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.

2013 - 2014 Big Ten Hockey Schedule Released

2013 - 2014 Big Ten Hockey Schedule


We've been waiting for this day - well, really not so much this day but the start of the season. In the meantime, we'll take this.

MSU's 2013 - 2014 Big Ten Hockey Schedule:

All games Friday-Saturday unless otherwise noted

December 6th-7th -   vs. Minnesota
January 10th-11th -  at Ohio State
January 17th-18th - vs. Penn State
January 24th -25th - vs. Michigan/at Michigan (JLA)
Thursday January 30th, January 31st, and/or February 1st - at Minnesota ***
February 7th-8th -  vs. Ohio State
February 14th-15th  - at Penn State
February 21st-22nd  - at Wisconsin
March 7th - 8th - at Michigan/vs. Michigan
March 14th - 15th - vs. Wisconsin

The Big Ten will feature a 20 game schedule with complete home and home series for all six schools. Michigan is the home team at Joe Louis Arena this season, as MSU will host two games at Munn, and Michigan will host one game at Yost.

*** - Series will be played on January 30th/31st or January 31st/February 1st

Miami Eliminates MSU With Pair of 4-1 Victories

Game Recaps

Game 2 Boxscore // Game 2 Recap

Game 3 Boxscore (pending...) // Game 3 Recap (pending....)


Series Thoughts
 
The Spartans left it all on the ice this weekend, after a grueling trip and a stunning game 1 victory. It might not have been the ending they wanted, but it was a great step in the right direction for the program.  This marks the last time MSU will play in the CCHA, as the next game will be part of the newly formed Big Ten conference.

MSU played very well this weekend, and earned that 3-0 victory in game 1. Miami came back and played much better on the second night, even despite MSU scoring early on in the game, and they showed why they are the CCHA champions. Still, the Spartans responded with a great effort on Sunday, a bad bounce led to the first goal, and Miami built a 2-0 lead, but the Spartans still did roll over. They continued to battle, even as Yanakeff came out to play in the 2nd period. The Spartans got a few power play opportunities and eventually got one in to pull within one. It would stay that way until about halfway through the third period when Miami finally got their breathing room back. After that the Spartans still tried to chip away, but Miami added an empty net goal to finish the scoring off.

Miami will continue to the CCHA semi-finals against Michigan next Saturday. Notre Dame will play Ohio State (funny for how much the Big Ten got knocked, but 4 of the 6 teams are still playing in their respective conference tournaments).

We'll have more thoughts as the off season continues, including a recap of the season, a look ahead to the Big Ten - though right now some time off to reflect seems appropriate. The underdog might not have won this weekend, but they showed the program is heading in the right direction.

Game 3 Live Blog - Michigan State vs. Miami CCHA Quarterfinals

Winner advances to Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA semis.

If Miami wins:

#1 Miami vs. #7 Michigan
#2 Notre Dame vs. #4 Ohio State/#5 Ferris State winner

If Michigan State wins:

#2 Notre Dame vs. #11 Michigan State
#4 Ohio State/#5 Ferris State winner vs. #7 Michigan

Join us at 7 pm for the live blog of game 3:

Believe? Underdog Spartans Stun Miami 3-0

Game 1 Box Score // MSU Recap

So, are you a believer yet?

Haven't won a playoff game since 2008. Check.
Haven't won a playoff series since 2007. Check.
Haven't beaten Miami in 7 games. Check.
Went to Alaska in 2 of their past 3 weekends. Check.
Didn't get back to East Lansing till late Monday after a difficult 3 game series. Check.
Had very limited practice time this week due to the schedule. Check.
Only won three road games all regular season. Check.

I will freely admit that I wasn't sure MSU had it in them this weekend to win a game. I will gladly eat crow tonight. The underdogs right now are very much alive. The Spartans went down to Miami and stunned the #1 seeded and #3 nationally ranked Miami Red Hawks 3-0. Jake Hildebrand stopped all 34 shots he faced for his second career shutout. Matt Deblouw and Matt Berry put Michigan State up 2-0 to stun the home crowd, and the defense and goaltending did the rest. Kevin Walrod would add an empty net goal with 56 seconds to go to finish the scoring.

