Adrian's luck runs out in title game

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The Adrian College Bulldogs fell painfully short in their bid for their first NCAA Division III Championship, falling 4-3 to the St. Norbert College Green Knights at the Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Saturday night.

"We had a few lapses on the penalty kill and that really lead to them getting the win," said head coach Ron Fogarty. "I'm proud of our guys and the heart they showed each time we went down a goal. I'm also proud to be the head coach of Adrian College."

Nick Tabisz scored on the power-play at 15:26 of the third period to seal the title for St. Norbert who were in the championship game for the fifth time in the last eight years.

Sam Kuzyk, Kyle Watson, and Eric Miller lit the lamp and Brad Fogal made 30 saves for an Adrian team that finished with an overall record of 25-4-1.

"We could not gain any momentum because every goal by us was answered by them," said senior Sam Kuzyk. "Our team tried to overcome the penalties but they really did a good job of making those penalties hurt."

Cody Keefer popped in a pair of goals, Johan Ryd added a power-play marker and B.J. O'Brien stopped 18 as SNC won it's second National Championship.

The 17 outgoing Bulldog seniors won four MCHA regular season and Harris Cup titles and depart with an overall record of 102-12-2.

Senior blueliner Jeremy Klaver and senior forward Shawn Skelly both nabbed Frozen Four All-Tournament Team honors.

Photo courtesy of Adrian Athletics.

BC Eagles capture fourth national title

By Tom Balog / Live at the Frozen Four

It was a battle of David vs. David at Ford Field on Saturday night.

Two college hockey giants in Wisconsin and Boston College went toe to toe and in the end, it was the BC Eagles hoisting their fourth National Championship trophy.

Senior center Ben Smith rifled a power-play shot from between the rings and beat Scott Gudmandson five-hole at 12:37 of the opening period to give the BC Eagles a 1-0 lead. Brothers Steven and Joe Whitney were credited with the assists.

"It takes a full 60 minutes effort," said Smith. "I think we proved we could play at that level and it showed in our success"

Wisconsin battled back and outshot BC, 9-6, in the second period and it looked like the third period would be close.

Looks can be deceiving though as Boston College turned their game up again.

The 1-0 score held until 1:38 of the third when Cam Atkinson (pictured) came flying down the wing and let a backhander fly. It beat Gudmandson in the five-hole again for the sophomore’s 28th marker of the year and two-goal Eagle lead.

Just over two minutes later the Eagles added more insurance in the form of a Chris Krieder goal. Kreider tipped a Jimmy Hayes pass into the stick side to make it a 3-0 contest.

Atkinson added another nail in the Badger coffin at 7:20, beating the UW defense and Gudmandson through the five-hole for his second goal of the evening.

Matt Price added an empty-netter and that was more than enough to give the Eagles their second title in three years.

"We had a great journey," said Hobey Baker winner Blake Geoffrion. "Obviously right now we're pretty disappointed in our play today and they're a better team on the ice. We'll go back and reflect on the past couple of days here and look back on it and we should be proud of ourselves."

John Muse finished with 20 saves for the Eagles for his second shutout of the year and is also 8-0 in NCAA playoff games.

"I thought our club played very sound," said BC head coach Jerry York. "Johnny Muse was clearly on top of his game tonight. This is three championships in a row for Hockey East and I feel very excited about this championship."

Gudmandson made 21 stops on the other end in a losing effort.

All-Tournament Team
F- Boston College, Cam Atkinson
F- Boston College, Ben Smith
F- Boston College, Joe Whitney
D- Wisconsin, Brendan Smith
D- Boston College, Brian Dumoulin
G- Boston College, John Muse

Most Outstanding Player- Boston College, Ben Smith

Ice Chips…

- Boston College holds the edge in the all-time series with Wisconsin, 12-9-0.

- BC has as many wins in three days in Ford Field as the Detroit Lions have had in the last two seasons.

- Saturday’s game set a new world indoor hockey attendance record with 37,592 fans jammed into Ford Field.

- This was BC’s fourth trip to the championship game in five years and tenth overall.

- Saturday’s game was the third time Wisconsin played for the National Championship in Detroit. They won the title in 1977 by beating Michigan, 6-5, in overtime at Olympia Stadium. Then in 1990 they took down Colgate, 7-3, at Joe Louis Arena.

