MiCHO Power Poll 1.6.10

The Michigan State Spartans have won five of their last six games and begin the New Year on top of the MiCHO Power Poll.

The ninth-ranked Spartans rolled past Michigan Tech and Rensselaer to capture the Great Lakes Invitational and have outscored their opponents 23-5 in the past four games.

Eleventh-ranked Ferris State slips down one spot after a third place finish at the Badger Showdown, while Lake Superior's eight-game unbeaten streak is good for the third place position.

Michigan remains at No. 4 after rallying for third place at the GLI. Just behind is red-hot Northern Michigan, who turned a lot of heads by winning the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minneapolis.

1) Michigan State (beat Michigan Tech and RPI)
2) Ferris State (lost to No. 6 Yale, beat Merrimack)
3) Lake Superior State (swept Robert Morris)
4) Michigan (Lost to RPI, beat Michigan Tech)
5) Northern Michigan (beat Clarkson and Minnesota)
6) Western Michigan (tied and lost to No. 10 Bemidji State)
7) Michigan Tech (lost to Michigan State and Michigan)

Each week, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. The poll will comprise the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

Krug, Tropp take home CCHA awards

The CCHA announced Tuesday that defenseman Torey Krug of Michigan State has been named the CCM CCHA Rookie of the Month for December, while junior forward Corey Tropp of Michigan State has been named the RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month for December.

Krug, a member of the Spartans’ top defensive pair, helped the team compile a 5-1-0 record in December and allow one goal or less on four occasions. He tallied the first goal of his career in overtime to give MSU a victory over Bowling Green on Dec. 11, 3-2. The Livonia native also helped the Spartans capture their 12th Great Lakes Invitational title with two assists during a win over Rensselaer , 6-1, in the championship game. He posted a plus-6 combined rating in two GLI games.

Krug registered an assist on Tropp’s game-tying goal against Northern Michigan Dec. 5 to force overtime and another in a victory over Bowling Green , 4-1, on Dec. 12. The point man on MSU’s first power-play unit, Krug holds a 1-7-8 scoring line this season.

Krug played the 2008-09 season with the Indiana Ice of the USHL and help the team win the Clark Cup Championship. He was named to the USHL All-Rookie Team after registering a scoring line of 10-37-47 in 59 games to set the club record for points by a defenseman.

Tropp, a 20-year-old from Grosse Pointe Woods, led the Spartans to a 5-1-0 record in December including the program’s 12th Great Lakes Invitational title. He leads the nation with 17 goals and four game-winning goals through 22 games this season, and currently ranks third with 29 points. In the month of December, Tropp led the country with seven goals and 10 points. His efforts helped MSU climb to No. 9 in the USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll and second place in the CCHA with a 9-3-2-0 record.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Tropp was named CCHA Player of the Week on Dec. 14 after recording his second hat trick of the season, including the game-winning goal, and an assist in an 4-1 victory over Bowling Green Dec. 12. Tropp also recorded the only goal in a 1-0 win over Northern Michigan (Dec. 4) and a pair of game-tying tallies that forced overtime against NMU (Dec. 5) and BGSU (Dec. 11).

Special mention for RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month honors goes to Ferris State sophomore goaltender Taylor Nelson and Miami junior forward Tommy Wingels.

MSU hammers NTDP in exhibition

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State defeated the United States National Under-18 Team, 8-2, Monday night at Munn Ice Arena in an exhibition contest.

The Spartans had seven different goal scorers. Daultan Leveille had two goals and an assist and Corey Tropp and Derek Grant each tallied a goal and a helper.

Brock Shelgren, Brett Perlini, Nick Sucharski and Mike Merrifield scored the other goals for MSU.

For the NTDP, Michigan recruit Luke Moffatt and Brandon Saad tallied in the loss.

Bobby Jarosz and Kyle McMahon combined for 24 saves in the Spartans' net. Jarosz started and made 21 saves, while McMahon came in with 1:59 to play and stopped all three shots he faced.

Andy Iles started in goal for Team USA, but left just 1:24 into the game after allowing Shelgren's goal on MSU's first shot. Colin Stevens played the rest of the game and finished with 22 saves.

Michigan State hosts Lake Superior State this weekend at Munn.

Wildcats win big at Dodge Classic

By Susannah Nichols/ Northern Michigan Beat Writer

The Northern Michigan Wildcats started 2010 off with a bang by winning the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minneapolis. The offensive energy and steadfast play by goalie Brian Stewart paid off as the team blanked Clarkson, 4-0, and then beat Minnesota, 4-2, to take the title.

Clarkson managed only four shots on net in the first period of Saturday's game, leaving plenty of room for Northern to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Phil Fox scored first, off assists by Mark Olver and Justin Florek. Near the end of the period, Olver banged in his own rebound. Florek was also credited with an assist on Olver's goal.

Clarkson's offense heated up in the second period, but Stewart was consistent in net. Clarkson also had the advantage on special teams, having four power plays to the 'Cats' one, but Northern made their chance count. Gregor Hanson and Erik Gustafsson set up Jared Brown for a power-play goal at 5:35 of the second. Less than a minute later, Chad Pietila lit the lamp for his second goal of the year. Tyler Gron and Mike Maltese assisted.

Stewart was perfect in goal with 29 saves.

Sunday's final started roughly for the 'Cats as Minnesota outshot them, 18-7, and went up 1-0 going into the first intermission.