This victory gave Michigan State its third road victory of the post season. They had three post season victories all season. It was actually a road warrior night as Michigan (over Western) and Ferris State (over Ohio State) also recorded road wins. Notre Dame was the only home team to hold serve, and they needed overtime to get the job done against Bowling Green.

This team continues to amaze in the post season. They really are showing what you can do with a second chance. But, they cannot be satisfied yet. They aren't to Joe Louis Arena yet, and you know Miami is going to kick it up a notch or ten tomorrow (and Sunday if need be).

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

Program Win: Spartans Shock Alaska

It was not suppose to work this way. Michigan State had a terrible year. They only won three games on the road all year. They never won two games in a single weekend all year. They just made this trip two weeks ago, so they had to be tired. Players were getting sick with the flu on the way out there, and other players were nursing injuries.

They didn't stand a chance.

So, Yanakeff stole game one. Michigan State was "badly" out-shot. Did you see game 2? Alaska dominated. So game 3 was all over - Michigan State had no legs left, and they got their one shot in on Friday. Alaska even started the game with two power plays and eventually got a 1-0 lead. Blowout city here we come, population: Michigan State.

And then..... It happened.






Now, I can't sit here and pretend that Michigan State went on the road and defeated the #1 team in the country in a playoff series, or won a league championship, but this series meant something. For everything that has happened this year, the fact that these Spartans found a way to pull it and hold it together long enough for a weekend - to win at a place that isn't easy to win even before you factor in the travel. Then you throw in the fact that Michigan State fell behind 1-0 and then nearly blew a 4-1 lead. There were plenty of times for this team to fold, but they didn't. They stood tall, stayed strong, and found a way. As good teams tend to do - find a way to win.

Game one was Michigan State's first CCHA post season victory since game 1 of the 2008 CCHA quarterfinals against Northern Michigan. This series was Michigan State's first series victory since a two game sweep over Nebraska Omaha in 2007. That was so long ago, UNO was actually part of the CCHA.

Simply put, for this team and this coaching staff to find the motivation and determination to win this series really speaks volumes of the program. It was a program win. This team might not advance to Joe Louis Arena. After all, Michigan State has a seven game winless streak against Miami. Miami earned five of six points this year in the season series against MSU, and they swept Michigan State last year in the CCHA play-offs. Plus, the Spartans didn't get back into East Lansing until Monday night, which limits the amount of prep time the staff can do on the ice with the players.

After a rough season - even by the kindest of terms - the Spartans finally got rewarded for their efforts. It shows that the foundation is there for the future. Yes, it's still up to the staff to recruit, the players to improve in the off-season, and everyone to put it together once October rolls around. We can't pretend that it'll mean next year everything will be ok, but if the Spartans move back to where they are used to be - near or at the top of the standings, a Frozen Four threat, and a national title contender - it will be this team that we can point to that laid the foundation, that played with its heart, and showed everyone this program won't roll over - even if there are many opportunities and no one would have blamed them for getting their season over with. And maybe, just maybe, deep in the wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska - the program was reborn under this coaching staff.

The effort against Miami, a team that everyone is going to pick to win, will certainly continue to show everyone just what the program is capable of doing. The odds are certainly stacked up against Michigan State once again.Just like they were this weekend. And then a funny thing happened. The underdog forgot that it was an underdog. And the underdog is still fighting. I imagine they'll be fighting right till the end, and I think they wouldn't have it any other way right now.

And considering the last time the team won a CCHA Playoff series was 2007 - the last time MSU won the national title - no pressure guys. No really. Just take it one game at a time.

Live Blog: MSU at Alaska - Game 3

Staying up late to see who wins....

Alaska Forces Game 3 with 4-1 Victory

Saturday Box Score

With their season on the line, the Nanooks came away with an impressive 4-1 victory on Saturday night in the 2nd game of the first round CCHA series. The Spartans actually did get more rubber on goal (33 shots compared to 15 in the 2-1 overtime victory), but it didn't translate into  more goals.