- BC head coach Jerry York now has four national titles. One at Bowling Green in 1984 and three with the Eagles in 2001, 2008 and 2010.

- RIT fans were still in full force, chanting RIT during breaks throughout the game.

Photo by Karl Henkel / MiCHO

Spartans broom aside Colgate

by Matt Mackinder / Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State opened the home portion of their schedule last weekend and swept aside Colgate.

Senior captain Bryan Lerg tied a career high with four assists and Matt Schepke and freshman Dustin Gazley each scored twice as Michigan State rolled in its home opener, 6-3, Friday night.

The Spartans raised their 2007 National Championship banner in a pre-game ceremony in front of 5,926 fans.

Jeff Lerg made 22 saves for the win and Nick Sucharski and Justin Abdelkader also scored for MSU.

“We needed [the win],” Bryan Lerg said. “I think that we came out hard and made a statement, but like Coach said, I think we played 30 minutes real well and 30 minutes kind of sloppy. (Colgate) didn't give up the whole game and they were able to bounce back with a couple of goals. Luckily the time ran out, but overall, I think we played a good game.”

Saturday, Jeff Lerg stopped 23 shots, including a penalty shot, as MSU held on for a 2-1 win. Lerg’s stop on Tyler Burton’s penalty shot was the first since Chad Alban made a stop in the 1996 NCAA Tournament against UMass-Lowell.

“I think he was trying to go low blocker-side, but he didn't get it where he wanted, which made it easier on me,” Lerg said. “I thought he'd put a deke on me. You could tell he's got good hands. Once he shot it, I stood my ground, and it hit me.”

Abdelkader and Tim Kennedy scored for the Spartans (2-1-0).

“I thought we would score a little more, but that is just how the game was,” said Abdelkader. “You just have to grind it out. There were some weird bounces and a lot of penalties, so we were killing a lot of penalties, too. I think that took some of the flow out of the game. We have to be a little bit more disciplined. But that is a key to win, and I am sure we will see a lot of the 2-1, 3-2 games in the future. You have to grind it out, and battle.”

Michigan State opens league play this weekend when they host Northern Michigan at Munn Ice Arena.

Spartans to raise NCAA banner Friday

Limited tickets remain for Colgate series; fans will be given commemorative pins at Friday ceremony

East Lansing, Mich. -- The Michigan State hockey team will raise its 2007 National Championship banner on Friday in conjunction with its home opener against Colgate.

In addition, members of the 1966 and 1986 NCAA title teams will participate in the on-ice ceremony before the game. New banners commemorating those two titles will be unveiled prior to the raising of the 2007 banner. All three will hang over the ice in Munn Ice Arena.

"This is a celebration for the entire Spartan hockey family," notes head coach Rick Comley. "The titles are something that I hope every Spartan is proud of. We have a rich, proud tradition."

On Friday, the first 3,000 fans arriving at Friday’s game will be given a pin (pictured), commemorating the school’s three NCAA titles - all three years (1966, 1986, and 2007) appear on the pin. Fans are reminded to arrive early, as the ceremony will begin prior to 7 p.m.

A limited number of tickets are still available for both Friday’s and Saturday’s games. Tickets can be purchased at www.msuspartans.com, or by calling the Michigan State ticket office at (517) 355-1610 (local) or 1-800-GO-STATE.

Michigan State '07-08 Season Preview

By Matt Bishop

The State News

Coming off the program’s first national title in 21 years, MSU head coach Rick Comley said he’s more driven now than he’s ever been.

“That’s the feeling I have sitting here, right now,” Comley said Tuesday at MSU Media Day.

“These are golden years for me … it’s such a great school and a great program, there’s so much pride taken from winning a national championship, I’m just hungry to do it again.”

And it’s a good thing, too, because his Spartans are going into the season with a large target on their backs, courtesy of being the defending national champions — and a No. 3 national ranking.

But Comley knows the challenge of trying to repeat. After winning the national title in 1991 at Northern Michigan, Comley’s squad won the WCHA Tournament, but were bounced by Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Now he has to take that experience and try to apply it to this year’s team throughout the course of the season.

“In 1992, I thought we should’ve won it again,” Comley said.

“We were probably favored all year to win it. Early in a season like this, expectations will be extremely high and you’re judged harshly and quickly as to how you react to it, but what you do is take the positives from it, the lessons that we learned last year but with the biggest lesson of all being that you’re good enough to do it.”

