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Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey
Michigan State Spartans athletic logo
UniversityMichigan State University
ConferenceB1G
Head coachTom Anastos
6th season, 71–102–20 (.420)
Captain(s)Joe Cox
ArenaMunn Ice Arena
East Lansing, Michigan
ColorsGreen and White
   
Fight songVictory for MSU
NCAA Tournament championships
1966, 1986, 2007
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
1959, 1966, 1967, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2007
NCAA Tournament appearances
1959, 1966, 1967, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012
Conference Tournament championships
1966, 1967, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006
Conference regular season championships
1958-59, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01
Current uniform

The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University (MSU). The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The current head coach is Tom Anastos, who took over coaching duties on March 23, 2011, after Rick Comley announced his retirement. Michigan State currently competes in the Big Ten Conference.

The MSU ice hockey program has seven CCHA regular season championships and 11 CCHA Tournament titles. MSU has also won 12 Great Lakes Invitational titles. The Spartans have been in the NCAA tournament 23 times, with nine Frozen Four appearances and three national titles (1966, 1986, and 2007). On April 7, 2007, the Michigan State Spartans won their third Collegiate Championship by beating Boston College 3-1. Their traditional rival is Michigan and the teams have played an annual game at the Joe Louis Arena since 1990.

History

Early history

The Spartan Ice Hockey program traces its roots back to the first informal varsity team that began in 1922 playing an independent NCAA Division I schedule.[1] On January 11, 1922, Michigan State played its first intercollegiate hockey game, a 1-5 loss to Michigan.[2]

Michigan State finished 0-3 in the 1922 season and picked up its first win during the second season on February 11, 1923, 6-1 over the Lansing Independents.[2] The team did not play the 1923-24 season but returned for the 1924-25 season. The 1924-25 season marked the first time the program had a head coach, John H. Kobs, who also coached the Michigan State Spartans baseball team.[2] Kobs' tenure at Michigan State lasted six season before the team was suspended for 19 seasons. During which time the team compiled a record of 8-18-1.[1]

Harold Paulsen was hired as the varsity ice hockey coach at Michigan State on August 1, 1948 following the suspension of the hockey programs during the years of the Great Depression and World War II.[2] Before recruiting or coaching, Paulsen oversaw the renovation of Demonstration Hall into an indoor rink with artificial ice-making capabilities. On January 12, 1950, MSU played its first game since 1930, losing to Michigan Tech 6-2. Paulsen struggled through his first two years at Michigan State with a 6-25 record.[1] MSU athletic director Ralph Young felt the hockey program's progress was inadequate and Paulsen resigned. Following the 1951 season, Amo Bessone accepted the head coaching position at Michigan State University. Bessone would remain at MSU for the next 28 years.

Amo Bessone era

When Bessone arrived at Michigan State, the ice hockey program was beginning its third full season after being reinstated. That same season, in 1951-52, the Spartans joined Colorado College, Denver, Michigan, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, and North Dakota as founding members of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL).[3]

Amo Bessone won his first collegiate hockey game as head coach on November 29, 1951, when the Spartans defeated Ontario Agricultural College 8-2.[2] The Spartans struggled with six losing seasons before Bessone turned things around in his seventh season as coach.[1] In 1957-58, Michigan State enjoyed its first winning season. The following season, Bessone guided MSU to a Big Ten championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.[4] The tournament was MSU's first NCAA tournament appearance. The Spartans defeated Boston College 4-3 in the semifinals and advanced to the schools's first championship appearance. The Spartans lost the 1959 national championship game in overtime 3-4 to North Dakota. MSU finishes the season 17-6-1.[2] Michigan State became a charter member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1959.[2] The WCHA was a reincarnation of the loosely affiliated Midwest Collegiate Hockey League and Western Intercollegiate Hockey League that disbanded following the 1957-58 season.[3] Bessone and MSU struggled during the first five seasons of the WCHA. Again, Bessone turned things around with a winning season in 1964-65. The following season, Bessone coached Michigan State to an improbable NCAA National Championship.[2][5]

