Preseason Information - The time is here!

The first poll of the 2012 - 2013 season is out and Michigan State came in ranked #16.

The CCHA is well represented in its final season as a league, as Michigan (#3), Miami (#9), Western Michigan (#10), Ferris State (#11), and Notre Dame (#14) all came in ranked in the Top 20. Beyond that, Ohio State, Northern Michigan, and LSSU all received votes as well.

The Top 20 in the USCHO Preseason Poll:

1. Boston College
2. Minnesota
3. Michigan
4. North Dakota
5. Union
6. Cornell
7. Mass.-Lowell
8. Denver
9. Miami
10. Western Michigan
11. Ferris State
12. Minnesota-Duluth
13. Boston University
14. Notre Dame
15. Maine
16. Michigan State
17. Harvard
18. Wisconsin
19. Air Force
20. Colorado College

So does this really matter?  In some sense, yes. As that link  discusses, the worst preseason ranked team to win a national title is #13 in the USCHO poll (#12 in the USA Today). If that pattern holds true, then your 2012 - 2013 champion will be Boston College, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, Union, Cornell, Mass.-Lowell, Denver, Miami, Western Michigan, Ferris State, Minnesota-Duluth, or Boston University. In addition, only once has a preseason #1 team since 1998 won the national title, but the good news for BC fans is that team was the 2003 Minnesota Golden Gophers, and they were defending national champions. Seven of the past fifteen champions were ranked in the Top 5, so that gives a higher hope to BC, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, and Union. If BC's chances are down simply because they won last year, then Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, or Union look to be safe bets. The average preseason rank of the last 15 national champions is 6.6.

As far as runner-ups go, up until Ferris State last year, the runner-up had been ranked in both polls. Ferris was ranked in the USCHO.com poll, but they weren't in the USA Today poll. At least half were ranked in the Top 10, and the most common ranks were #1 and #8 (more good news for BC fans?).

The other Frozen Four participants generally were ranked pretty high in the preseason poll as well. 19 of the 30 semi-finalists were ranked in the Top 10, and only one team in the last 15 years made the Frozen Four without being ranked in either poll (this means not receiving a vote).

None of this should be shocking though, because you are only going to get votes now if people expect you to be good, and in the world of college hockey, it's not hard to pick the old traditional programs, then in the end, most of these programs end up back in the Frozen Four with maybe only one surprise team - sometimes two.


Preseason All-CCHA Teams:

Spartan Goaltender Will Yanakeff was named to the second team preseason all-CCHA team.  He was the only Spartan named to either team. This isn't too surprising since most people believe MSU is in rebuilding mode this year, but as we saw last season, the Spartans are going to be a tough beat each and every night. If Yanakeff continues to be a great cornerstone in goal, Michigan State will surprise some people this year.

Tune In to Spartan Hockey:

MSU will be on TV 25 times this regular season. Michigan State's first four games are on TV, including next Monday's exhibition game against Windsor. The Spartans open the year October 12th - 13th at Minnesota, and both of those games can be seen on Fox Sports North. MSU's home opener against Niagara on October 19th will be on Comcast.

In addition, all four contests against Michigan will be on TV, Michigan State's first game in South Bend will be on National TV (NBC Sports Network), both games with Ohio State, and one game with new Division 1 program Penn State will be on TV.  Michigan State will be featured on the BTN numerous times throughout the year, so there will be plenty of time for hockey fans to get their Spartan Icers on TV - who needs the NHL!

Meet the Spartans

The Spartans held their annual 'Meet the Spartans' event tonight. It was a chance for fans to meet the 2012 - 2013 team, get some autographs, and wish them luck this season. 

Penn State Sanctions - Ice Hockey Impact

This wasn't necessarily a topic that I wanted to discuss, but the questions are beginning to come up.

Obviously in the college sports world there is one story dominating the headlines today. The NCAA handed down its own punishment on the entire situation sending a message throughout college athletics. A fair question to all of this how will this impact the other sports at the University?

Penn State is making the division 1 leap this October in ice hockey. As a result, starting in the 2013 - 2014 season, the Big 10 will be sponsoring hockey. If the football program is damaged beyond repair, will the other sports (hockey included) begin to feel the pain financially? Hockey isn't cheap.