Even though his team is coming off a national title, Comley still believes his team isn’t seen on the same level nationally as a Boston College or a Minnesota.

“As great as we are, we still fight for respect,” Comley said. “We’re always fighting for that level of respect, and every time you put on that jersey or every time I walk behind that bench, you want to continue to prove things to everybody.”

This season, the Spartans might have the ability to take respect from their opponents – and the national pundits as the team’s four top scorers – junior Tim Kennedy, senior captain Bryan Lerg, junior Justin Abdelkader and senior Chris Mueller – return along with a goaltender, junior Jeff Lerg, who helped carry the Spartans through the NCAA Tournament, allowing five goals in the four tournament games.

“It’s a real nice situation for a coach,” Comley said. “When you return talent and you bring in talent, like we said last year, last year’s team became the sum of the parts and what eventually proved out last year is that we did have good parts. This year, I don’t think there’s any question that we do. But it doesn’t mean we’re better than anybody else in our league or any of the top teams in the country, but I believe we can compete with them.”

But in the hunt for a repeat, Comley remains focused on his usual coaching style that’s gotten him over 700 career wins.

“As my record indicates, I’m a second half coach,” he noted. “I like to play kids the first half, give opportunity, develop kids, develop a team. I’m not as personally concerned about record until Christmas.”

So even though winning the CCHA regular season championship is a big goal for the team, the season is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

“If you’re going to make the league championship a target, I’d have to change that approach,” Comley said.

“I’d like to win it. I think the players are kind of taking the approach that they haven’t won it and they’d like to, but to me the big picture is playing that last game and winning that last game.”

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Lerg learning to balance scoring with leadership as team captain

By Matt Bishop

The State News

Senior forward Bryan Lerg said it’s always been his dream to be captain.

Now, it’s reality.

Lerg will serve as captain of the MSU hockey team for the 2007-08 season.

“Last year we had a unanimous pick in that locker room in Chris Lawrence and Bryan was this year,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said. “It’s a big responsibility for him. This year’s situation is a little different in that we have very high expectations for Bryan the individual. Not only must he fill the role of a good captain, he’s got to be productive, too.”

Lerg said he’s learned a lot from the three captains he’s served under – Jim Slater, Drew Miller and Lawrence.

“I think I can lead this team in the right direction,” he said.

“I’m really happy to be named captain, and I have a lot of good assistants helping me out.”

Serving under Lerg will be senior Chris Mueller and juniors Justin Abdelkader, Tim Kennedy and Jeff Lerg.

Lerg is already confident in his team heading into what should be a tough year.

“It’s going to be another tight year,” he said. “I have a lot of faith in our team, and I know with all the hard work I’ve seen so far, it’s going to be a good season.”

Lerg tallied 23 goals and 13 assists last season, but the biggest statistic was his eight game-winning goals.

“I’ve got to be there at the right, I have to put the puck in the net,” Lerg said. “Between those top two lines, there’s a lot of points. Those are the two lines that need to put the puck in the net at the right time. When it comes down to crunch time, you have to be the leader on and off the ice.”

New ‘do

Lerg showed up at media day with a new look. Over the summer, he cut his traditional curly hair in favor of a more conservative look.

“I just woke up and it was gone,” he joked. “I just woke up one morning and had enough. It hadn’t been cut in four years.”

But the new style won’t last too long, as he said he plans on letting it grow once again.

A little family research – or just consulting Bryan’s cousin Jeff – revealed that this is the way Bryan grew his hair for much of his youth.

“I grew up playing with him for nine years and every one of his team pictures was nice, trim hair like that,” Jeff Lerg said.

“It’ll flow out. He goes in stages like that.”

Early on

MSU will play its annual Green & White game Sunday at 2 p.m., before its only exhibition contest of the season at 7 p.m., Tuesday against the University of Windsor.

The national championship banner will be raised prior to the Spartans’ home opener against Colgate on Oct. 19.

Spartans name 2007-2008 captains

Hockey coach Rick Comley has announced that senior forward Bryan Lerg (pictured) serve as the captain of the 2007-08 Michigan State Spartans. Comley also announced that senior forward Chris Mueller and junior forwards Justin Abdelkader, and Tim Kennedy and junior goaltender Jeff Lerg will serve as alternate captains for the upcoming season.

