Michigan foiled at Wisconsin, Minnesota

By Bob Miller/Michigan Beat Writer

Disappointment was the order of the weekend for Michigan in the final edition of the College Hockey Showcase, played at Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Wolverines gave up the lead three separate times eventually winding up tied, 4-4, with Wisconsin in the tourney opener on Friday and never saw a lead Saturday night in a dispirited 3-1 loss to Minnesota.

Louie Caporusso's unassisted scoring effort late in the second period against Wisconsin had the Wolverines poised for a win, but Wisconisn took away any momentum Michigan might have had with a power play goal in the first minute of the third period. Neither team could dent the scoresheet for the remainder of the period or in the five minute overtime.

Despite outshooting the Gophers 36 to 26 on Saturday, the Wolverines never led. Scooter Vaughan's late second period goal gave the Wolverines hope, trailing 2-1 after two periods, but David Wohlberg was foiled on a short-handed breakaway attempt in the third stanza and Michigan really never threatened again.

“I thought we maybe had our best period in the third, but the puck was not going in,” Michigan head coach Red Berenson told USCHO. “If we scored on that short-handed breakaway, that could have maybe changed the momentum."

Ironically, Michigan finished the 18 years of College Hockey Showcase play with the best overall record of the group including fellow Big Ten powers Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

“We like the competition,” said Berenson of the annual showdown. “We like the games against Big Ten programs, and it is disappointing that we won't have more.”

The Wolverines travel to Columbus next weekend for two games against Ohio State, hoping to avenge, in some measure, their football team's lopsided loss to the Buckeyes on Saturday.

MSU splits at College Hockey Showcase

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State ended their three-game losing streak with a win Friday night at the 18th and final College Hockey Showcase over Minnesota, but then started a new skid with a loss Saturday night to Wisconsin.

The Spartans topped the Gophers, 5-2, before falling to the Badgers, 4-1.

In beating Minnesota, MSU also snapped a nine-game winless streak against the Gophers (4-0-5) and won their first game at the showcase since 2004.

Dustin Gazley scored twice, while captain Torey Krug had a goal and two assists in the win. Derek Grant added a goal and an assist and Brett Perlini tallied the other goal to back Drew Palmisano's 29-save outing between the pipes.

Against Wisconsin, Zach Golembiewski scored the lone goal and Palmisano made 26 saves in the Spartans' first non-conference loss of the season.

MSU, now 5-7-3 overall, plays at Ferris State Friday night in the first half of a home-and-home set with the Bulldogs.

MSU swept at College Hockey Showcase

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State hosted Wisconsin and Minnesota at Munn Ice Arena last weekend as part of the College Hockey Showcase and didn't play like the nation's No. 7-ranked team in a pair of losses to their Big Ten opponents.

Friday night, Wisconsin took a 7-3 win, while the Golden Gophers escaped with a 2-1 win Saturday night.

Michigan State has now not won a Showcase game in nine seasons, going 0-13-7 since 2000.

Andrew Rowe scored MSU's lone goal Saturday night and Drew Palmisano made a career-high 40 saves.

Mike Carman won it for Minnesota with a goal at 17:14 of the third period.

Against Wisconsin, Derek Grant had a goal and two assists and Palmisano made 21 saves on 25 shots before being pulled for Bobby Jarosz just past the 14-minute mark of the second period. Jarosz finished with eight saves on 11 shots.

Corey Tropp and Matt Grassi (first NCAA goal) also tallied for the Spartans.

MSU (9-5-2, 6-2-2-0 CCHA) heads to Northern Michigan for two CCHA games this upcoming weekend.

Spartans finally end winless streak

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

They still haven't won in a month, but the Michigan State Spartans ended their winless skid with a 4-4 tie against Minnesota Saturday night at the College Hockey Showcase.

Daultan Leveille scored a pair of goals for MSU (4-9-3, 2-6-2-2 CCHA) and Drew Palmisano made 22 saves in goal. Dan Sturges and Andrew Rowe also scored for Michigan State, who skated to a tie with the Gophers for the third straight year in the Showcase.

“I thought he was pretty good,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said of Palmisano. “I was tempted to play Jeff (Lerg) again, but I want to get Drew ready for next season.”

The tie snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Spartans.

Leveille's goals were his first scores since a two-goal outing against Western Michigan on Halloween. That was also the last contest in which the Spartans scored more than once in a game.

Friday night, Lerg made 50 saves in a 3-1 loss in Madison, Wis., to Wisconsin.

Tim Crowder tallied MSU's lone goal as the Spartans managed just a single goal for the sixth straight game.

Next up for Michigan State is a home-and-home series with Michigan starting Friday night on the road and concluding Saturday night in East Lansing.

UM tops Minnesota, falls to Badgers

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan Beat Writer

Michigan made the northwest trip to the College Hockey Showcase last weekend in Minnesota and Wisconsin and came away with an upset win over the Gophers and a shutout loss to Wisconsin.

Friday night in Minneapolis, Carl Hagelin and David Wohlberg each scored twice as No. 15-ranked Michigan netted the first four goals of the game and cruised to a 6-3 win over No. 1 Minnesota.