One thought that some are having is if the Big 10 should consider throwing Penn State out of the conference. We can debate this all day and night, but the fact of the matter is such a move would probably hurt the chances of hockey succeeding at Penn State. Not only that, it would damage college hockey as well considering all the conference re-alignment that has gone on, and it would hurt the current Big 10 schools already set to leave their current conferences.

I'm not sure any of these other schools & new conferences would welcome back the Big 10 schools with open arms. Sure, they might find a home, because these teams still bring a lot of money to the table for some of these programs, but a lot of fans (and I'm sure some schools) probably felt burned by the Big 10 schools.

The other area where there might be an impact will be financially, but this exists at the school as a whole. If football program becomes less successful, will the revenue soon decline? If this happens, the pie just got smaller at Penn State.

Thank You Terry (PSU Hockey Blog) breaks this down a little further

The bottom line is this: we don't know. About any of that. The athletic department has been stashing away large surpluses for a while (including just south of $15 million 2010-2011), so it seems as if PSU is capable of taking what amounts to a direct hit of $14.6 million per year for five years without too much suffering. The longer-term concern, of course, is the continued profitability of the football program in light of the sanctions, which largely depends on their ability to remain competitive in spite of the scholarship limitations and possible coming transfers (I don't think the bowl ban will have a significant impact on whether people show up on Saturdays in October - the hard reality is that most bowls are meaningless, and I believe most people realize that). Football alone accounted for about $43 million of PSU's $116 million in revenue in 2010-2011, and that doesn't count items like Nittany Lion Club donations (the second biggest contributor at $18.5 million) that are largely based on football. A lot of non-revenue sports, if not in panic mode just yet, should at least be on notice.

Not all hockey programs are bottom line losers for their athletic departments though. Michigan State, for the most part, supports itself. If attendance continues to climb back up, then the program certainly can sustain itself financially.

The blog continues to talk about how the administration at PSU wants hockey to be self-sufficient. Attendance and advertising is going to drive that as much as anything, and I suspect that Penn State will not have trouble drawing in crowds during their first season at the division one level. I find it hard to believe that any advertisers would pull their funds as well considering I don't think the public is going to equate any other Penn State team with the Sandusky Scandal. The recruiting thing will sort itself out, but if Coach Gadowsky isn't concerned about it, then why would any other PSU hockey fan be?

It will be interesting to see how the fallout of these punishments begin to trickle down to the other sports (if anything does at all).

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.



Union Edges Michigan State 3-1

Sometimes if you didn't have bad luck, you'd have no luck at all.

The Spartans battled hard for 60 minutes against the #1 seed Union Dutchmen, but Union had just a little too much in the end defeating Michigan State 3-1. The Spartans came out with a spirited effort early on, and Union seemed to struggle with the aggressive forecheck in the first part of the first period. However, an untimely 5 minute major penalty assessed to Dean Chelios shifted the momentum early on. Union found their legs on the power play, but Will Yanakeff stood tall in goal for the Spartans keeping Union off the board. Eventually, Union took a penalty during the power play that negated the power play, and MSU survived their first true test.

That good feeling didn't last long though as Max Novak broke a scoreless tie on the 4 on 4 blasting a shot past Yanakeff. The Spartans didn't back down though, as they came back and tied it, or so they thought. Off of a scramble in front of the net, the Spartans looked like they knocked the puck out of mid-air and into the corner of the net. WCHA official Derek Shepherd, who has been at the center of a handful of controversies during games in the WCHA conference, immediately waived the goal off. Live, during the game, it looked like the puck never went in.

Upon further review, the puck did clearly cross the goal line, but that wasn't the issue at hand. Shepherd ruled the net had become dislodged prior to the puck crossing the line. After a lengthy review, the call on the ice stood, and Michigan State was denied a very big, late first period goal.

Shots on goal in the first period favored Union 9-6.

The second period didn't open much better for the Spartans. Michigan State nearly tied the game again as the puck rolled in front of the goal line, but Union picked up the loose puck, skated down, and Jeremy Welsh picked up a rebound and skated around Yanakeff to put Union up 2-0. At that point, it looked like Michigan State had a huge uphill climb, but they didn't back down. The Spartans regained their legs and finally got a power play chance late in the period that nearly became a disaster. With the puck coming out of the zone, Torey Krug made a split decision to skate up and try to poke the puck up the ice to prevent a 3 on 1. The only problem was he wasn't successful, and Union had a shorthanded 3 on 0, but didn't execute it. With new life, the Spartans skated back down in the offensive zone, and Matt Berry blasted a shot past Troy Grosenick to pull Michigan State to within 1, with just 38.7 seconds remaining in the period. Shots in the middle period were 13-7 Union.

