GLItter

Michigan State absolutely dismantled Michigan 4-1 en route to its 11th GLI title.

Coming into this tournament, Michigan held a slight 5-4 edge in championship tilts, but MSU was the lone Michigan school to claim the title in the last decade. State, impressively, had advanced to the championship game in 12 of the last 14 tournaments with its last crown coming in 2004, a 2-1 overtime victory over the Wolverines.

Tim Crowder scored two power play goals on one-timers from the left circle on feeds from Bryan Lerg (whose passing is underrated – he may be close to Kennedy) for his first goal(s) in nine games. But it was Lerg’s shorty late in the second that iced the game for MSU.

He picked Hunwick at the point and went in all alone, using the same move he’s used this year, last year (see the homerun video) and the BG penalty shot as a freshman; it’s his move – drop the shoulder and fake the shot, flip to the backhand.





Bryan took home MVP honors. He said that he took a lot of pressure off of himself to score and that’s why he’s been prolific of late (6-game point streak dating back to OSU on the first weekend of December), but the real reason may be his move back to center during the Northern series.

It’s worth mentioning that MSU employed a left-wing lock. The Spartans normally don’t go to the lock, but they really wanted to cut down on Michigan’s odd-man rushes while trying to create turnovers.

The main objective of the left-wing lock is to prevent an odd-man rush by always having one forward back along with the two defensemen when the opposition is breaking out. With the left wing covering or "locking up" the opposing winger on the breakout -- hence the name of the scheme -- the defensemen are free to more aggressively confront the two attacking forwards, giving the defending team a better chance of causing a quick turnover, creating an odd-man advantage and, thus, a scoring opportunity.

MSU was flat-out dominant in this tournament, especially the title game. The powerplay was clicking and the defense was strong. It certainly looked like a playoff-built hockey team. Crowder got off the schnide; both Lergs were dynamic; McKenzie and Mueller added physical play while showing offensive flashes; the defense only allowed one or two odd-man rushes to Michigan. This is the team that we all expected to see this year.

All-Tournament Team:
F: Bryan Lerg, Mike Taylor (Harvard), Tim Crowder
D: Matt Hunwick (Michigan), Mike Ratchuk
G: Jeff Lerg

We’ll see if MSU can respond this weekend against Miami, who will be smarting from a loss in the Ohio Hockey Classic to Ohio State. Luckily for the Spartans, Comley owns Miami as a Spartan (8-4 overall, 6-1 in the last 7).

A Note from the Blogger... And Some Ketchup!

I apologize about the inconsistent posting, but I can't say anything for the inconsistent effort and results of the Spartans.

Over my hiatus, they have looked like world beaters against Michigan, and they've looked like complete stumblefucks against Ohio State and some other less-than-stellar teams.

Still, I like the composition of this team. I like the possibility for balance and depth. I like the defensive corps with a healthy Ethan Graham. Lergie is an insurance policy in net. Bottom line, the very good has been better than the very bad. And average should be good enough to win. The thing I am most worried about is this team's ability to win games when it brings its B-game or C-game. I haven't really seen that much this year.

More to come...

MSU v. Ferris State: Sister Kissing.

MSU played tired and undermanned on Tuesday and it showed. The short-handed Spartans (minus Jim McKenzie to the always-helpful "upper body injury") struggled to find their legs and any offense, but rallied to earn a 2-0 lead after two periods of play.

The Bulldogs, however, capitalized on the Spartans' mental and physical fatigue in the third, drawing even with two goals 1:43 apart.

MSU had a powerplay with 1:40 left in the game but was unable to find an answer. Neither team had much of a chance in overtime, except for a failed clearing attempt by Tyler Howells that should have sent a Bulldog on a clear breakaway had he not overskated the puck.

At least it wasn't a loss...

Notes:

- Jeff Lerg and FSU's Dan Riedel (Rochester Hills, Mich.) enjoyed a brief conversation after the winger had a clear path to the net in the first and opted to fire a wrist shot high to the glove-hand side. The pair has played plenty of hockey with and against each other, especially with Lerg being one of top USHL goaltenders while Riedel earned the scoring crown. Apparently, Riedel chuckled and said that they both knew where he was going. Lerg said everyone in the building knew where he was going and that his player profile says, "Riedel knows no option other than high glove."

