Michigan State Likely to Renovate Munn Ice Arena

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier 

There was a rumor that there was an internal deadline within the Michigan State athletic department to make a decision about the future of Munn Ice Arena; renovate or build new. It appears that Athletic Director Mark Hollis has made his decision - to renovate.

In an interview with the Lansing State Journal's Joe Rexrode, Hollis said that barring any unforeseen infusion of donor money, the school would move forward with a renovation project instead of seeking to build a new stadium.

Hollis puts the price tag on a renovation at around $20 million which is far more palatable than the $70 million that he believes it would cost to build a new stadium on campus for the hockey program. Renovation could be the better choice for the Spartans, Munn has the bones to regain its luster, it just requires some effort.

Head Coach Tom Anastos said that he is happy with either direction the university chooses to go in, in talking with Rexrode he said that he has seen conceptual sketches of both options and it's a win-win. Although Anastos feels that a new stadium could be constructed for $40-$50 million, he acknowledges that MSU will have their work cut out to raise the $20 million for the renovation.

Of immediate concern for Hollis is to replace the refrigeration unit for the arena, which would allow for more consistent ice conditions in the stadium. The current cooling unit is old and in desperate need of replacement, the $3 million tag for that will be footed by the department operational funds this offseason.

Suggestions on the renovation has said that the new Munn should remove the bench seating and install chairback seating throughout. In addition, expansions to the bathrooms and scouting areas could help move Munn back to being one of the better facilities in college hockey.

Improvements to the locker rooms and academic areas were highlighted by Hollis as being areas where upgrades need to take place, he also said that minor changes like adding air conditioning to the offices could happen during the renovation.

"I want to create space for NHL scouts to have a comfortable location. Recruiting-wise, you want to have a room that can be used to entertain recruits. I want to develop the changing rooms, locker rooms, academic areas.," Hollis told Rexrode. "We’ll have an entrance plaza and we’ll have our great history on display. We just want to kind of change everything to the positive for the fans and the kids.”


   

Spartan Hockey Split with Wolverines Makes Road Tougher

Photo from NCAA.com

By Sean Gagnier

The game at Munn Ice Arena on Friday night was ripped right out the history books of the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. Momentum swung both ways and the intensity was ratcheted up. After two early goals by the Wolverines, Michigan State roared back, lead by captain Torey Krug to claim a 3-2 victory. However, the Spartans were unable to maintain that momentum and fell in overtime to Michigan on Saturday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Things in the CCHA are tight, after beating Michigan on Friday the Spartans jumped to third place in the standings only to see themselves slide right back to a tie for fifth with the Lake Superior State Lakers. But Michigan State isn't concerned with the CCHA right now, they are looking at their chances to get in the NCAA tournament - and those chances are slim.

It would have been a tough road to begin with, but a sweep of the No. 4 ranked team would have done wonders for the No. 16 ranked Spartans chances of making the NCAA's. However, they were unable to attain that sweep and now face the prospect of having to make up ground against the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Notre Dame. Not two opponents you want to face when you need to make up ground quickly.

The Spartans play host to the Alaska Nanooks at Munn Ice Arena this weekend and appear to need a sweep to keep themselves in the hunt for the NCAA's. Michigan State shouldn't look too sadly at the road ahead of them, the Nanooks are in a down season and are perfect candidates to be swept out of Munn - but as any hockey fan knows it's very difficult to sweep any team.

Alaska is having one of the worst seasons they've had in quite some time, but they play well in East Lansing and the Spartans have struggled to beat weaker teams this season. They play to the level of their opponent instead of to their highest level - a remnant of the Comley era in East Lansing. Coach Tom Anastos should have his Spartans revved up and ready to give it their all this weekend, he knows the stakes and he has driven consistency into his players heads all season long. Michigan State has posted a 7-2-1 record against top ten opponents this season, proving that the Spartans are capable of playing with the top opponents in the country.

Michigan State players have been treated to signage along their bench with an odd logo on it. To the outside viewer it may not be discernible but the logos, two number "100"'s atop each other and sitting beside a "%" sign. But Anastos and his players understand what it means and they have begun to play like they believe it. The logo means, "100 percent, 100 percent of the time."