In the final period, MSU came out with a lot of jump but failed to net the equalizer. Lee Reimer probably had the best chance just inside of 8 minutes to go as he one-timed a shot in the slot that was fought off by Grosenick. Union's Wayne Simpson iced the game away with a late power play marker. Shots for the game were 32-21 Union.

Union ended the game 1 for 4 on the power play. Michigan State was 1 for 3.

The Question is - Should The Goal Have Counted? It Did In Alaska.

In the NHL, there would be no doubt, the goal would count. However, this is college hockey, and the rule that has been quoted is Rule 16, Section 18-12 that "the net has to be in place when the puck crosses the goal line". Replays showed that Union player had dislodged the net, and the NCAA even admitted after the game that the player intentionally dislodged it. The issue there is you cannot call penalties on replays, but had Shepherd made the call on the ice - a penalty (or even a penalty shot) may have been awarded.

The rule quoted:

“If the goal cage has been moved or dislodged. The goal frame is considered to be displaced if any portion of the goal frame is not in its proper position (e.g., frame must be completely flat on the ice surface, goal posts must be in proper place and affixed securely in place with its pegs).”

The NCAA also admitted the puck went in the net. So the question became what happened first, the puck crossing the line, or the net being dislodged. Now it should be made clear that the net seemed to come back into place, so it never was fully off its moorings. However, that doesn't matter. The net was lifted up - which is the action that Shepherd decided to waive the goal off on the ice. Replays proved to be inconclusive, so the on-ice call stood.

Coach Anastos said after the game that he trusts the process, but he would look at it.  He also added that he was in a one-shot game, and they had a goal disallowed.

It appears, by the letter of the law, the officials made the correct call. However, the spirit of the game has lost today.

What might be even more ironic is the NCAA rules committee actually reviewed this rule last summer, but they decided not to change it - yet.

 Awarding goals – net dislodged by defensive team. In many cases, the goal cage is knocked off – often unintentionally – by the defending team right before a goal is scored. Current rules do not allow an official to award a goal unless it is obvious and imminent and an egregious act occurs by the defensive team. The committee believes there are some goals that should count in these situations and plans to adjust these rules accordingly.

Was a goal obvious and imminent with the egregious act occurring? Well, the egregious act was there (the NCAA admitted it, even though no penalty was called). But I don't know if you can say the goal was "obvious", although it certainly was possible - and by the action of the puck going it - that shows you it was.

The rules committee needs to do the right there here and tweak this rule. Michigan State actually has been hurt by this before, just last season, in the playoffs - only in reverse. Alaska scored the game winning goal in the first game of the first round in the CCHA play-offs in a similar manner. The net was bumped, very similar to today, by the defense (in that game it was MSU), then the puck went in, but the goal was counted on the ice, and after review.

Inconsistent application of the rule to say the least. I said then that goal shouldn't have counted, so I suppose it would be hypocritical of me to ask for a different ruling here. Other than if that goal did count, why didn't this one?

The Spartans will be thinking of that for awhile now, and who knows how the rest of the game would play out then, but a 1-1 first intermission score certainly is different than 1-0. Then maybe Union doesn't come out and take a 2-0 lead. We saw MSU use the momentum of a late period goal to generate chances early on in the 3rd.

In The End - The Missed Chances Should Be The Focus

The Spartans had numerous chances in this game to score, but they just couldn't finish. Matt Berry maybe played his best game in a Spartan Uniform. Kevin Walrod  had the early opportunity in the second. Lee Reimer in the final period could have tied it up. MSU was right there in the end, and they fought through all of this to give themselves a chance.

In the end, this season is about the rebirth of the MSU program. Most people thought Michigan State would have finished in the middle of the pack in the CCHA, losing in the first round of the playoffs, maybe getting home ice in the first round would be the highlight of the season.

This team did more. While a 5th place finish might still be "middle-of-the-pack", they earned a first round bye. They earned a NCAA tournament bid. And they helped Coach Anastos get this program back on track to where Michigan State fans are used to seeing it.

That won't be a bad legacy to leave behind - especially if Michigan State continues next season and beyond to build on this one. The biggest off season question will be if Captain Torey Krug decides to go pro or stay for his senior season in East Lansing. In the meantime, the coaching staff will continue to look to put together a strong recruiting class and continue what they have started.

