Icers sweep Alaska, move into CCHA top four (w/ highlights)

(Friday box score here, Saturday box score here)

MSU's senior class has had the definition of up-and-down careers.

Their first season came after MSU had made three straight NCAA Tournaments, but the Spartans lost 23 games and finished 11th in the CCHA in 2008-09 — the worst season in decades for MSU. In 2009-10, they rebounded to finish second in the CCHA. But a late-season collapse (including a home sweep to Michigan in the CCHA Tournament) left them out of the NCAA Tournament. Last season was another disaster — a 10th place finish with head coach Rick Comley retiring after the season.

But with this weekend's sweep of Alaska, the Spartans now sit in fourth place in the CCHA and are getting closer to their first NCAA Tournament. MSU won Friday's game 3-2 in overtime and shut out the Nanooks 3-0 in Saturday's game, sending out its largest senior class (nine) since 1977-78 on a high note.

Icers pick up five points on weekend vs NMU

Coming into the weekend on a three-game losing streak, the MSU hockey team picked up a big five points with a shoot-out win Friday and a regulation win Saturday against Northern Michigan.

The Spartans and Wildcats are now tied in the conference standings.

Friday's game was a high-scoring. NMU(6-7-5-2 CCHA) took a 2-0 lead in the first period, but MSU (7-7-4-2) responded with four straight goals in less than seven minutes from Chris Forfar, Mike Merrifield, Anthony Hayes and Kevin Walrod. It was Merrifield's first game back since getting injured against Michigan in the final home game of 2011.

Spartans fall to U-M in GLI final

They were 50 seconds away, now they're 365 days away.

The MSU hockey team lost a lead with 50 seconds to go and lost the game in overtime as Michigan took home its 15th Great Lakes Invitational Championship and its second straight.

The Wolverines tied the game with a powerplay goal on a very questionable penalty call, but U-M had dominated the period, so the Spartans can hardly say they were robbed. 

The game was scoreless after one period, and Taylor Sorenson gave MSU the 1-0 lead in the second on a simple shot from the top of the circle that seemed to surprise U-M goalie Shawn Hunwick. It was his first collegiate goal.