"We don't want to overreact to it, but it's a good solid win over a really good, solid team," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. "Now whether it was a fluke we'll find out in future games. We've seen these games at Thanksgiving. We've had our team where we couldn't get out of our own way and we've had games like tonight where we don't do anything wrong."

Brandon Naurato and Louie Caporusso also scored for the Wolverines (9-7-0, 5-5-0-0 CCHA) and Bryan Hogan made 23 saves for the win in net.

Billy Sauer got the start in goal against Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., but received no offensive support as the Wolverines fell, 3-0.

Sauer finished with 27 stops.

"Billy gave us every chance," Berenson said. "In the second period, our backs were against the wall with penalties and we're trying to play disciplined hockey and not take penalties, but it didn't work out. I can't tell you they were undisciplined, but we just took too many penalties. Billy played terrific. He gave our team every chance and we came up short for him."

The Wolverines play a home-and-home series this weekend with Michigan State starting Friday night in Ann Arbor.

MSU knots Gophers and Badgers

By Matt Mackinder / Michigan State Beat Writer

The Michigan State Spartans had to settle for two ties last weekend on home ice during the College Hockey Showcase against Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Tim Kennedy netted a shorthanded goal with 7:19 left in the game to even the score and force a 3-3 tie with Minnesota on Friday night.

“I thought the kids reacted well and they worked very hard,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said. “We had a lot of good scoring chances, as did they, but I thought it was a good game. They are a good team, minus a few really good players. They get up the ice quick, but I thought we got even better as the game went on.”

Andrew Rowe and Chris Mueller scored the other goals for MSU and Jeff Lerg made 19 saves.

Saturday night, senior captain Bryan Lerg and Matt Schepke scored two goals apiece and Chris Mueller and Dustin Gazley recorded two assists each as Michigan tied Wisconsin, 4-4, after having a 4-2 third-period advantage.

“You're up 4-2 with ten minutes to go and when you don't get it done, it's pretty frustrating,” Bryan Lerg said. “We had a really good first two periods, and then the third period. I think we registered maybe four shots and that is something we can't have. We have to have the third period be our best period.”

Jeff Lerg stopped 33 for the Spartans.

Michigan State (8-3-2, 4-2-0 CCHA) heads to Lake Superior State this weekend.

Wolverines take both at Showcase

By Matt Mackinder / Michigan Beat Writer

Michigan is now on a 12-game winning streak after winning both games of the College Hockey Showcase last weekend at Yost Ice Arena against Wisconsin and Minnesota from the WCHA.

Friday night, Michigan beat Wisconsin, 3-2. Chad Kolarik scored shorthanded in the first period, senior captain Kevin Porter and Max Pacioretty found the back of the net, both on the power-play, in the middle frame. Kolarik assisted on both tallies.

The Badgers threatened late in the third period with goals 18 seconds apart.

"It was a game where the momentum really changed late in the game,” said Michigan head coach Red Berenson. “I thought the third period wasn’t going anywhere, and then we had a couple of shifts where we had three or four point-blank chances and the puck didn’t go in. Then we had a couple of penalties and all of a sudden we're on our heels. The puck went in for them and they got a life. Then they got a second goal, when we made one bad mistake, and it was a new game. We did a lot of good things in the game, but we didn’t finish them off in the third period and I can't remember the last time we lost a third period like that."

Billy Sauer stopped 24 shots for the Wolverines.

Porter tallied four points (two goals, two assists) and now has a nation-best 16 goals on the year and Kolarik had his second straight three-point contest to lead Michigan to a 5-1 victory over Minnesota Saturday night.

"I think it was just one of those nights where we were clicking,” Porter said. “We were finding each other and things just happened to go our way. We got a couple lucky bounces and it worked out."

Kolarik scored the first two goals of the game and Porter added a third before Minnesota could respond.

Ben Winnett chipped in a third-period goal for the Wolverines and Sauer stopped 26 shots en route to his 13th win.

Michigan (12-1-0, 8-0-0 CCHA) suffered its lone loss of the season to the Gophers on Oct. 13 and swept the College Hockey Showcase for the first time since 2002 and the fifth time in the tournament’s 15-year history.

MSU sweeps aside Alaska Nanooks

by Matt Mackinder / Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State completed its first road CCHA sweep of the season on Saturday night in Fairbanks, posting a 3-1 victory over Alaska.

The No. 6 Spartans topped the Nanooks by the same 3-1 score Friday night.

Tim Kennedy potted a pair of power-play goals to lead MSU Friday night. Daniel Vukovic assisted on both Kennedy scores and added an empty-net tally for a three-point night.

Jeff Lerg stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced to record the victory. Lerg played and started his 61st consecutive game, setting a school record. He currently ranks third in NCAA history in consecutive games played and second in consecutive starts.

Saturday night, Lerg made 11 of his 26 saves in the third period to preserve a tight game, while Vukovic and Kennedy each had a goal and an assist on the night.

Senior captain Bryan Lerg tallied the opening goal for MSU.

Michigan State (6-1-0, 4-0-0 CCHA) returns to the Lower 48 on Sunday and will spend the week preparing for a two-game non-conference set with Mercyhurst this weekend at Munn Arena. The series kicks off six straight home games for the defending national champions - league-leading and top-ranked Miami comes in the following weekend for a two-game set, followed by College Hockey Showcase games against Minnesota and Wisconsin.