The glaring stat is the power play. Michigan State went 0 for 9 on Saturday, and this followed an 0 for 3 effort on Saturday. If Michigan State doesn't win this series, they could simply point to the power play, which actually has given up a shorthanded goal. Alaska's power play hasn't been much better, but they finally scored with the extra man last night in the 3rd period. Alaska went 1 for 5 last night and is now only 1 for 10.

Will Yanakeff made 31 saves last night.

Game 3 is tonight at 11:05 pm. If Alaska wins, the Nanooks will advance to play Western Michigan, Michigan (which swept Northern last night) will play at Notre Dame, and the winner of tonight's 3rd game between LSSU and Bowling Green will play at Miami.

If Michigan State can pull off the upset, the Spartans will move on to Miami, the LSSU-BGSU winner will play at Notre Dame, and Michigan will take on Western Michigan. Ferris State is already in place to play Ohio State next weekend.

NCAA Bubble

Friday's loss to Alaska may prove fatal when it comes to the NCAAs. The Nanooks fell from 15th to 19th in the Pairwise with the loss, and even with the victory last night - they remained in 19th (using the RPI as the tiebreaker in both cases). Right now only Miami is safely in the NCAA tournament from the CCHA. Western Michigan is in a tie for 10th and is probably in even with a loss next weekend. Notre Dame looks like it needs to win next weekend, as they sit in a tie for 16th.  Ohio State is looking like they need to win the CCHA tournament as they sit in a tie for 27th. Ferris State is in the same situation sitting in 26th.

Late Night Heroics: Michigan State 2 Alaska 1 (OT)

Friday, March 28, 2008: The last time Michigan State won a post season game (a 3-1 win over Colorado College).

Friday, March 14, 2008: The last time Michigan State won a CCHA post season game (a 5-1 win over Northern).

Friday, March 8, 2013: The day MSU exercised all those past playoff ghosts. Michigan State was out-shot 35-15 for the game, but it was the final shot that mattered as Matt DeBlouw sent everyone home early on in the first overtime period as Michigan State defeated Alaska 2-1.

Will Yanakeff was spectacular again tonight making 34 saves on the evening, including plenty of great stops in the 3rd period that kept it a 1-1 game. Tanner Sorenson opened the scoring just 27 seconds into the game - giving MSU an early 1-0 lead.

Alaska would go on to tie the game later in the period.

Now Michigan State is one game away from winning their first CCHA playoff series since 2007. I guess someone forgot to tell them, they are underdogs, and underdogs aren't suppose to win.

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!

Weekend Recap: Spartans End Regular Season Splitting with #8 Western Michigan

Photo Courtesy of Michigan State University - MSU's Five Seniors Kiss the Logo at Center Ice

Recaps

Friday:  MSU Recap // MSU Video Highlights // WMU Recap // LSJ Recap

Saturday: MSU Recap // MSU Video Highlights // WMU Recap // LSJ Recap  

Series Thoughts:

A picture is worth a thousand words. They've had their ups and downs, but the Spartan class of 2013 has represented Michigan State University with nothing but class, and they've worked hard. It's only fitting that an all-senior line tallied the only goal in Michigan State's 1-0 upset victory over #8 Western Michigan. Last place may have been clinched. A trip to Alaska may have been known. But this game meant so much more for the senior class, and their play reflected that meaning on the ice. The Spartans battled hard at both ends of the ice for the victory.

It wasn't without a little drama as Western Michigan got a power play with two minutes to go in the game, only to take a penalty of their own with just inside a minute to go. This was after Western thought they had tied the game - but the goal was waived off with a Bronco practically sitting in Hildebrand's lap.

It was Jake Hildebrand's first collegiate shutout.

On Friday, the Spartans lost 5-2, but it was a closer game than that. Western broke open a 1-1 tie over the final six minutes of the second period scoring three goals. Two of the goals bad breaks happened as a d-man fell down for MSU, and a 5 on 3 marker went in off of a Spartan. Still, Western did look the part of a CCHA contender on Friday, and they played well.

On Saturday though, Michigan State responded.

When the dust settled from the weekend, Michigan State did finish in last place in the CCHA, and they now face the task of heading out to Alaska for a best of three series.