"Bryan had tremendous support from all of the players and coaching staff," noted Comley. "He has been an excellent player for us for three years, and we expect that he will be an outstanding senior captain. We are all confident that Bryan will help us reach the goals that we have set for our program."

"It’s obviously a great honor to be elected the captain of your team," noted Bryan Lerg. "It really means a lot, because the staff and the players feel that they have confidence in you to lead the team. Coming off the year we just did, I have some big shoes to fill."

Bryan Lerg has appeared in 127 career games in Green and White, and has 48 goals and 41 assists. As a junior, he led the team with his career-best 23 goals and added 13 assists to rank second on the team with 36 points. He led the nation in game-winning goals (eight), and was named the Most Valuable Player as the Spartans captured their 11th Great Lakes Invitational Tournament.

"I’ve been able to learn from some great captains in my time at Michigan State," added Bryan Lerg. "Jim Slater and Drew Miller both led by example on the ice, and were great at the off-ice things – making the younger guys are brought into the fold, and things like that. Chris Lawrence was a little different case – he was a fourth-line guy who maybe didn’t play as much, but never complained about his on-ice role. He was always ‘up’, and really was an unbelievable leader that helped us win a National Championship. All three may have been different, but all three were great captains.

"All of our guys have been working really hard this summer to make sure that we’re prepared to come in and be ready to go once practice starts. We’re confident that we can have an exciting season."

Mueller will wear an "A" for the second consecutive season. The Spartans’ best defensive forward, Mueller plays in all situations and ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 16 assists. In addition to his career-high goal output as a junior, he set a career high in power-play goals (five) and potted two game-winners. He has appeared in 124 career games, and enters his senior season with 29 goals and 48 assists (77 points).

"He’s probably the best defensive forward in the league, and I’ve been lucky to have the chance to play on a line with him the last two years," added Bryan Lerg. "He leads by example – he’s one of the hardest workers on the team, and is out there to make plays. As a guy who also wore a letter last year, he really knows how important his leadership role is. As good as he is with on-ice leadership, he’s also really good off the ice with keeping the guys together."

A trio of juniors will wear captain letters for the first time in their collegiate careers. The MVP of the Frozen Four, Abdelkader scored both the first goal of the 2006-07 season (against Western Michigan) and also the biggest – the game-winner in the National Championship game against Boston College. Abdelkader, who missed four games mid-year while winning the bronze medal with the US World Junior Team, still managed to finish third on the team in scoring (15-18—33), and contributed four power-play tallies.

Kennedy, who missed 16 games as a freshman with a broken hand, had a breakout sophomore season. He led the team in scoring a year ago (18-25—43), and was perhaps Michigan State’s best skater throughout the NCAA Tournament. He was named to the All-Tournament Team at both the Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids and at the Frozen Four. He scored the game-tying goal midway through the third period against Boston College in the National Championship game, and also had the primary assist when he set up Abdelkader for the game-winner. The winger enters his junior campaign with 22 goals and 40 assists in 71 career games.

Jeff Lerg, Bryan’s cousin, has excelled in each of his first two collegiate campaigns, but has truly made the college hockey world take notice in each of the last two postseasons. The CCHA Tournament MVP in 2006, Lerg was named the Midwest Regional MVP and earned a spot on the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team. He allowed just five goals in four NCAA Tournament games a year ago and owns a career 1.50 GAA and .949 save percentage in six career NCAA Tournament contests. Last spring, he was named the USA Hockey College Player of the Year, the MSU team MVP, and was also a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2006-07.

"Kennedy and Abdelkader are both guys who can make big plays at big times - they both can step up for us when the game is on the line. Jeff Lerg is a guy whose main concern is team success – any of the individual stuff is nice to him, but he’s really just concerned with helping our team win. With everything he’s battled, he’s always proven himself – and that makes him a guy that brings the team together," added the captain.

Comley added praise for the four alternate captains. "If we’re going to have a chance to duplicate what we accomplished a year ago, the leadership in the locker room is incredibly important. I think we touch all of the areas with the four alternate captains – there is a nice mix of styles and approaches, and each of them can be a leader in a slightly different manner. I believe that the five, together, will do a nice job in leading our hockey team."