That's exactly what the Spartans will need when they step onto the ice in South Bend, Ind. next weekend. Notre Dame is a tough opponent for the Spartans to finish out the season with, but with the way the Spartans have been playing of late they should be able to take at least one game in the series if not at least one point. A win over the Irish late in the season would do wonders for the Spartans chances to make it into the NCAA tournament.

While the road may not be an easy one, it is one that the Spartans can navigate without too much stress. Look for the green and white in the NCAA tournament if they can manage to pull through this last stretch of the season.

2012 Great Lakes Invitational to be held at Comerica Park

Photo from MiHockeyNow.com

By Sean Gagnier

On Thursday the National Hockey League made official what had been known since Jan. 2nd, that the Detroit Red Wings would be playing host to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2013 Winter Classic. Commissioner Gary Bettman solidified the details during a press conference at Comerica Park in Detroit.

While the Winter Classic will not be held at Comerica Park, instead moving about an hour west to Ann Arbor to be held at the University of Michigan Stadium, several events will indeed take place in downtown Detroit. Comerica Park will be the sight of just about everything besides the Winter Classic itself - it will host two Ontario Hockey League games, probably featuring the two OHL teams from Michigan, the Saginaw Spirit and the Plymouth Whalers, an American Hockey League game, more than likely featuring the Grand Rapid Griffins, the AHL-affiliate of the Red Wings, the NHL Alumni game, and the Great Lakes Invitational.

The GLI has been a popular fixture in Michigan hockey for fifty years, the event is usually held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit but a shift to the outdoor venue at Comerica Park should be exciting for the schools involved. During the GLI four college hockey teams square off in a tournament that features the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and an invited college each year.

While this will not be the first outdoor game for either Michigan or Michigan State it will be the first in Detroit. The two teams faced off in 2010 in the "Big Chill at the Big House" in which the Wolverines handily beat the Spartans 5-0. Michigan then went on to play another outdoor game that season when they played in Wisconsin and yet another this year when they headed down to Cleveland to face Ohio State.

Despite the Wolverines frequency of outdoor games the other schools involved will take full advantage of the stage to draw recruits and attention to their programs as well as just taking in the stage. Many of these players have grown up in southeastern Michigan and have been to untold numbers of Detroit Tigers games at Comerica Park, but now not only will they be down where their baseball heroes play, they will be playing a game of their own.

It is not yet known whether tickets to the GLI will be sold regularly as they have been for the history of the event or if the NHL will mandate the purchase of GLI, OHL or AHL tickets in order for fans to get their hands on tickets to the main event, the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor. Regardless, it is likely that the venue will allow for the largest crowd in GLI history and could transform many a general hockey fan into a college hockey fan.

Spartan hockey on an aircraft carrier?

By Sean Gagnier

They brought you the first outdoor hockey game, before the NHL's Heritage and Winter Classics and before it became a yearly event for college and professional teams alike. It was called the Cold War, held at Spartan Stadium between Michigan State and Michigan in 2001.

And current Athletic Director Mark Hollis has proven that he is anything but unimaginative having staged a basketball game between his school and North Carolina on the U.S.S. Carl Vinson aircraft carrier in San Diego, Cali., earlier this year. He has also been known to talk about the possibility of playing the University of Southern California Trojans in Greece.


So it should come as no surprise when Hollis says that the possibility of playing a hockey game on an aircraft carrier is there. He has said that he has been approached with the idea and with his hockey coach Tom Anastos having been the Commissioner of the CCHA who brought the Frozen Four to Detroit it seems that Hollis has leverage in his corner.

Anastos said that he would be in favor of dropping the puck on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

“I just think when you can create good, unique experiences for the student-athletes, it is definitely worth exploring," Anastos said.

The opportunity is there, it's only a matter of the Michigan State athletic department reaching out and seizing the opportunity and if Hollis has proven anything in his tenure - it's that he is willing to reach.

Spartans earn weekend split with Wolverines

By Sean Gagnier
 
Michigan State headed into the weekend looking to do battle with their in-state rivals and sweep the two game series. While a sweep wasn't attained the Spartans were able to gain a split against the Wolverines -  including a shootout victory at home.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Munn Ice Arena on Saturday the Spartans took home a shootout victory on the back of senior goalie Drew Palmisano.