The Ghost Of The Recent Playoff Past

Michigan State will be battling recent history, if you believe that sort of thing. The Spartans haven't made it to Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA tournament since 2007. MSU's last CCHA series victory came in that 2007 playoff season over a team that isn't even in the conference anymore - Nebraska-Omaha.

The last time Michigan State won a post season game in either the CCHA or NCAA tournament happened on March 28, 2008 in the NCAA First Round game against Colorado College. MSU last won a CCHA playoff game that same year on March 14, 2008 - game 1 vs. Northern Michigan in the CCHA quarterfinals. Northern went on to win the next two games to win the series.

Since that win over Colorado College:

Notre Dame 3 Michigan State 1   (March 29, 2008 - NCAA Regional Final)
Northern Michigan 5 Michigan State 3  (March 6, 2009 - CCHA First Round at NMU)
Northern Michigan 8 Michigan State 2  (March 7, 2009 - CCHA First Round at NMU)
Michigan 5 Michigan State 1  (March 12, 2010 - CCHA Quarterfinal Round at MSU)
Michigan 5 Michigan State 3 (March 13, 2010 - CCHA Quarterfinal Round at MSU)
Alaska 3 Michigan State 2 (OT) (March 4, 2011 - CCHA First Round at Alaska)
Alaska 4 Michigan State 3 (2 OT) (March 5, 2011 - CCHA First Round at Alaska)
Miami 6 Michigan State 0 (March 9, 2012 - CCHA Quarterfinal at Miami)
Miami 4 Michigan State 1 (March 10, 2012 - CCHA Quarterfinal at Miami)
Union 3 Michigan State 1 (March 23, 2012 - NCAA First Round)

You are reading that correctly, MSU has lost ten straight post season games. The Spartans have been outscored 46-17 in that span.

The best way to make history is by shaping it yourself, and this team now has a chance to exercise these demons and get a win, and while they haven't won two games on a single weekend all year, the Spartans don't need to win two in a row since it's a best of three series. It's a long trip, but they did split in Alaska just a weekend ago - so they know they can win. In fact, they had the second game tied 2-2 late before Alaska won it.

Want some good news? Bowling Green made it to Joe Louis Arena last year as the #11 seed. In fact, they held a 2-0 lead over Michigan in the CCHA semis before the Wolverines rallied for an overtime victory. So, it can be done. It's a new season, so let's take it one shift at a time.

Other CCHA Series

Miami won the final CCHA title. Notre Dame moved into second with their weekend sweep over Bowling Green, and Western's split against MSU. Ohio State earned home ice once Michigan forced a shoot-out against Ferris. Ohio State will face Ferris State in the CCHA quarterfinals in the 4-5 match-up. This upcoming weekend, Michigan will host Northern Michigan, and LSSU will host Bowling Green. Michigan is #7 - they last were the #7 seed in the 2010 playoffs when Michigan won the CCHA tournament.  Michigan has to win it this year to keep their NCAA streak alive, and they are now unbeaten in four games and 5-2-1 in their last eight.

Michigan hasn't beaten Northern this year losing 4-3 and winning a shoot-out (so it's a tie). But that was up in Marquette and back in November. If I had to pick, I'd be surprised to see Michigan lose that series - though it wouldn't shock me if it went the full three games.

BGSU-LSSU should be a good series. The Falcons did sweep the Lakers this year, but those games were in Bowling Green, and this series is up at the Soo. Again, it wouldn't shock me to see it go three games - and anyone could win. I'll go on a slight limb and take the road team.

More coming tomorrow/this week.

Yanakeff Backstops MSU to 1-0 Victory in Alaska

Game Recaps:

MSU Recap // Alaska Recap  // Final Stats // Daily News Miner Recap (Fairbanks)


Game Thoughts:

It wasn't pretty, and the offense didn't exactly explode for a bunch of goals, but they did enough to steal a rare Friday night victory last night in Fairbanks. Greg Wolfe scored the only goal 7:53 into the opening period, and Will Yanakeff was spectacular making 37 stops to earn his first shutout of the season.

Alaska out-shot the Spartans 34-14 for the game.