MSU began the 1965-66 season 4-10,[2] but rebounded winning 12 of their last 15 games including defeating the defending national champion, Michigan Tech, to win the WCHA playoffs after finishing sixth in the regular season.[2] The win earned MSU a spot in the 1966 NCAA tournament.[2] In the national semifinals, Bessone upset highly favored Boston University 2-1 with a goal by Spartan forward, Doug Volmar.[2] In the national championship game, Bessone and the Spartans faced Len Ceglarski's Clarkson team that owned the national-best record of 24-2. On March 19, 1966, Michigan State beat top-ranked Clarkson 6-1 victory to give Michigan State is first national championship.[1][2] Len Ceglarski and Amo Bessone shared the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year in 1966. The national title and coaching award cemented Bessone's legacy as a coach. To this day, Bessone's 1966 Michigan State team remains one of the biggest underdog stories in NCAA ice hockey history. The total number of team victories (16) and team winning percentage (.551) is the lowest of any NCAA ice hockey champion. MSU made the NCAA tournament again with a strong WCHA playoff finish in 1967, but lost 2-4 in the national semifinals, a rematch of the 1966 NCAA Tournament against Boston University.[2]

Bessone began the 1970s with six straight winning seasons. During Bessone's time coaching the Spartans the team won MSU won its first Great Lakes Invitational by defeating Michigan Tech 5-4 on December 28, 1973.[2]

As MSU hockey was building momentum, Munn Ice Arena opened October 25, 1974, when Michigan State hosted Laurentian.[2] That same season saw the first sellout crowd in Munn's history when the Spartans defeated North Dakota 6-2.[2] A season later, in 1975-76, Bessone guided MSU to its best WCHA conference record of 20-12-0 before Minnesota knocked MSU out of the WCHA playoffs in 6-7 triple overtime loss.[2] Minnesota, who had finished below Michigan State in the conference, received an NCAA tournament bid instead. Bessone announced his retirement effective at the end of the 1978-79 season after three straight losing seasons.[1] Bessone coached his final game as head coach on March 3, 1979, when the Spartans defeated rival Michigan 5-3.[1]

Ron Mason era

"The Cold War"

After Amo Bessone retired from Michigan State University, the MSU Athletic Director, Joseph Kearney, hired Ron Mason as the Spartans new head coach. Mason was named Spartan head coach on April 1, 1979, and spend the next 23 seasons at Michigan State. It was a rough start in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for Mason as he compiled a record of 26-46-2 over two seasons. Michigan State joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in 1981 and over the next few seasons Mason turned the hockey program around. The Spartans won CCHA playoff championships the first four straight seasons of the conference in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985.[1] MSU would win a second national title in 1986 when the Spartans defeated Harvard 6-5.[2][6]

In 2000 CCHA coaches and athletic directors unanimous voted to renamed the CCHA championship trophy to the Mason Cup in honor of Ron Mason, who was a key figure in establishing the conference in the early 1970s prior to his tenure at Michigan State. During the 2000-01 season Michigan State finished first in the regular season and advanced through the CCHA Tournament winning the first ever Mason Cup.[1][2] That same season the Spartans made a Frozen Four appearance by beating Wisconsin 5-1 before losing to North Dakota in the Semifinal game.[7] On October 6, 2001, the Spartans hosted an outdoor game at Spartan Stadium against rival Michigan known as The Cold War. The school would set an attendance record for an outdoor hockey game as 74,554 fans attended.[8] The game ended in a 3–3 tie.

Mason led Michigan State to seven CCHA regular season titles and a conference-record 10 CCHA tournament titles. In addition, MSU under Mason made 19 NCAA tournament appearances during his 23 seasons with the Spartans.[1] He coached MSU to five NCAA Frozen Fours, two National Championship appearances, and one National Championship.[1] Mason coached two Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners, Kip Miller in 1990 and Ryan Miller in 2001.[9]

Rick Comley era

Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team in 2008

Rick Comley was announced as Ron Mason's successor as head ice hockey coach at Michigan State University in March 2002.[2] Comley led the Spartans to a tournament appearance in 2004, his second season as MSU's head coach. After losing to Northern Michigan in the 2004 CCHA Tournament the Spartans received an at-large bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Third ranked MSU fell to second seed Minnesota-Duluth in the opening round 0-5.[10]

Comley's Spartans returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2005.[1] Comley guided MSU to a second-place CCHA finish in the regular season and a CCHA Mason Cup Championship in 2006. Michigan State advanced into the 2006 Tournament with an automatic bid. The Spartans defeated New Hampshire 1-0 before losing to Maine 4-5 in the East Regional Final.[11]