Prior to his appointment as MSU head coach this season Tom Anastos served as the commissioner of the CCHA, instituting a controversial shootout rule in 2008. This rule would avoid tie games in games between CCHA opponents, something Anastos thought would entertain the crowds. 

On Saturday Michigan State benefited from the prior decision of their head coach, with the Spartans riding a hot Palmisano to a 4-3 overtime victory. The victory served as payback for a loss Friday night to the Wolverines at Yost Ice Arena.

"I was real proud of how hard our guys competed," said Anastos. "And you know, I was real happy for (Palmisano), in particular, shutting them down in the shootout.”

As was the case on Friday night, in Michigan's win over Michigan State, the scoreboard showed a closely contested game in which neither team seemed to gain the sustained upper hand on the other. The Wolverines held a 3-2 lead over the Spartans with a little under four minutes remaining in the game when MSU's Lee Reimer lit the lamp to tie the game at three apiece.

The two teams dueled in out during a five minute overtime session, without either being able to find the back of the net, leading to the deciding shootout. In the shootout Anastos chose to go with a lineup of Brett Perlini, Matt Berry and Greg Wolfe.

Perlini drove towards the net and Michigan goaltender Shawn Hunwick -  he missed on his attempt, but Palmisano was able to turn aside the Michigan attempt at the other end. Berry was able to deke around Hunwick to put the Spartans on the board while Palmisano kept Michigan off the board. In the final round of the shootout MSU's Greg Wolfe's shot was turned aside by Hunwick but Palmisano stoned Michigan's AJ Treais.

As Palmisano turned aside the final shot Munn Ice Arena exploded with the excited cheers of fans and the senior goaltender kicked the air before jumping against the glass in front of the MSU student section.

“The Michigan State-Michigan rivalry is the biggest in college hockey,” Palmisano said. “It always feels good to beat these guys at home.”

Michigan State will have a 16-day break over the holidays before heading back to East Lansing to get ready for the Great Lakes Invitational (Dec. 29-30 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit). Closing out the first half of the season the Spartans hold a 10-6-2 record while going 6-5-1-1 in CCHA games.  

The first half of the season could be considered to be a success for the Spartans as they were expected to finish in the basement of the CCHA and so far have defeated Minnesota, Western Michigan and Northern Michigan - teams all ranked in the top ten.

Spartans look to down Wolverines at Yost

By Sean Gagnier
 
After stumbling out of the gates this season the Spartans have caught their stride and haven't looked back, they have soared to No. 14 in the nation after going 8-1-1 over the past 10 games.

With the new regime of Tom Anastos in place Michigan State has adopted the montra, "100 percent, 100 percent of the time" and it has worked. After losing to Lake Superior State University earlier in the season, the Spartans have steadily climbed in the rankings and boast a 10-5-1 (6-4) record.

Although the Spartans sit in sixth place in the conference, they still have 18 conference games left to play and the upcoming home-and-home series with Michigan looms large.

The Wolverines have not maintained their power from last year, after winning the CCHA they currently sit in eighth place with a 8-8-2 (4-6) record, but any game between these two rivals tends to come down to the last period and tends to remain close.

Coach Anastos has preached that this game is more than just another on the schedule, saying there's something more to it than that.

"They say all games count the same," Anastos said. "True, but some games mean a little more."

The rivalry is strong with many of the players on the Spartans team, with captain Torey Krug saying that he lives for games like these against Michigan.

"You go to Michigan State to beat teams like Michigan,” Krug said. “You know, if you don’t have that hatred for Michigan, then I don’t think you’re a true Spartan. It’s just that confidence thing."

Over the past 11 years the two teams have played to an even 21-21-10 series record, while each game tends to be a tight battle. The two met in The Big Chill at the Big House and the Wolverines soundly beat the Spartans 5-0, but both teams broke even on the season with a 2-2 record.

The two teams are heading in different directions of late, with the Spartans having ripped off eight wins in their last ten games and the Wolverines having just one win since Nov. 5. Despite their trends, the two teams are close in their goals per game with Michigan State averaging 3.2 to Michigan's three.

Michigan State will head to Yost Ice Arena on Friday and hopes to continue their streak of late, the game will be televised on Fox Sports Detroit and Saturday's game between the two at Munn Ice Arena will be covered on Big Ten Network.