MICHIGAN
8-6-0 (5-5-0 CCHA)
Key Players: Aaron Palushaj, F, So. (14 GP, 7-13-20); Louie Caporusso, F, So. (14 GP, 12-4-16); Chris Summers, D, Jr. (14 GP, 1-2-3).
Team Fact: Michigan’s only win in five tries against ranked opponents this season came on Oct. 18 against a Northern Michigan team that has since fallen into the CCHA basement with a 3-8-1 overall record.
What Will Make Them Successful: The Wolverines have proven themselves fairly strong defensively, but need to maintain a strong transition game in order to be successful. If Michigan can stay up to speed with its neutral zone transitions, it allows Caporusso and Palushaj to effectively unleash their elite talents in the offensive end.
Why It’s Important: The Wolverines surely lost some confidence in a pair of tough losses at Miami this past weekend and needs strong performances against a comparable Wisconsin team and a high-flying Minnesota team to regain some respectability as a contender. In addition, the Golden Gophers may have lost in Ann Arbor last year, but absolutely trounced the Wolverines, 8-2, in Michigan’s last Showcase visit to Minneapolis.

MICHIGAN STATE
14-8-2 (2-6-2 CCHA)
Key Players: Jeff Lerg, G, Sr. (11 GP, 3-7-1, 2.54 GAA, .916 sv%); Jeff Petry, D, So. (14 GP, 1-3-4); Matt Schepke, F, Sr. (14 GP, 5-2-7).
Team Fact: The Spartans’ 20 goals in 14 games ranks them last in the CCHA and 57th nationally in terms of scoring offense.
What Will Make Them Successful: Because they’ve struggled so much in scoring goals, the Spartans need a quick jump to compete with Minnesota and Wisconsin. If the Michigan State forwards can surprise their opponents early and put them on their heels, the green and white can then rely on strong defense and excellent goaltending to hold on for a victory.
Why It’s Important: The team fact states it all, Michigan State needs to start scoring. Now, that won’t be easy against either Minnesota or Wisconsin, but a few goals in each game might give the Spartans some much-needed confidence heading into a home-and-home with Michigan the following week. The Spartans need to play well in that set, or they could head into the second half of the season in the dreaded bottom four of the CCHA.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb Netvouz

Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere Sphinn

Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

Notre Dame
Sr. | F | Venetia, Pa.

His Statistics: 2 GP, 4-2—6, 2 PPG, +3

His Impact: The leading scorer for the nation’s second-highest scoring team, Hanson has 14 points in 13 games this season. Not bad for a guy who entered his senior year having scored 33 points in 103 games spanning three seasons. A giant center at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Hanson led the sizzling Fighting Irish (7-0-1 in their last eight games) to consecutive routs of Bowling Green this past weekend, two goals and an assist in both ends of the home-and-home series.

Hanson has terrorized CCHA foes. Of his 14 points this season, all but two — both goals — have been scored in Notre Dame’s eight league games. That’s good news for the Irish, whose conference opponents in six games prior to the Christmas break (Western Michigan, Ferris State, and Bowling Green) currently have a combined record of 12-20-8 and all rank 32nd or worse in the country in scoring defense.

His Runners-Up: Paul Crowder, Alaska Anchorage; Greg Flynn, Air Force; Rylan Galiardi, Minnesota State; David Marshall, Quinnipiac; Viktor Stålberg, Vermont; Cameron Talbot, Alabama-Huntsville.

The INCH Player of the Week is presented by The INCH Shop

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb Netvouz

Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere Sphinn

Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

• With his helper Friday and one goal, one assist performance on Saturday, Nebraska-Omaha senior Dan Charleston joined the Mavericks’ century club with his 100th career point. Those 100 points rank Charleston as the 10th-most prolific point scorer in program history. He’ll be looking to pass former teammate Mick Lawrence, who finished with 102 career points, this weekend against an MSU team that he has compiled seven of his 100 points against - the second most of any CCHA opponent.

• Lake Superior junior Zac MacVoy has now scored a point in ten consecutive games for the Lakers and needs to notch a goal or assist in five more contests to reach the team record of 15, set by Jim Dowd in 1989-90. The Lakers host Robert Morris this weekend and then head to Alaska for two, giving MacVoy a chance to break the record against upper peninsula rival Northern Michigan in early December if he can continue the streak over the next two weekends.

• The cluster system in the CCHA has done a fairly good job helping to produce some rivalries. Many hoped that the annual inclusion of Notre Dame and Bowling Green as travel partners could foster some bad blood there, but the Irish have rolled over the Falcons continuously thus far, winning eight in a row and going 11-0-1 in the last 12 games. Erik Condra has been a primary catalyst for this success, scoring 18 points on 4 goals and 14 assists in those 12 games.