In the 2006-07 season, Michigan State was preseason ranked No. 5, which was MSU's highest preseason ranking since October 2001. The team earned an NCAA Tournament bid after finishing the regular season with a conference record of 15-10-3. Comley led MSU to defeat three higher-ranked teams en route to the national championship including No. 1-ranked Notre Dame in the Midwest Regional final.[12] In the Frozen Four the team defeated No. 4-ranked Boston College in the National Championship game on April 7, 2007, by a score of 3–1 in a game that saw Michigan State score three unanswered goals in the third period.[13]

In December 2010 the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines played a second outdoor game at Michigan Stadium. The game, known as The Big Chill at the Big House,[14] took place on December 11, 2010. 104,173 fans filled Michigan Stadium and watched as Michigan beat Michigan State 5-0. The attendance broke the 75,000 of the Cold War and 78,000 of the 2010 IIHF World Championship and set a new attendance record for a hockey game.[15] Later that same season on January 25, 2011, Rick Comley announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season.[16]

Tom Anastos and Big Ten Conference era

The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team at the 2015 Great Lakes Invitational

In September 2010 Penn State University announced that the university was elevating its men's and women's American Collegiate Hockey Association club programs to varsity status. Then-CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos publicly stated that the CCHA would strongly consider adding Penn State as the conference's 12th member.[17] On March 21, 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced plans to sponsor men's ice hockey starting in 2013–14 season. Michigan State along with CCHA rivals, University of Michigan and Ohio State University will leave the CCHA to join University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin from the WCHA and Penn State to form a six-team Big Ten Hockey Conference.[18] Less than a week after the Big Ten's announcement Michigan State announced that former CCHA Commissioner, Tom Anastos would become the 6th head coach in the history of the program.[19] Anastos is a former Spartan hockey player who played for MSU from 1981-85. He is also the former coach at Michigan-Dearborn (NAIA) from 1987–90, and compiled a 68-37-7 record. He later served as an assistant coach under Ron Mason from 1990-92.[19]

Anastos picked up his first NCAA DI coaching victory with Michigan State in the second game of the 2012 Icebreaker tournament with a 3-2 overtime win over Air Force.[20] The Spartans finished the 2011-12 season ranked 5th in the CCHA standings and received a first round bye in the CCHA Tournament. The Spartans faced fourth-seeded Miami (OH) in the second round, in the best-of-three series Michigan State was swept 0-6 and 1-4 in two games.[21] Despite being swept by Miami, the Spartans finished 15th in the Pairwise rankings and became the final at-large bid selected for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The bid marked the team's first appearance in the NCAA post-season since 2008, the team was placed in the East Region held at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.[22] In the game, Union College took an early lead and held the Spartans to a single goal in a 3-1 win over Michigan State in the East Regional semifinal. The game was the first meeting between the two programs and also the first win in the NCAA Division I national tournament for the Dutchmen.[23]

Season-by-season results

This list reflects the modern era of Michigan State hockey. The NCAA began sponsoring hockey as a championship sport in 1947-48.

Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Harold Paulsen (Independent) (1949-50–1950-51)
1949-50 Harold Paulsen 0-14-0
1950-51 Harold Paulsen 6-11-0
Harold Paulsen: 6-25-0 -
Amo Bessone (MCHL) (1951-52–1952-53)
1951-52 Amo Bessone 7-13-0 3-9-0 6th
1952-53 Amo Bessone 5-16-1 2-16-0 7th
Amo Bessone (WIHL) (1953-54–1957-58)
1953-54 Amo Bessone 8-14-1 4-13-1 6th
1954-55 Amo Bessone 9-17-1 5-14-1 7th
1955-56 Amo Bessone 5-18-0 1-17-0 7th
1956-57 Amo Bessone 7-15-0 5-15-0 7th
1957-58 Amo Bessone 12-11-0 9-11-0 5th
Amo Bessone (Big Ten) (1958-59–1958-59)
1958-59 Amo Bessone 17-6-1 5-2-1 1st NCAA Finalist
Amo Bessone (WCHA / Big Ten) (1959-60–1978-79)
1959-60 Amo Bessone 4-18-2 4-18-2 7th / 3rd
1960-61 Amo Bessone 11-16-0 5-15-0 6th / 3rd
1961-62 Amo Bessone 13-11-1 6-9-1 4th / 2nd
1962-63 Amo Bessone 11-12-0 6-10-0 T-5th / 2nd
1963-64 Amo Bessone 8-17-1 1-12-1 7th / 3rd
1964-65 Amo Bessone 17-12-0 7-7-0 4th / 2nd
1965-66 Amo Bessone 16-13-0 9-11-0 4th / 2nd NCAA Champions
1966-67 Amo Bessone 16-15-1 8-11-1 5th / 1st NCAA Third Place
1967-68 Amo Bessone 11-16-2 6-13-1 6th / 3rd
1968-69 Amo Bessone 11-16-1 7-10-1 6th / 2nd
1969-70 Amo Bessone 13-16-0 10-12-0 7th / T-3rd
1970-71 Amo Bessone 19-12-0 12-10-0 4th / 1st
1971-72 Amo Bessone 20-16-0 15-13-0 4th / 3rd
1972-73 Amo Bessone 23-12-1 16-9-1 4th / T-1st
1973-74 Amo Bessone 23-14-1 15-12-1 4th / T-3rd
1974-75 Amo Bessone 22-17-1 19-12-1 5th / 4th
1975-76 Amo Bessone 23-15-2 20-12-0 2nd / 1st
1976-77 Amo Bessone 14-21-1 11-20-1 T-8th / 4th
1977-78 Amo Bessone 7-27-2 7-23-2 10th / 4th
1978-79 Amo Bessone 15-21-0 12-20-0 T-8th / T-3rd
Amo Bessone: 367-427-20 -
Ron Mason (WCHA / Big Ten) (1979-80–1980-81)
1979-80 Ron Mason 14-24-0 12-16-0 8th / 3rd
1980-81 Ron Mason 12-22-2 7-20-1 10th / 4th
Ron Mason (CCHA) (1981-82–2001-02)
1981-82 Ron Mason 26-14-2 21-10-1 2nd NCAA Quarterfinalist
1982-83 Ron Mason 30-11-1 23-9-0 2nd NCAA Quarterfinalist
1983-84 Ron Mason 34-12-0 21-9-0 T-2nd NCAA Fourth Place
1984-85 Ron Mason 38-6-0 27-5-0 1st NCAA Quarterfinalist
1985-86 Ron Mason 34-9-2 23-7-2 1st NCAA Champions
1986-87 Ron Mason 33-10-2 23-8-1 2nd NCAA Finalist
1987-88 Ron Mason 27-16-3 18-11-3 3rd NCAA Quarterfinalist
1988-89 Ron Mason 37-9-1 25-6-1 1st NCAA Third Place
1989-90 Ron Mason 35-7-3 26-3-3 1st NCAA Quarterfinalist
1990-91 Ron Mason 17-18-5 14-13-5 5th
1991-92 Ron Mason 26-10-8 18-7-7 3rd NCAA Frozen Four
1992-93 Ron Mason 24-14-2 18-10-2 4th
1993-94 Ron Mason 23-13-4 17-8-5 3rd NCAA First Round
1994-95 Ron Mason 25-12-3 17-7-3 3rd NCAA First Round
1995-96 Ron Mason 28-13-1 22-7-1 T-3rd NCAA First Round
1996-97 Ron Mason 23-13-4 16-7-4 3rd NCAA First Round
1997-98 Ron Mason 33-6-5 21-5-4 1st NCAA Quarterfinalist
1998-99 Ron Mason 29-6-7 20-3-7 1st NCAA Frozen Four
1999-2000 Ron Mason 27-11-4 18-8-2 2nd NCAA First Round
2000-01 Ron Mason 33-5-4 21-4-3 1st NCAA Frozen Four
2001-02 Ron Mason 27-9-5 18-6-4 2nd NCAA First Round
Ron Mason: 635-270-69 -
Rick Comley (CCHA) (2002-03–2010-11)
2002-03 Rick Comley 23-14-2 17-10-1 4th
2003-04 Rick Comley 23-17-2 17-9-2 3rd NCAA First Round
2004-05 Rick Comley 20-17-4 12-13-3 6th
2005-06 Rick Comley 25-12-8 14-7-7 2nd NCAA Quarterfinalist
2006-07 Rick Comley 26-13-3 15-10-3 4th NCAA Champions
2007-08 Rick Comley 25-12-5 19-6-3 3rd NCAA Quarterfinalist
2008-09 Rick Comley 10-23-5 7-17-4 T-10th
2009-10 Rick Comley 19-13-6 14-8-6 2nd
2010-11 Rick Comley 15-19-4 11-15-2 10th
Rick Comley: 186-140-39 -
Tom Anastos (CCHA) (2011-12–2012-13)
2011-12 Tom Anastos 19-16-4 14-11-3 5th NCAA First Round
2012-13 Tom Anastos 14-25-3 9-18-1 11th
Tom Anastos (Big Ten) (2013-14–present)
2013-14 Tom Anastos 11-18-7 5-9-6 5th
2014-15 Tom Anastos 17-15-2 11-7-2 1st
2015-16 Tom Anastos 10-23-4 6-12-3 5th
Tom Anastos: 71-98-20 45-57-15 -
Total: 1275-84-149