- While the cupboard might have been pretty bare, any first line featuring Chris Snavely is not a first line.

- FSU had 10 days to prepare for Tuesday's contest while MSU barely had one. The Bulldogs enjoyed a week off after traveling to Alaska while the Spartans were licking their wounds after their weekend scrap with the Wolves.

Michigan Weekend Recap: Highs and Lows

Comley's decision to try to skate with Michigan resulted in a weekend with mixed emotions, highs and lows.

Friday featured the best Spartan comeback that I have seen in my seasons at State. More specifically, the second period was one of the best avalanches of scoring that I have seen in my 7 seasons covering NCAA pucks.

Entering the second down 3-1, the Spartans exploded for 4 goals in the middle frame and another tally early in the third to put, as Hondo would say, "those dirty weasels" into the tank.

Abdelkader-Kennedy-Crowder seemed to skate circles around the Wolves in the first contest that I've seen where Michigan State seemed to have a decided advantage in speed and skill.

Jeff Lerg allowed 4 goals, but three weren't really his fault. Within the first 5 minutes of the game, defensive miscues led to breakaway and 3-on-1 goals.

That seemed to carry-over to the Spartans' demise on Saturday. TJ Hensick potted a two-on-one goal on a sloppy defensive gamble in the first 15 seconds of the game. The Spartans rebounded to make it 1-1 but never recovered.

Michigan soundly beat State 6-2, exploding for its own four-goal second period.

On the whole, MSU showed the risks and the rewards associated with this style of game... It will be interesting to see if this spawns a more controlled game when these two teams meet up next week.

SLU/SHU Wrap

Overall, I was glad to see a Spartan sweep this weekend. While the close games bothered some, I really thought that it was beneficial for MSU to get caught running around a little bit and be forced to pay for it. If they got away with some of the lazy play with the lead, they would have developed bad habits. Bad habits coming into the Michigan weekend equal bad results...

Some interesting news that I heard this weekend swirled around why Michigan State would schedule Sacred Heart. Apparently, the CCHA coaches and powers that be, combined with some statistical experts, have agreed that one of the best ways to raise the RPI, and subsequently the PWR, of CCHA teams is to play, and win, games against teams that will finish in the top 1-2 of Atlantic Hockey. We'll see if/how this works out but until then cupcake lovers unite!

Week 3: SLU/SHU Preview

The Spartans return to "real" action in Week 3, hosting St. Lawrence of the ECAC and Sacred Heart of Atlantic Hockey. A brief description of each follows as well as the state of MSU and a prediction.

SLU: The Saints enter this weekend at 1-2, claiming their lone win by the narrowest of margins over RIT (4-3). Their two losses have come to Niagara (who lost this weekend 10-1 against UNO) and Providence (6-1 losers to ND). SLU's top scorer this early season is Zach Miskovic, a sophomore defenseman with a 2-2-4 line through four games, which serves as more evidence that the Saints will struggle to find offense all season long after losing TJ Treveylan. Players to watch include: captain Drew Bagnall, a physical defenseman, Kyle Rank, a grinding forward, and Justin Pesony, who wears an "A" in net.

SHU: The Pioneers split with AHA doormat Canisius last weekend. Yet, Sacred Heart returns much of a team that came very close to gaining an NCAA bid a year ago. Jason Smith is solid in net and the Pios have three capable scorers in Pierre-Luc O'Brien, Alexandre Parent, and All-NCAA Name Teamer Bear Trapp. Of the two teams, I would argue that this is the most upset-prone.

In order to be effective, the Spartans need consistent output from their "09 Line." Kennedy-Abdelkader-Crowder has been notably absent in the last two contests and will need to rebound this weekend. Comley is still juggling the defensemen a bit as well as the third and fourth lines. This weekend should be an opportunity to fine-tune these things as well as special teams.

I look for two big MSU wins: 5-1; 4-1.

WMU Weekend Thoughts

Results: Friday MSU 4-1; Sunday WMU 3-2

The Spartans split a series with upstart Western Michigan this weekend, showing two very different games and two very different results.