• Ferris State got the best of Alaska early on after the Nanooks joined the CCHA and lead the series 23-21-3 but are at risk of losing their historical advantage, if Alaska can continue a nine-game unbeaten streak in the series. The series also has a bit of a winner take all feel, as a sweep on either part would either keep Alaska in the mix or put them out.

• A lot has been made of Michigan sophomore Louie Caporusso’s scoring touch and passing abilities, but his ability on faceoffs is worth taking note of as well. He’s won 63.1-percent of his draws this season, while the rest of the team has combined for a 47.4-percent success rate.

• Unlike last season, where Michigan and Miami were riding the play of a bona fide No. 1 netminder, both teams head into this weekend’s first meetings since the CCHA title game using a rotational system. While Connor Knapp has had better luck picking up wins, both he and Cody Reichard have played very well. At Michigan on the other hand, there are some grumblings that sophomore Bryan Hogan has started to noticeably outplay senior Billy Sauer, leading to some speculation that Hogan may begin to take the majority of playing time. There has not, however, been any indication from coach Red Berenson that this is the case for this weekend or in the foreseeable future.

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea del.icio.us

Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com Furl Google

Hugg Jamespot Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace MyWeb Netvouz

Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy Slashdot Sphere Sphinn

Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Twitter Webride Windows Live Worlds Movies Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »

Michigan State goalie Jeff Lerg: Too good for the Spartans' good?

Playing How You Practice Hurting Michigan State? It’s no secret that Michigan State has struggled to score this season, as their 18 goals in 12 games ranks them in a tie for last in the CCHA and puts them 56th nationally. Defensively, however, the Spartans have played well, allowing 2.17 goals per game and sitting in the national top-20 for that category.

One key to the defense has been the goaltending of the stalwart Jeff Lerg, with impressive spot duty from freshman Drew Palmisano. And while the strong performance in net has kept the Spartans in a lot of games that might have been lost causes without Lerg or Palmisano, perhaps it’s hurting the confidence of Spartan shooters who face them daily in practice.

During his weekly press conference, coach Rick Comley semi-seriously joked that it may be time to bring in reinforcements in practice — ones that his forwards can beat.

“The only approach I can take is to work on basics and build on it, and try to set up situations in practice,” Comley said. “The problem is that our goaltending is so good, so that they don’t score in practice. How much is that hurting us in games, I wonder? Do I have to go get some guy off of the club team who can’t stop a beach ball so that they get some confidence from the guy? I don’t know.”

Spartan Injury Update: As if it wasn’t bad enough already, Michigan State will be shorthanded in this weekend’s roadtrip to Nebraska-Omaha. The Spartans will be without key forwards Andrew Conboy and Nick Sucharski, both of whom are out with shoulder injuries.

Conboy is likely to be back in the coming weeks. Sucharski’s separated shoulder is a more serious affair, as it’s the second time that it popped out, meaning he’ll most likely miss the rest of the season. Comley said he’s not 100-percent sure that Sucharski won’t come back, but it seems like the best option would be to have surgery, costing him this season, but allowing him to apply for a redshirt and come back the following season.

Sucharski is reportedly discussing his options with his family, doctors, family advisers, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Carlson saves the day: Ohio State coach John Markell was happy that, in a season that’s been a little rough on his goaltending trio, he was able to count on sophomore Dustin Carlson yet again in Friday’s 4-0 victory over Robert Morris at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.

The Buckeyes struggled offensively in the first half of the opening period, but Carlson held strong long enough to let Ohio State turn it around and take a lead.

“Our guys were given enough time to respond, and you want that from your goaltender,” Markell said. “It’s time for us to reciprocate and maybe bury a few pucks and make his job a little bit easier.”

Carlson gives credit for his success against Robert Morris and Michigan State the previous weekend to his defenseman playing strong in front.

“You want to weather the storm for your team and give them a chance to win,” Carlson said. “And they returned the favor in the second and third periods. They’ve been doing their job in front of me. The defense has been strong, they’re working hard down low and getting pucks clear, keeping guys to the outside.”

While many goalies will look to maintain quirky habits during a winning streak like Carlson’s present one, he prefers to just take things as they come and focus on the game.

“I go against superstition,” Carlson said. “They don’t do anything get in your head. I keep to my routine and visualizing, but trimming my beard, cutting my hair or eating something, it doesn’t really matter to me.”