The Spartans had a lot of jump early, which eventually created the goal, but Alaska pretty much took over from that point though they couldn't solve Yanakeff. MSU only had 1 power play on the evening, and it lasted 11 seconds, because it was the back end of a 4 on 4 situation. Alaska had a power play over the final 1:19 as Jake Chelios took a cross-checking penalty late. The Nanooks pulled their goalie for a two-man advantage, but the Spartans held strong to preserve the 1-0 victory.

With the win, this is the first time all season Michigan State has won back to back games. Tonight, they'll go for their first series sweep of the season.

Around the CCHA:

Miami, Michigan, and Northern Michigan all won tonight. Western Michigan beat ND in a shoot-out. So the standings over the bottom half of the CCHA look like this:


6th - Alaska 37 pts (1 game left)
7th - LSSU  32 pts (3 games left)
8th - BGSU 31 pts (3 games left)
9th - Northern 29 pts (3 games left)
10th - Michigan 28 pts (3 games left)
11th - MSU  25 pts (3 games left)

Alaska has been eliminated from a top 5 spot now. The Spartans drew to within six points of 8th place. They still need help to move up - a loss tonight by MSU would make a second trip out to Fairbanks a very high probability.

The two teams face-off at 11:05 pm Eastern tonight.

MSU Falls to #2 Notre Dame 1-0

Game Recap & Boxscore

MSUSpartans.com Recap // Notre Dame Recap

Box Score  // MSUSpartans.com All-Access Highlights

USCHO Recap  // LSJ.com Recap


Thoughts:

It's tough to say anything else other than the offense continues to struggle. The difference last night was though Michigan State had chances to put the puck in the net, but they just didn't finish. Summerhays for Notre Dame and Hildebrand for Michigan State played outstanding - but it was a lone power play goal in the second period that was the difference. It was on an interference penalty in the offensive zone, which makes it worse.

Chris Forfar may have had the best chance in the final period, but his shot hit the crossbar. Brent Darnell was given a game misconduct for a hit from behind in the first period, but the Notre Dame power play didn't score as they took a couple penalties themselves to limit the time on the power play, and Michigan State's PK did a good job closing out the first period.

Really, it was a better effort than last week in Big Rapids - and it reminded me in some ways of the Western Michigan game (minus the last minute tying goal). But once again MSU comes out short. I believe this is the third 1-0 game of the season that MSU has lost. Hildebrand has been in net for all three games.

I mean think about these stats for Hildebrand:

Save %:  .940
GAA:  1.87

Yet his record is only 3-8-1.

Those two figures only, you'd think he'd have 10-12 wins. Someone needs to start to finish those scoring opportunities - and who knows, there might be a game out there where MSU is about to light up the scoreboard.

Weekend Recap: Spartans Split With Michigan

The season long trend continued this weekend as the Michigan State Spartans split the weekend series with rival Michigan.

Friday Night

Michigan used three unanswered goals in the final period, including two in the final five minutes to pull away from Michigan State for a 5-1 victory. Michigan got on the board early scoring a pair of first period goals less than four minutes apart from each other to build a 2-0 lead. Michigan dominated the opening period out-shooting the Spartans 15-5. Michigan State got stronger as the game went along, settling in for a good second period, and Kevin Walrod pulled the Spartans to within one with a late marker. The Spartans out-shot Michigan 13-9 in the middle stanza. The final period Michigan got up 3-1 4:09 into the period on a goal by Derek DeBlois, and that goal seemingly put the game out of reach. Kevin Lynch and Jacob Trouba added the insurance goals late in the period. Will Yanakeff ended the game with 29 saves. Michigan went 1-4 on the power play, and the Spartans went 0-2.

Saturday Night

The season long trend continued, as Michigan State rebounded with an impressive 7-2 victory over Michigan in front of a record crowd at Munn Ice Arena (7,225). It didn't take long for the Spartans to get going as Matt Berry put Michigan State ahead 1-0 just 34 seconds into the game. MSU would score the next two goals as Brent Darnell tallied a power play goal and Anthony Hayes put MSU up 3-0 just 23 seconds after Darnell's goal. The game wasn't seven minutes old, but the Spartans held a 3-0 lead. The wild first period continued as Michigan scored a power play goal at the 7:54 mark, and Matt Berry added his second goal of the game with a power play goal 10:42 into the game. The final period ended with MSU up 4-1. The Spartans out-shot the Wolverines 16-11.