Friday was a fast-paced, hard-hitting, exciting game that showcased the team speed and depth of the Spartans. The post-game lauded the players for their effort but warned that they would be "going into the lion's den" on Sunday.

And enter the lion's den they did -- without # 11 Bryan Lerg (maybe the best scorer on the team as he was DQ'ed for laying a beating on #8 Moul on Friday -- see the fight here).

After the game on Sunday, the MSU post-game was full of excuses as to why they dropped the decision. Some may be valid, some may not be. The most popular were: (1) WMU is not a 12-th place team by the way they played; (2) Bryan Lerg out of the lineup was a huge blow; (3) this young team needs to learn how to win tight games; (4) Lawson is a tough place to play...

While trophies are not handed out in October, as many of us know, Miami won the league in October and November last year. Despite failing to generate many offensive chances, MSU was in a 2-2 game in the third period. Even if the offense was sputtering, the Spartans need to find a way to clamp down and escape with the score tied. I understand that the machine will not be well-oiled, but MSU, if it wants to be a championship team, will need to learn to win games in which it does not play well, or deserve to win.

Things to work on in the week off: powerplay, d-zone coverage, chipping the puck out of the zone, conditioning

Positives to focus upon: team speed, deep defensive corps, good puck movement on the power play (despite lack of results), team unity

Next Opponent: Exhibition -- USA 18-Under

PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE: It's pathetic that people refer to Lawson as the Lynah of the Midwest or a cousin to Yost. It's just not true. First, there are about 3,000 people there. Sure there are 1500 students and they are loud and slightly obnoxious, but the arena echoes like the inside of a hangar. 15 people could make the same amount of noise. The cheers are tired and lame, and the insults are unoriginal. Lawson, to those who may have traveled a bit, is pretty similar in sound and intimidation to Matthews Arena at Northeastern. Oh, and for the Lawson folks, any arena that passes out thunderstucks is not intimidating...

One last rant: how is an all-black jersey representative of brown and gold?

Week 1: Western Preview

#3/4 Michigan State takes on Western Michigan in a Friday/Sunday home and home this weekend. While this seems to be a matchup of programs headed in different directions, with MSU picked by the coaches to finish atop the league while WMU was predicted last, the Spartans have not fared well recently against the unpredictable Broncos. Western held a 1-0-1 advantage against State last season and is 2-1-1 against the Green and White in its last four contests.

For the Spartans, success starts in net. Jeff Lerg is small in stature but large in his play. He hopes to build on a freshman campaign in which he was awarded CCHA Rookie of the Year and CCHA Tournament MVP. There are some question marks in front of Lerg, especially on the blue line where MSU returns 7 capable defensemen but no real stars. Tyler Howells has received some attention in the preseason, gaining an All-League selection, but that was largely based on his high scoring numbers a year ago. Newcomer Mike Ratchuk, a second-round selection of the Flyers, may very well be the best talent amongst the rearguards; he’ll quarterback the Spartan powerplay.

Offensively, Coach Rick Comley has six forwards that he feels are as talented as any other team’s first line, calling them “1A and 1B.” Chris Mueller will center Bryan Lerg and Jim McKenzie on the A line while Justin Abdelkader will be between fellow sophomores Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder on B. The Spartans’ best asset, however, may be their unheralded depth, as they will roll four experienced lines deep into the game and look to wear down opposing defenses.

All in all, look for two competitive games, but the Spartans’ superior talent, skill, and depth should prove too much for the Broncos to handle. Think the Broncos won't be ready though? Watch this video of "Frank the Tank."

MSU 5-2, MSU 3-2

Sean's Preseason All-League Selections

F: Scott Parse, UNO
F: TJ Hensick, UM
F: Ryan Jones, MU
D: Jack Johnson, UM
D: Matt Hunwick, UM
G: Jeff Lerg, MSU

F: Jon Matsumoto, BG
F: Nathan Davis, MU
F: Bryan Lerg, MSU
D: Wes O'Neill, ND
D: Sean Collins, OSU
G: Jeff Jakaitis, LSSU

Spartans Release TV Schedule -- Launch WEBCAST

MSU will provide a live-game web simultcast of its home games this season. A subscription to the normal all-access package will now allow one to watch all Spartan home contests, except those aired on FSD, from the comforts of home -- it's also a perfect way to stay in touch with MSU Hockey if fans are traveling or live too far to see a game in person. Hopefully many other schools will follow suit -- this could be a great way to stay informed about college hockey without paying an exorbitant amount of money for a dish!