National champs unveil '07-08 schedule

Twenty home games and 11 contests against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago are the highlights of Michigan State 's 37-game schedule for 2007-08. The defending National Champions will take on teams from four of the six Division I hockey conferences, including three perennial powers in the WCHA.

The Spartans' CCHA cluster in the CCHA schedule will include Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State in addition to rivalry partner Michigan . MSU went 4-0 against NMU and Lake State in 2006-07, and was 2-3-1 in the six meetings with the Wolverines (1-2-1 in games which counted in the CCHA standings).

"We are very happy our schedule - we have quality non-conference games, and we expect it to be another very competitive year within the CCHA," noted Spartan head coach Rick Comley. "We'll have Michigan in our building twice this year, and the College Hockey Showcase games against Minnesota and Wisconsin as well. It's a Big Ten flavor, and something I think our fans will be happy to see.

"We'll play three teams from the WCHA - in addition to the Big Ten teams, we'll travel and play North Dakota , which has been in the Frozen Four the last three seasons. I think the games between the WCHA and CCHA are significant games that are good for our players - as coaches, it serves as a great gauge of where you are as a team."

Fans will get a first look at the Spartans on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 7, at the annual Green & White game. A Tuesday-evening exhibition against the University of Windsor follows on Oct. 9 as a final tuneup before the regular season begins.

Michigan State tangles with North Dakota in Grand Forks on Saturday, Oct. 13 in the US Hockey Hall of Fame Game. The 2006-07 National Championship squad will be honored the following weekend during a two-game home series with ECAC-member Colgate (Oct. 19-20), which serves as the official home opener as well. A home set with Northern Michigan will close out the season's opening month, as the Wildcats come to Munn on Oct. 26-27.

November opens with a trip to the CCHA's furthest outpost - Fairbanks , Alaska - for a series with the Nanooks on Nov. 2-3. Three straight home weekends follow - a pair of two-game series' against Atlantic Hockey member Mercyhurst (Nov. 9-10), and Miami (Nov. 15-16). The set against Miami is a Thursday-Friday pairing.

An annual gem on the Spartan schedule is the College Hockey Showcase - MSU's yearly meetings with Big Ten rivals Minnesota (Nov. 23) and Wisconsin (Nov. 24) the weekend after Thanksgiving. The showcase wraps up a stretch of 10 of MSU's first 13 games in the friendly confines of Munn Arena.

November ends - and December begins - with a series at Lake Superior State (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) The squad will play a home-and-home with Ferris State on Dec. 7-8 which will serve as the final pre-holiday action for the team.

The 43rd annual Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit (Dec. 28-29) pits MSU against Michigan Tech in the first round. The Spartans, the defending champions and 11-time titlists, will look to move on to the championship game against either Michigan or Providence.

Three straight home games are on the docket to start January - a two-game set with clustermate Lake Superior on Jan. 4-5 and the front-end of a home-and-home with defending CCHA regular and tournament champion Notre Dame (Jan. 11). The game in South Bend on Jan. 12 is the first of four straight on the road for Michigan State, continuing with a series in Columbus against Ohio State (Jan. 18-19) and the only game of the season in Ann Arbor against archrival Michigan on Jan. 25. The Wolverines play the first of two games against the Spartans in East Lansing on Jan. 26 to close out the month's action.

Ten games in the regular-season's final 30 days will well-prepare the Spartans for the postseason. Nebraska-Omaha comes to town for a set (Feb. 1-2) to open the slate, followed by a pair at Northern Michigan (Feb. 8-9). The final six games will be contested as home-and-away series, with home games in the Friday night matchups. The first comes against Western Michigan on Feb. 15-16; Michigan follows at Munn on Feb. 22, with the annual game at Joe Louis Arena the following evening (Feb. 23). The regular season concludes with a series against Bowling Green (Feb. 29-March 1).

The CCHA Tournament begins with first-round games March 7-9 on campus sites, with the quarterfinal round being contested the following weekend (March 14-16), also on campus. These first two rounds are best-of-three series. The CCHA Championship weekend will be March 21-22 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit .

The selection show for the 2008 NCAA Tournament will be held on March 23, with the regionals beginning on Friday, March 28. Games in Albany, N.Y. and Colorado Springs, Colo. will be held on March 28-29, while the regionals in Worcester, Mass. , and Madison, Wis. will be March 29-30. The Frozen Four will be contested April 10-12 in Denver, Colo. at the Pepsi Arena. Denver University will serve as host.