The Wildcats found their legs in the second period. Although Minnesota still dominated in shots on goal, Northern took the lead. Olver and Gustafsson set up Hanson for a power-play goal, and then Hanson and Matt Butcher asssisted on Ray Kaunisto's goal. Minnesota scored late in the period, but Kauinsto notched his second goal in the final seconds to give Northern the lead heading into the third period.

Minnesota again outshot Northern in the third period, but Stewart denied all of their efforts and allowed Northern to maintain their lead. At 16:16 of the third, TJ Miller widened that lead to 4-2 with some help from Olver and Florek.

Stewart finished with 48 saves for NMU, now 9-8-4 overall.

The Wildcats' next test is against UP-rival Michigan Tech on Tuesday, January 12. The puck drops in Houghton at 7:30 p.m.

Lakers sweep into New Year

By Tom Balog / LSSU Beat Writer

The Lake Superior State Lakers (12-7-3, 7-6-1 CCHA) began 2010 on the road with a thrilling 7-6 non-conference victory over the hard charging Robert Morris Colonials on Saturday night.

After trading a pair of goals each in the first period, the Lakers blew out to a 6-2 lead with four straight goals to open the second period.

RMU closed the gap with the pair of goals before Fred Cassiani notched the eventual game winner on the power-play at 4:45 of the third period.
Zach Trotman, Ben Power, Kyle Haines, Pat Aubry, Zac MacVoy, and Simon Gysbers also scored as LSSU won their fifth game in a row.

Brian Mahoney-Wilson grabbed his 10th win and stopped 37 in net for the Lakers.

Former Wayne State Warrior Chris Kushneriuk led the Colonials with 2 goals and one assist.

Blueliner Denny Urban also scored two for RMU while Stefan Salituro and Scott Kobialko added singles.

Eric Levine, Brooks Ostergard, and Joe Zeimianski all saw time in the busy RMU net. Levine started and surrendered 3 goals on 11 shots. Ostergard took the loss after giving up 4 goals on 19 shots. Zeimianski played just 2:01 and did not see an official shot.

Pat Inglis started between the pipes on Sunday evening and stopped a perfect 30 shots in a LSSU 2-0 shutout of the Colonials.

The shutout was Inglis’s (pictured) second of his career and also the senior’s second win of the season.

Matt Cowie opened the scored for the Lakers at 11:03 of the second and Rick Schofield picked up the game winner on the power-play at 18:25.

Chad Nehring recorded assists on both goals.

Ostergard was between the pipes for RMU and stopped 22 of 24 shots in the loss.

The Lakers are now unbeaten in their last eight games and will return to conference play with a pair of games against #13 Michigan State at the Munn Arena in East Lansing next weekend.

Photo courtesy of LSSU Athletics.

Broncos blanked by Bemidji State

By Karl Henkel/Western Michigan Beat Writer

Western Michigan didn’t want to start 2010 the way it did.

The Broncos hosted tenth-ranked Bemidji State and didn’t record a goal in the two-game series. The two teams skated to a scoreless tie in the opener before BSU won the finale, 2-0.

In the first game, Riley Gill picked up his team-record eighth career shutout after he made 29 saves. On the other side, Dan Bakala made 31 for Bemidji State.

The Broncos won the shootout, 2-1, as Max Cambpbell and J.J. Crew scored.

In the second game, the Beavers scored two second-period goals and WMU was unable to convert on a trio of second period power-play opportunities.

Bakala made 26 stops for his second consecutive shutout. Jerry Kuhn stopped 27 for Western Michigan.

The Broncos (6-10-4, 2-9-3-1 CCHA) get set to host Michigan this Friday night before traveling to Ann Arbor Saturday night. Both games start at 7:35 p.m.

FSU takes third at Badger Showdown

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Playing in their first series in nearly a month, Ferris State went 1-1 over the weekend to place third in the last-ever Wisconsin Badger Hockey Showdown.

In a battle between the Bulldogs, No. 11 ranked Ferris State was faced with a tough task in their opener against No. 8 ranked Yale.

Yale began their night-long terror on Ferris State goaltender Taylor Nelson at the midway point of the first period, when Brian O’ Neill redirected a shot from Jimmy Martin.

Just minutes later, Ferris State would answer back as defenseman Brett Wysopal passed the puck up ice to a speeding Blair Riley. Circling along the boards, Riley centered the puck to Casey Haines in the slot, who finished the play with a back-handed shot on Yale netminder Jeff Malcolm.

The score would remain deadlocked at one goal apiece until a power-play goal by Sean Backman in the final minute of the second period restored the lead for Yale.

Things would only get worse for Ferris State in the final stanza, as Yale registered four goals within an 18 minute span to finish with a 6-1 win.

Nelson finished with 35 saves, while Malcolm had 23.

The following night, Ferris State had a much more pleasant experience in the consolation game against Merrimack.

Just 7:24 into the game, captain Cody Chupp blasted a shot form the right faceoff circle to beat Warriors goaltender Joe Cannata. Garnering assists on the play were Riley and Haines.

Later in the period, Riley finished off a pass from defenseman Matt Case to tally his team-high 15th goal of the campaign.

Early in the second, sophomore Aaron Schmit would score his first collegiate goal to up the Bulldogs’ lead to 3-0.

Down but not out, Merrimack managed to get on the scoreboard a few minutes later, as Adam Ross snuck the puck past Ferris State’s Pat Nagle.

In the final period, Justin Menke and Zach Redmond both scored on the man-advantage to preserve a win for the Bulldogs.

Cannata held a slight advantage in stops over Nagle, 26-23.

Ferris State (14-4-2 overall, 8-2-2 CCHA) returns to league action this weekend when they travel to Notre Dame for a two-game set.