Michigan got the scoring going in the second period, but Matt Berry completed his hat-trick at the 15:08 mark of the second period to give MSU a three goal lead once again. Michigan out-shot the Spartans 16-6 in the middle period.

The final period belonged to Michigan State as Matt DeBlouw and Kevin Walrod rounded out the scoring to give Michigan State the 7-2 victory. Michigan out-shot Michigan State 15-7 in the final period, and freshman Jake Hildebrand made 40 saves for his first career victory over Michigan. The Spartans went 2-7 with the extra man, and Michigan went 1-7.


Around The CCHA

There were no clean sweeps in the CCHA this weekend, though two teams did earn five points. Western Michigan defeated Bowling Green 3-1 on Friday, but they needed a shoot-out on Saturday to earn the extra point. Miami needed a shoot-out on Saturday as well to earn the extra point over Northern, but Miami did earn the full three points on Friday with a 5-2 victory. Lake Superior downed Ferris 4-1 on Friday before the Bulldogs earned the road split the next night 2-1. Ohio State won in a shoot-out over Alaska on Friday, but the Nanooks won 3-1 on Saturday. Finally, in the only non-conference game, the Irish lost at Boston College 3-1 on Friday.

CCHA Standings

	GP	W	L	T	SOW	Points	Total Points Possible
Miami	6	3	2	1	1	11	161
Alaska	6	3	2	1	0	10	160
Notre Dame	4	3	1	0	0	9	165
Ferris State	6	3	3	0	0	9	159
LSSU	6	3	3	0	0	9	159
Michigan State	6	3	3	0	0	9	159
Western Michigan	4	2	1	1	1	8	164
Michigan	6	2	3	1	1	8	156
Ohio State	4	1	1	2	1	6	162
Bowling Green	6	1	2	2	1	6	156
Northern Michigan	6	1	3	2	0	5	155

Games This Week:

Thursday

Notre Dame at Michigan

Friday

Ferris State at Bowling Green
Michigan State at Miami
Northern Michigan at Ohio State
Western Michigan at Alaska
Notre Dame at Michigan
Alabama-Huntsville at LSSU

Saturday

Ferris State at Bowling Green
Michigan State at Miami
Northern Michigan at Ohio State
Western Michigan at Alaska
Alabama-Huntsville at LSSU


A tough series awaits Michigan State, as Miami hasn't lost at home yet this season. Besides this series, Notre Dame and Michigan should be a good one to watch as well as Western Michigan and Alaska. The Nanooks quietly sit in second place, so this will be a good test to see if they can contend this season.

CCHA Power Rankings:


1. Western Michigan (5-2-1, LW: 2). The Broncos climb back on top after an unbeaten weekend. A strong road test awaits.

2. Miami (6-2-2, LW: 3). Miami moves up one spot with an undefeated weekend as well.

3. Notre Dame (6-3-0, LW: 3). Critical Pairwise points may have been lost on the East Coast, but the Irish must refocus with a tough league road series this weekend.

4. Alaska (5-3-2, LW: 6). Are the Nanooks for real? We will see this upcoming weekend.

5. Ferris State (4-4-2, LW: 4). The Bulldogs are looking to build a winning streak after another split.

6. LSSU (5-5-0, LW: 8) The Lakers are looking for a bit of consistency as well. A non-conference series that they can build on awaits them.

7. Michigan State (4-5-1, LW: 9). The Spartans move ahead of Michigan based on an 8-7 total goal victory this weekend.

8. Michigan (5-4-0, LW: 5). For a team most people expected to contend for a CCHA and even a national title, the Wolverines have way too many question marks at this point in the season.

9. Northern Michigan (4-4-2, LW: 7). Getting a point in Oxford isn't easy, but the Wildcats are digging a hole early on in the CCHA.

10.  Ohio State (2-3-3, LW: 10). Not much really separates most of the CCHA, and the Buckeyes certainly could be higher. They can't afford to give up many home points though.