The picture will be the same as the display boards inside of Munn Arena, and the webcast will feature the play-by-play of Scott Moore and color of Rob Woodward.

Click here for more info


Click to enlarge -- then click again to increase the zoom.

CCHA Media Day

Coaches' Poll
1. Michigan State (7) 117
2. Michigan (1) 108
3. Miami (4) 107
4. Ohio State 84
5. Nebraska-Omaha 75
6. Notre Dame 62
7. Alaska 60
8. Northern Michigan 59
9. Ferris State 55
10. Lake Superior State 30
11. Bowling Green State 18
12. Western Michigan 17

Media Poll
1. Michigan (26) 845
2. Michigan State (38) 844
3. Miami (13) 800
4. Northern Michigan 570
5. Nebraska-Omaha 539
6. Ohio State 514
7. Ferris State 437
8. Notre Dame 403
9. Alaska 390
10. Lake Superior State 379
11. Bowling Green State 158
12. Western Michigan 127


2006-07 CCHA Preseason All-Conference Teams
FIRST TEAM
Position Name, Year, School First Totals
Forward Scott Parse, SR, Nebraska-Omaha 11 55
Forward T.J. Hensick, SR, Michigan 10 53
Forward Nathan Davis, JR, Miami 7 47
Defense Matt Hunwick, SR, Michigan 9 51
Defense Jack Johnson, SO, Michigan 5 41
Goaltender Jeff Lerg, SO, Michigan State 6 43

SECOND TEAM
Position Name, Year, School First Totals
Forward Ryan Jones, JR, Miami 2 35
Forward Jonathan Matsumoto, JR, Bowling Green 2 32
Forward Kevin Porter, JR, Michigan 2 18
Defense Mitch Ganzak, JR, Miami 3 31
Defense Tyler Howells, SR, Michigan State 4 29
Goaltender Jeff Jakaitis, SR, Lake Superior 3 27

Vote Values: 1st place = 5, 2nd place = 3, 3rd place = 1
Honorable Mention (next six point totals, regardless of position with first-team votes in parentheses): Sean Collins, SR, Ohio State, D, (2) 27; Charlie Effinger, JR, Miami, G, (3) 19; Wes O’Neill, SR, Notre Dame, D, (1) 17; Tyler Eckford, SO, Alaska, D, 15; Darin Olver, SR, Northern Michigan, F, (1) 14; Andrew Cogliano, SO, Michigan, F, 12; Jeff Zatkoff, SO, Miami, G, 12.

USCHO Pre-Season Poll Released

Team (First Place Votes) Record Points
1 Wisconsin (17) 30-10-3 688 2
1 Boston College (10) 26-13-3 688 9
3 Minnesota ( 5) 27- 9-5 666 3
4 Boston Univ. ( 3) 26-10-4 595 1
5 Michigan State ( 1) 25-12-8 587 4
6 North Dakota ( 1) 29-16-1 581 6
7 Michigan ( 2) 21-15-5 539 11
8 Miami 26- 9-4 520 5
9 Denver 21-15-3 407 16
10 New Hamps 20-13-7 397 13
11 Maine 28-12-2 395 10
12 Harvard 21-12-2 346 7
13 Cornell 22- 9-4 317 8
14 Colgate ( 1) 20-13-6 271 20
15 Colorado College 24-16-2 257 12
16 St. Cloud State 22-16-4 205 14
17 Ohio State 15-19-5 169 NR
18 Dartmouth 19-12-2 151 17
19 Northern Michigan 22-16-2 110 18
20 Clarkson 18-17-3 98 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Nebraska-Omaha 83, Providence 61, Minnesota-Duluth 59, Vermont 45, Bemidji State 34, St. Lawrence 31, Holy Cross 28, Notre Dame 18, Lake Superior 11, Niagara 11, Mercyhurst 7, Quinnipiac 7, Massachusetts 5, Ferris State 4, Alaska 3, Sacred Heart 3, Alaska-Anchorage 2, Mass.-Lowell 1

Spartan Media Day

On Monday afternoon, the hockey program invited area media to visit Munn Ice Arena and meet with Coach Comley, the new captains, and other members of the team.

