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.

#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.

A look at the 2012 - 2013 Schedule

Ah long summers.

After a week of temperatures near 100 degrees and a weekend ahead that will see highs back in the 90s, it's the perfect time to cool off with a little puck talk.

Michigan State's 2012 - 2013 Schedule

Looking ahead to the 2012-13 campaign, the Spartan Icers are looking to build on momentum from last season's NCAA appearance and top 5 CCHA finish. While the year didn't end on the high note that everyone was hoping for, the team clearly made strides in Coach Anastos' initial season at the helm. The Spartans recruiting has picked up as more Spartans were picked in the NHL draft this year than has been in the last few years.

Things are looking up.

So now, let's take a look at the 2012 - 2013 schedule to see which games/series really peak our interest. Here's a look at my top 10:

#10 Alaska Series: February 22-23, 2013

This is the last CCHA road series in Michigan State history. It might also mark the last time MSU goes out to Alaska for a regular season game, since the Nanooks will be joining the WCHA. Will this be good-bye to flying polar bears forever?

Is this the last we'll see of these intros?

#9 at Michigan: November 9, 2012

This game marks the start of a very difficult stretch (Michigan, Miami, OSU, Notre Dame, Ferris State) to close out the 2012 CCHA schedule. It's the first trip to Yost of the season, and of course it's simply Michigan.

#8 Miami Series:  November 16-17, 2012

The Spartans travel to Oxford once again this year. Miami knocked Michigan State out of the CCHA playoffs last year, and this is always a good test to see where you stand in the CCHA. Even though MSU opens the CCHA schedule on the road at LSSU, this series figures to be a little tougher.

#7 CCHA Quarterfinal Series:  March 15-17, 2013

Granted, MSU needs to get here first, but if they do, this could be the biggest series in Anastos' young tenure here in East Lansing. The Spartans have not made it to Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA playoffs since 2007. Home ice would be key to help break that streak, but it'll be a tall task for a team that is looking to replace quite a bit on the blue line. This would require a top four finish in the CCHA standings, it's certainly doable given the work ethic and young talent that this squad has. A trip to the Joe would potentially assure MSU of a second straight NCAA bid (assuming they finish top four in the CCHA).


#6 Notre Dame Home Series: January 11-12, 2013

Notre Dame comes to East Lansing for the first time since January 16, 2010. The Irish figure to have a strong team this year, and this marks the start of a very key stretch of games in which MSU plays five of six at home (ending with the Penn State series). the two teams split the season finale series last year. That split sent MSU on the road to Oxford for the playoffs in the CCHA Quarterfinals.


#5 Season Opener at Minnesota:  October 12-13, 2012

The 2012 - 2013 Spartans will be thrown into the fire right out of the gate as they travel to Minneapolis for a pair against Big 10 rival Minnesota. The Spartans stunned #3 Minnesota last year with a 4-3 victory and 4-4 tie at Munn Ice Arena to win the Bessone-Mariucci trophy. This series really sent a message to the rest of college hockey that maybe the Spartans were for real. The 2011-12 season ended in the program's first NCAA bid since 2008. Another strong showing this weekend could signal another strong year ahead for Michigan State hockey. This series will be big as well for the PairWise rankings, as Minnesota figures to be the best quality non-conference opponent the Spartans see all year.



#4 Western Michigan Series: March 1-2, 2013

A bittersweet day in the history of Michigan State Ice Hockey. It's the final CCHA series in Spartan history. The Spartans have been part of the CCHA since the 1981-1982 season , they've won 7 CCHA regular season titles (2nd most) and 11 tournament titles (most in the league). Despite the history, MSU hasn't won a CCHA regular season title since 2001 or a tournament title since 2006, so here's hoping this series there is some celebrating going on, and it leads into a great March.

#3  Penn State Series:  January 25-26, 2013

The Land Grant Trophy will be on the line in January as Penn State and Michigan State will face-off for the first time ever in a division 1 hockey game. Hey, the football teams aren't scheduled to face each other, so why not put the trophy on the ice (and have someone take a slapshot to it). In all seriousness, it will be great to see the sixth Big 10 school at Munn Icea Arena as we move towards the hockey conference for the 2013-2014 season.


#2  vs. Michigan: November 10, 2012

It goes without saying that the MSU-UM hockey rivalry is one of the best in the country. Michigan makes their only trip up to Munn Ice Arena on November 10th on a back end of a home and home series with Michigan. The two teams meet up again in early February for the Yost/JLA portion of the series.

#1  2012 Great Lakes Invitational @ Comerica Park (vs. WMU, UM/Tech): December 28-29, 2012

The 2012 hockey calendar comes to a close (assuming the Mayans are incorrect) with a return to hockey roots - outdoor hockey at Comerica Park. Yes, the outdoor thing has been done before, but it never ceases to amaze people as it continues to be a big draw. While this might be the undercard of the week (with Toronto at Detroit in Ann Arbor being the main event on New  Year's Day), the 2012 GLI looks to be a good one as it features four Michigan schools for the first time since 1999 (MSU, UM, LSSU, Tech). Western Michigan and Michigan State will face-off in the first semi-final, with Michigan and Michigan Tech being the other.