11. Bowling Green (2-6-3, LW: 11). They put up a fight, but Western just had too much this weekend.


Big Ten Power Rankings:

1. Minnesota (6-2-1, LW: 1). The Gophers continue along their way with a win and tie at Anchorage.

2. Michigan State (4-5-1, LW: 4). The total goal victory moves MSU past Michigan, and I'm still skeptical of Penn State's early success.

3. Michigan (5-4-0, LW: 2). Michigan is off to a rocky start once again - but Michigan fans have come to known the few things you can guarantee: Death, Taxes, and a 2nd half run by a Coach Berenson team.

4. Penn State (6-3-0, LW: 3). Another split with a win over Air Force. PSU gets this weekend off.

5. Ohio State (2-3-3, LW: 5). The Buckeyes continue to look to take a step forward.

6. Wisconsin (1-4-1, LW: 6). Another early weekend off for the Badgers - can they turn around next weekend in Minnesota?

Bowling Green Posts Shutout For First Win At Munn Since 2007

The last time Bowling Green came into East Lansing and won was the 2006 - 2007 season. That streak is now over, as the Falcons defeated the Spartans 1-0 at Munn Ice Arena last night. The good news for MSU fans is that was the same season MSU won the national title. But, we could be getting a little ahead of ourselves with that stat.

The Falcons came out with a bit of jump, out-shooting MSU 9-5 in the opening period, and the pressure finally paid off with just under four minutes to go in the period as the point shot from Kucera was deflected off of the MSU defense in front of a mass off bodies in front of the Spartan goal - Jake Hildebrand had no chance.

The Spartans may have played better as the game progressed, but they didn't get many offensive chances, despite out-shooting Bowling Green 29-25 for the game. The best opportunity for the Spartans came on a 5 on 3 for a full minute in the third period. The Spartans did get some pressure on goal there, including hitting the goal post once, but they could not solve Hammond in goal.

The loss drops the Spartans to 1-2-0 in the CCHA and 2-4-1 overall. Bowling Green improves to 1-1-1-1 in the league and 2-4-2 overall. The two teams play again tonight down in Bowling Green. The puck drops at 7:05 pm.

Weekend Recap: Spartans Blitzed

It's a new season, and starting the year off with double digit freshmen, you can probably expect a lot of highs and lows this season. The good news for Spartan fans is that they have nowhere to go but up right now. The Spartans were blitzed at Minnesota this weekend losing 5-1 and 7-1. On Friday, Michigan State looked like they got stronger as the game went along, despite what the score might tell you. Saturday was a different story though as Minnesota kept pouring it on. The Gophers jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday, and they managed to top themselves with a 4-0 opening period the second night. The second didn't start out much better for MSU as the Gophers tallied the 5th goal of the night just 30 seconds into the period. Brent Darnell broke up the shutout early on in the third period, but MSU was simply out classed in this one. Will Yanakeff had 18 saves (6 GA) in two periods of play. Jake Hildebrand saw his first action of his college career playing the final frame giving up 1 goal on 9 shots.

Michigan State returns home next weekend to take on Niagara in another non-conference series. Right now MSU has a lot to work on, so it will be interesting to see the level of improvement from week to week.

Around the CCHA

Only three CCHA teams got through the weekend undefeated. Miami swept Colgate (3-0, 5-1), Northern Michigan swept Wisconsin (2-1, 4-2), and Notre Dame beat Maine (1-0) and UNO (3-2) at the Icebreaker tournament.

Alaska, BGSU, and Ferris State went winless this weekend. Alaska lost to Canisius (3-1), and tied Air Force (3-3). BGSU was swept by Union (5-3, 4-1), and Ferris State lost and tied at Rensselaer (3-1, 2-2).

LSSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and Western Michigan all split. LSSU beat Michigan Tech at home 4-2, but lost at Tech 8-4. Michigan split a home series with RIT losing the opener in OT (5-4) before winning the next night 7-2. Ohio State split at UMD losing 6-2 the first night and winning 3-2 the second night. Western lost the opener at home against St. Lawrence in OT (4-3), but won 3-2 the next night.

CCHA Power Rankings:

 1. Notre Dame (2-0-0, LW: 3). The two teams in front losing moves them up, but the Irish played well this weekend. A Thursday-Friday home series against UMD awaits the Irish this upcoming weekend.