Stuff like this never results in earth-shattering news, but it does get the blood moving for hockey.

One good piece of information -- Howells and Graham may not be the stone-cold lock as a d-pair that we thought they would be. Howie told me today that they were not paired together.

INCH Rates Ratchuk as Top-Ten Incoming D-Man

Here's the word from INCH:

9. Michael Ratchuk, Michigan State (U.S. NTDP)

Ratchuk boasts great wheels and likes to carry the puck through the neutral zone or join the offensive rush. Scouts question his attention to detail in his own end and the high-risk, high-reward rushes.

See the rest of the list

Nill Means Something -- Battle Won.

Trevor Nill, currently of Compuware and son of Red Wings head scout Jim Nill, will skate for the Spartans as early as 2007.

Ferris Game to be Rescheduled.

The home game against Ferris is going to be changed due to a basketball conflict. Like last year, the game will be moved to a Tuesday night. Last season, the Spartans lost a game in lackluster effort to the Bulldogs in the same situation. Let's hope it served a lesson.

Media Guide: New & Improved.

There has been a great effort this year to overhaul MSU's Media Guide for 2006-07. Those of us who have purchased or received Media Guides in the past know that the Spartans have crutched on a certain style for quite some time. This is not the case at all now. Here's a sneak peak of the covers:

Line Combinations Are Settled for Now

Mueller - Lerg - McKenzie
Kennedy - Abdelkader - Crowder
Schepke - Sucharski - Sprague
Sturges - Lawrence - McClellan

D pairings other than Graham and Howells are still in the air. Gentile will likely be a top-four defenseman. The freshmen will make an immediate impact. Dunne is back from injury and more than capable. Vukovic is the only really physical defenseman returning. Of the defensemen with game experience, Snavely will certainly see a diminished roll barring injury.

Preseason Top Five

After a great weekend with the INCH World Congress, and much discussion, I will unveil my Top Five teams for 2006-07:

1) Boston College -- of the top 20 players in the country from last year, only five return and the Eagles boast two of them (Boyle and Schneider). Although they lose Collins, that was the only loss and York is a great recruiter. Bertram is poised for a breakout year. Gerbe, Ferriero, and Bradford are dangerous. They have a young but experienced defense in front of the best netminder in the East.

2) Minnesota -- great talent out, but great talent in. If Hirsch can get his head on straight, the Gophers gain another dynamic forward.

3) North Dakota -- the Sioux return the most talent (Oshie, Toews, Duncan, Lee, Chorney, and Finley). Goaltending is a bit shaky, but Lamoreaux has some game experience. Hakstol is 2-for-2 so far.

4) Michigan State -- the Spartans return the best team, top to bottom, and have a big check in the goaltending department with Lerg in net. Kennedy-Abdelkader-Crowder may be the most underrated line in college hockey. Ratchuk and Turek add a new offensive element to the defense and improve the power play.

5) Michigan -- the MIcers have the best defensive corps in the nation and return a handful of studs up front. Sauer has trouble stopping the puck(.898 save percentage), but he won't be seeing many shots.

Line Combinations

There has been much discussion lately in my circle as to what the lines will shake out like for 06-07.

This is what I foresee:

Mueller Lerg McKenzie
Kennedy Abdelkader Crowder
??? Schepke Sprague
Lawrence Sucharski McClellan/Sturges

Graham Howells
Vukovic Ratchuk
Turek Gentile/Dunne

Lerg
Jarosz
Mnich

Vicari Felt He Didn't Get A Fair Shake

From Neil Koepke at the LSJ:
"Comley lied to me last year, telling me that he was going with Jeff because he was hot and that the team needed to win because his job was on the line. He said that this year, he wouldn't go in with a No. 1, and that we'd fight it out for the starting spot,'' Vicari said. "Then in our summer meetings, he tells me they're going with Jeff as No. 1. I just wanted to have a fair chance to play and get my job back.''

This may not be the last word from Vicari. He and his family have planned a media release of their own. Rumor has it that they incorrectly calculated his career stats on it. Sweet.