It's a dawn of a new era, and the future is looking very bright.

NCAA Preview: Union

The Michigan State Spartans might have just squeaked into the tournament as the final at-large team, but come puck-drop on Friday afternoon, everyone is on even terms. The Spartans take on #1 seeded Union (3rd seed overall) in Bridgeport, CT.

Friday's game will mark the first ever meeting between Michigan State and Union. The Spartans are 4-2-1 all-time against the ECAC in the NCAA tournament.  This includes two national championship victories (1986 - Harvard, 1966 - Clarkson), so maybe that's a sign.

Union finished the year strong going 15-2-2 since the calendar flipped to 2012. Union is 24-7-7 on the season. They tied Western twice this year, and won a game at Yost. Union hasn't lost since a February 24th defeat at Cornell.

Union Leading Scorers:

Kelly Zajac    8 goals, 41 points
Jeremy Welsh  25 goals, 40 points
Daniel Carr     19 goals, 38 points
Wayne Simpson   17 goals, 30 points
Mat Bodie     8 goals, 28 points
Kyle Bodie    5 goals, 28 points

The Goaltender:

Troy Grosenick    20-5-3,  1.65 GAA, .936 save %

Union Special Teams:

PP:  44 for 183, 24.0 %
PK:  122 for 144, 84.7 %

At quick glance:

Union, this season, has gotten off to some terrific starts. Union has outscored teams 59-20 in the first period. They've also finished strongly outscoring teams 43-23 in the final period. The middle frame they've only held a 33-25 edge in goals. Union averages 3.55 goals per a game this year, and they've only allowed 1.82 goals per a game. Union gets 35.1 shots on goal, and they only allow 26.2 per a game. Finally, they aren't penalized too often either only giving up 10 penalty minutes a game.

Union's defense is ranked #1 in the country, and they are tied for 3rd in offense. Michigan State is ranked in a tie for 19th on defense (2.63 goals per a game), and 24th on offense (2.89 goals scored per a game).

Union is a very balanced & strong team all around. They have the 4th best power play in the country as well. The good news is MSU's penalty kill is 4th in the country killing off 87.3% of the power plays they face.

Scoring Drought:

Michigan State has had some scoring issues. In the Miami series, MSU only managed one goal the entire series. This was after splitting in South Bend - the loss was a shutout. Miami outscored the Spartans 10-1.

Keys:

It's pretty clear that Michigan State will need to get off to a strong start. Union isn't the biggest team in this region, so that could help MSU who tend to struggle against much bigger squads. Union looks to be the type of team that if they build an early lead, it will be very hard to comeback.  In fact, Union is 19-2-4 when leading after the first period and 12-0-3 when leading after 2. If you include tied games, Union is 24-4-6 when leading or tied after one. Likewise, thy are 22-2-4 when leading or tied after two.

On the flip side, MSU is 11-1-3 when leading after one, and 12-3 when leading ofter two.

The first goal is going to be huge.

It'd be great if the power play got going too, but Union won't give MSU many chances, so State will need to take advantage of what they can.

This could come down to Torey Krug simply making plays, as he has all season long. The Spartans certainly are going to be well rested, but that could lead to some rust and an iffy opening period. Yanakeff (or Palmisano) will need to be sharp early on to help keep the game scoreless. If they play strong, Michigan State will be in this game till the end. The Spartans have battled hard all season long, and if they play hard for the full 60 minutes, they will have a chance to pull off the victory.

All you need is a chance, and Michigan State has that chance to really put a footprint in the sand this weekend.

TV:

This game will be on TV on ESPNU at 3 pm. The game can be heard on 1240 AM and the Spartan Sports Network (use links to the left). The winner of this game will face the winner of Miami & Mass.-Lowell on Saturday at 6:30 pm.

You can also follow us on twitter @The MunnMinute for game updates or follow @MSU_Hockey on Twitter for game updates.



 

Monday Ramblings - NCAA Tournament Style

The streak is over. Michigan State is headed back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. For the current senior class, I'm sure that feels like a lifetime ago. However, their hard work this season has been rewarded with their first ever NCAA tournament bid.

I know - I've used this too much already - but who can blame me? The Spartans are in the NCAA Tournament!