2. Miami (2-0-0, LW: 5). A good home series to start off the season in Oxford, and Miami looks to continue the home dominance with a series against Providence coming up.

3. Western Michigan (1-1-0, LW: 1). A little surprised the Broncos lost at home to St. Lawrence. They'll get another chance to win a pair as Canisius comes back to the lower 48.

4. Michigan (1-1-0, LW: 2). It wasn't a good start at Yost, but Michigan's offense really overwhelmed RIT the next night. Michigan hosts Bentley in a single game on Friday.

5. Northern Michigan (2-0-0, LW: 7). A good series against Wisconsin at home, but let's see if Northern can do it on the road as they go to UNO this week.

6. Ferris State (0-1-1, LW: 6). Not the greatest weekend for the Bulldogs as many question marks remain.. They host Mercyhurst this week.

7.  LSSU (1-1-0, LW: 8). A split against Michigan Tech is no longer considered a bad weekend. They move on to Bemidji State this week.

8. Ohio State (1-1-0, LW: 9) The Buckeyes won a game at UMD, which could come in handy come March. They continue on the road this week at Quinnipiac.

9. Alaska (0-1-1, LW: 10) Although they didn't win, they showed some positive signs against Air Force. They get Merrimack & North Dakota at home this week.

10. Michigan State (0-2-0, LW: 4). A tough start in year two for Coach Anastos', but there is still a lot of season left to be played. MSU hosts Niagara this week.

11. Bowling Green (0-2-1, LW: 11). It's looking like another long year in Bowling Green. Let's see if a road series at Colgate could fix things.


Big Ten Power Rankings

1. Minnesota (2-0-0, LW: 1). The NCAA has been put on notice.

2. Michigan (1-1-0, LW: 2). Can't move Michigan down because of what happened behind them.

3. Ohio State (1-1-0, LW: 5). The Buckeyes won a road game.

4. Wisconsin (0-2-0, LW: 4). Losing a pair at Northern isn't the worst thing in the world.

5. Michigan State (0-2-0, LW: 3). They did lose to the #1 team in the country.

6. Penn State (1-1-0, LW: 6). They did win - and congrats on that victory, but they lost & won in OT to a team that went 8-26-3 last year, 8-24-1 the year before, 8-24-1 the year before that (see a pattern?).

#1/2 Minnesota 5 Michigan State 1

The 2012-2013 season is underway, as Michigan State visited #1/#2 Minnesota for a weekend series.

Things didn't get off to the greatest start as Minnesota built a 3-0 lead in the first 13:38 of the opening period.  The Gophers out-shot MSU 13-5 in the first period. The Spartans went 0 for 1 with the extra man in the period.

The Spartans seemed to find their legs in the middle period, but Minnesota expanded the lead to 4-0 with 2:14 remaining in the period. The Gophers out-shot the Spartans 13-10 for the period. In the final frame, Michigan State got a few more chances early on, but they could not convert nor could they convert a couple more power play chances. Minnesota made it 5-0 on a two man advantage that they put six shots on goal. Will Yanakeff kept Minnesota off the board as long as possible, but they finally got one past him with a scrum in front.

Tanner Sorenson tallied the first goal for Michigan State with 4:01 to go in the game, and David Bondra got credited with the lone assist. Minnesota out-shot MSU 16-11 in the final period for a 42-26 edge in the game. The Spartans actually held a 32-30 edge in draws, and Yanakeff did play well in net despite giving up five goals. MSU finished 0 for 3 on the power play, and Minnesota was 1 for 2.

The two teams meet again tomorrow night at 9 pm Eastern.

Charges Come In Assault Claim

A Michigan State student that alleged he was attacked by the hockey team has been charged with five counts. 

In his original interview with police, he believed the people that assaulted him were members of the MSU Hockey team. Original Article

Currently, no one else is being charged with anything in connection to the crime.

Lansing State Journal Article

We'll post more details as they develop, but one of his charges include filing a false police report.

GLI Dates Officially Announced

The GLI has officially been set as December 27th & 28th.

This is part of the Winter Festival in Detroit next season. The games will be played at Comerica Park and will feature four Michigan teams: Michigan State, Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Western Michigan.