches, we've see Janecyk for stretches. We know neither one of them is the answer--and it's certainly not just their fault. But what do we know about Rutledge? He got shelled in his first start when he had barely practiced and he promptly lost the starting gig. We saw him for a weekend against Michigan State with mixed results (1 goal allowed, 7 goals allowed) and since then he's only started one game. He hasn't had a chance to get on any kind of a roll, and for all we know he could be a guy that just performs better when he isn't looking over his shoulder. Since there's really no point to the rest of the regular season games outside of trying to get home ice in the first round, give him a shot. Play him 4 or 5 games in a row (and make it know that you're going to) and hope that the goalie you recruited actually shines through at some point. That really is their only hope because I don't see the other two taking them on a run.

As far as the OHL, I think it's always going to be a win some lose some game when you're trying to recruit the high-end talent. They could go for some lesser guys who would stay 4-years, but I'm not sure that's a better idea. I think you'll start seeing them cover their bases a lot more and take more commits than they could possibly cram on a team, knowing that they all won't make it to campus and there will be NHL departures too. If Lohan comes in next year, that's potentially 30 players committed for next year's team. It's a game I'm sure they'd prefer not to play, but you have to cover your bases. It's just tough with goalies because it's not like you can get multiple top-notch commits and take one. That's a tough sell because you're already only playing 40-45 games in college. If you're telling a goalie he'll be splitting time, it makes the NHL-sized season in the O kind of appealing.

  

TMM: What are your thoughts on the Big Ten Hockey Conference starting up next season?

BTYB: I'm excited about it. I've always told anyone who would listen that I'm in favor of the BTHC as long as the littler programs stay afloat. It's not worth it to me if we're going to lose a Bowling Green, a Lake State, etc. Tragic is too strong of a word, but it would be tragic for the sport to lose a former national champion because of money. That said, I'm geeked to get to play Minnesota and Wisconsin more. I'm really excited for more hockey on TV and more hockey in HD on TV. I just hope the programs raise the level of play for the inaugural season....

 

TMM: Will anyone take down Minnesota next year?

Imagine if they had this logo on their jerseys instead - I doubt anyone would take them seriously

BTYB: I sure hope so. Did I mention that I'd root for you guys in a second over Minnesota in hockey? Because I would. It's too early to say. There's plenty of time for departures, I haven't studied up on who is losing which players and what the recruiting classes look like (beyond that Michigan's is really good, assuming they Say No to the O). I'm really intrigued by the reports that Michigan is looking at a goalie for next year. That could be a fortune-changer if they can hit on one at this late of a date... 

TMM: If you could have one Spartan on Michigan's team right now - who would it be & why? 


BTYB: Hildebrand and I don't even have to look at the rest of your roster. Dude has something like a .940 save percentage. He's almost ten percent higher than Rutledge at this point. That's absurd (on both ends). That's why you have to feel at least okay if you're a Michigan State fan. This season has been a disaster, but at least you have a goalie. Maybe he's not a cure-all, but if you've got a great goalie you're going to go into every game with a chance to win, and there's always a chance he can get hot long enough to make something special happen (like Lerg did a few years back). We don't have that, and you only get so many shots to bring in a goalie. Michigan has to find one or next season might be a write-off too, even though I think the team as a whole will be better. Gimmee a guy that can stop 94% of the shots against him on a fairly bad team, and I think I can win a National Title with Michigan's roster next year if the incoming freshmen make it to campus. And my answer to question 4 is drastically different about this year. Michigan State is a scarier team to play than Michigan in a playoff series solely because of Hildebrand.

TMM: Predictions on the rest of the CCHA season?

BTYB: I'm going to keep drinking. I like Western to hang on because they have Miami and Notre Dame at home. Ferris has 2 fewer games to play, but they get WMU at home and the rest of their schedule is pretty weak. If they could get 4+ points from WMU they could be a little scary, because I could see them running the table after that. Michigan does win their first round playoff series against an LSSU or an NMU, but that's it and the tournament streak comes to an end.

TMM: I'm not sure there are many confident fans on either side of the fence this weekend - Predictions on this series?

BTYB: Hildebrand stymies Michigan in one game, the Wolverines take the other. Just because I'm going to be in the house Friday and my luck sucks, I'll take Michigan State at Yost and the Wolverines at the Joe.