Printable schedule

Spartans visit the White House Monday

The national champion Michigan State Spartans traveled to Washington on Monday for NCAA Championship Day at the White House.

The Spartans, along with NCAA champs from several other sports, were greeted by United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, as well as President George W. Bush.

Click here to see photos from the trip.

MSU's Lerg, Petry honored by USA Hockey

Michigan State sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg and incoming defenseman Jeff Petry will be honored by USA Hockey at its 2007 Annual Congress at the Sheraton Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Lerg has been named the organization’s College Player of the Year, while Petry will be honored as the Junior Player of the Year.

The five-day Congress provides USA Hockey’s various committees, districts and employees the opportunity to come together for a series of forums, workshops and award ceremonies intended to improve the organization and honor those who have contributed to its great success. USA Hockey will honor its service award recipients and present the player of the year awards on Wednesday, June 6, at an award banquet tabbed “A Night of Tribute.” The event will be staged in the Sheraton’s Grand Ballroom beginning at 7 p.m. MDT.

Lerg, who was honored as the USA Hockey Junior Player and Goalie of the Year while playing for the Omaha Lancers, led Michigan State to the NCAA Division I national championship this season for the first time since 1986. The sophomore played in all 42 of Michigan State ’s games in 2006-07 and posted a 26-13-3 record, to go along with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. Lerg was perhaps at his best in the NCAA Tournament, as he allowed just five goals in four tournament games (1.25 GAA, .954 SV%). He was named NCAA Midwest Regional MVP and also to the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.

Petry completed an outstanding second season with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League and is the recipient of USA Hockey’s Junior Player of the Year award. Petry, the USHL’s 2006-07 Defenseman of the Year, notched 18 goals and 27 assists in 55 games to triple his point production from the previous season while leading Des Moines to the Clark Cup Final Four. He will join the Spartan defensive corps in the fall, and was a second-round draft selection of the Edmonton Oilers (45th pick overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Spartans to be honored at Capitol

On Thursday, State Representative Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing) will welcome the Michigan State University hockey team to the State Capitol and introduce them to the Michigan House of Representatives to celebrate MSU's 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship.

WHAT: Meadows Honors Michigan State University hockey team
WHERE: Michigan House of Representatives Chamber Capitol Building Lansing, MI
WHO: State Representative Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing) and the Michigan State University hockey team
WHEN: Thursday, May 16, 2007, 12 noon (During House Session)

MICHIGAN STATE - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Justin Abdelkader's goal with 18.9 seconds left in the third period capped a furious comeback for Michigan State as the Spartans upset Boston College Saturday night, 3-1, in St. Louis to win their third NCAA championship.

Brian Boyle had given the Eagles a 1-0 lead early in the second on a BC power play, only to have Tim Kennedy tie the game midway through the third period six seconds into a man-advantage.

Just minutes before Kennedy's goal, MSU goalie Jeff Lerg made perhaps the save of the year on a shorthanded attempt by Boyle. After the huge stop, Lerg pumped his catching glove.

"I was pretty fired up," Lerg said. "We played with a lot of emotion. I don't usually show that much emotion after a save."

Abdelkader's heroics preceded a Chris Mueller empty-netter with 1.2 ticks left and the celebration was on in St. Louis in front of an NCAA tournament record crowd of 19,432 at the Scottrade Center.

Abdelkader was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

"We know we're not fancy and we know we're not picked by anybody to win anything," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "But you know what, what a great, great group of kids. They've wanted so badly to walk around with their heads high and now they're going home with a national championship."

Comley also won it all with Northern Michigan in 1991. He and Boston College's Jerry York are among three coaches to win championships at two schools.

For Boston College, this was their second straight heartbreaker as they dropped last season's title game to Wisconsin.

"When we sign up to play sports, there's going to be a winner and a loser," said York. "There's no guarantees in this business and I think our kids are old enough to understand that."

MSU, who finishes 26-13-3, has now won titles in 1966, 1986 and 2007. Michigan State was the second No. 3 seed to make it to the championship game since the bracket was expanded to 16 teams in 2003. Boston College made it last year as a No. 3 seed.

Photo by Skip Strandberg/USCHO