Michigan State came in as the last at-large team, and they were promptly sent to Bridgeport, CT to face #3 Union. This same Union team is one of the reasons why MSU is in the tournament to begin with. Thanks to their ECAC Tournament Championship, Michigan State survived the weekend. Union went 24-7-7 this season, and they won the ECAC regular season championship too going 14-4-4 in conference.

This is only their second ever NCAA tournament bid, but the current group has the experience, since their first bid was last season. The college itself is located in Schenectady, N.Y. (northwest of Albany), so expect somewhat of a road game since the school is just under a 3 hour drive to Bridgeport - compared to MSU's 734 mile trip.

While most MSU fans who are only somewhat familiar with college hockey will look at this as a break, because they avoid North Dakota and Boston College, as well as Boston University, Maine, or New Hampshire (the schools most MSU fans would associate with 'traditional' eastern powers). Don't be fooled. Union has a great team.

INCH.com provides a nice regional capsule to chew on...

Union is very familiar with the CCHA. They tied Western twice this year back in October, and they went into Yost Ice Arena during Thanksgiving and won 6-3. They are also on a great roll right now. Since a 3-3 tie on January 6th in Harvard (which extended a winless streak to three games), they are 15-2-1. You don't luck your way into a run like that. They had two players tally at least 40 points this season in Kelly Zajac and Jeremy Welsh. Welsh led the team in goals with 25. Daniel Carr has 38 points on the season (19 goals). By comparison, Krug led the Spartans with 33 points.

Union is smaller on the blue line, though they do have Nolan Julseth-White who stands 6-2, 210. Outside of that most of the team hovers from 5-11 to 6-1 and from 170-190 lbs. That could be helpful since MSU doesn't have a lot of size either. In fact, this is probably going to cause a lot of 'experts' to pick Miami to come out of the regional.

If the team plays loose, with nothing to lose, and they get a good goaltending performance (I would guess Yanakeff - if healthy - would start), MSU should be in this game. And in a one & done format - you never know what could happen:

Spartans CCHA Season Ends

The Spartans hung tough tonight, but once again the second period doomed Michigan State as Miami exploded for three more goals in the middle period to break open a 1-1 tie and earn the two game sweep over Michigan State. The defeat was Michigan State's 10th straight in the CCHA playoffs.

The loss also puts Michigan State's NCAA hopes on life support. Michigan State currently sits in a tie for 14th in the Pairwise with Western Michigan (who beat LSSU tonight to advance to Joe Louis Arena). The Spartans hold a slim .0011 edge in the RPI, and it's that edge that might help get MSU into the NCAA tournament.

Michigan State needs to remain no worse than 15th in the Pairwise to have a shot. Only the Atlantic Hockey Champion will be guaranteed to be outside the top 16 in the PWR, so that will eliminate the team that sits in 16th for an at-large bid (currently Northern Michigan). Should another upset happen, and someone outside the top 16 of the PWR win their conference tournament, that will move the elimination line up to 15th - which right now is Western Michigan. Western, with one win next week, probably will pass Michigan State. If Ferris State beats Bowling Green tomorrow, Western will face Michigan next Friday in the semi-final. If BGSU pulls off the upset, Western will face Miami.

Torey Krug ended the scoring drought tonight against Knapp with a power play goal in the first period. That stopped the streak at 175:28 which dated back to the first period of the first game between the two teams this season.

In the end, Miami was just too much for Michigan State. The RedHawks are very talented, well coached, and they are playing their best hockey of the season right now. This all means they will be a tough out next weekend at the Joe and in the NCAA tournament (they might be a #1 seed).

If Michigan State doesn't make the NCAA tournament, all eyes will turn to Krug to see if he will remain in East Lansing for another season. No one could blame him for testing the NHL waters right now, as his stock has grown quite a bit over the last two years. If he adds the POY award this week, then it might never be higher. While it would be great to see him back in East Lansing for his final season, it's tough to say 'no' to what could be coming his way.

In the end, I think most MSU fans will be satisfied with the positive step forward the program took this season. Most people thought MSU would be fighting to get home ice in the first round of the CCHA tournament, yet they managed to get a first round bye. With Coach Anastos, Miller, and Newton behind the bench, the program has regained focus, and things appear to be looking up here in East Lansing.

In the meantime, we'll be looking up at the scoreboards for the remainder of this weekend and next. We'll break down what needs to happen from here on out for MSU to potentially get one of the last at-largeg NCAA bids. And that would be a great reward for a team that has worked so hard to get things right this season.