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Players

Current roster

As of September 9, 2016.[24]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Michigan Zach Osburn Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 1997-02-07 Plymouth, Michigan Chicago (USHL) —
4 Michigan Anthony Scarsella Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1996-03-20 White Lake, Michigan Springfield (NAHL) —
6 Illinois Chris Knudson Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1993-04-12 North Barrington, Illinois Wichita Falls (NAHL) —
7 Michigan Damian Chrcek Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1996-02-17 Marysville, Michigan Salmon Arm (BCHL) —
9 Michigan Connor Wood Senior (RS) F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 166 lb (75 kg) 1994-03-07 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan HoneyBaked (Midget AAA) —
10 Illinois Sam Saliba Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1995-10-09 Lincolnshire, Illinois Green Bay (USHL) —
11 Alberta Rhett Holland (A) Senior (RS) D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1993-09-25 Calgary, Alberta Okotoks (AJHL) ARI, 102nd overall 2012
13 Michigan Brennan Sanford Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 211 lb (96 kg) 1995-07-21 East Lansing, Michigan Des Moines (USHL) —
14 Michigan Dylan Pavelek Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1996-01-16 Marysville, Michigan USNTDP (USHL) —
17 Alberta Taro Hirose Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1996-06-30 Calgary, Alberta Salmon Arm (BCHL) —
18 Michigan Carson Gatt Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 1996-04-20 South Lyon, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
20 Pennsylvania Justin Selep Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1992-09-14 Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania Suffolk (ECAC Northeast) —
21 Michigan Joe Cox (C) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 1994-01-07 Chelsea, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
22 New York (state) J. T. Stenglein Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1993-07-11 Greece, New York Waterloo (USHL) —
23 Michigan Cody Milan Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1996-02-11 White Lake, Michigan Tri-City (USHL) —
26 Sweden Villiam Haag Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 1993-12-25 Gothenburg, Sweden Frölunda J20 (J20 SuperElit) —
27 Wisconsin Mason Appleton Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1996-01-15 Green Bay, Wisconsin Tri-City (USHL) WPG, 168th overall 2015
28 Michigan Thomas Ebbing (A) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1994-09-28 Troy, Michigan Chicago (USHL) —
31 Michigan John Lethemon Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1996-08-16 Northville, Michigan Chicago (USHL) —
41 Michigan Spencer Wright Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1997-06-20 Farmington Hills, Michigan New Jersey (NAHL) —
44 Michigan Butrus Ghafari Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1996-07-04 West Bloomfield, Michigan Bloomington (USHL) —
45 Pennsylvania Ed Minney Junior G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1996-03-29 Wind Gap, Pennsylvania USNTDP (USHL) —
52 Michigan Mitch Eliot Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1998-02-06 Grosse Pointe, Michigan Muskegon (USHL) —
55 California Patrick Khodorenko Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1998-10-13 Walnut Creek, California USNTDP (USHL) —
57 Maryland Jerad Rosburg Freshman (RS) D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1996-06-18 Clarksville, Maryland Sioux City (USHL) —
71 Michigan Logan Lambdin Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1995-11-01 Newport, Michigan Bloomington (USHL) —

Notable alumni

Over 500 Spartan alumni have gone on to play professionally, including over 60 current and former NHL players and Olympians:[25]

Spartan Hobey Baker winners

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award has been presented annually since 1981 to the outstanding college hockey player in the United States by the Decathlon Athletic Club of Bloomington, Minnesota. The award is named after college hockey great Hobey Baker of Princeton, a member of both the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minn., and the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Also a standout in football, he is also a member of the National Football Hall of Fame. Baker's brilliant skating and stickhandling abilities allowed him to dominate the college game and lead Princeton to the Intercollegiate League Championship in each of his three years of varsity hockey (1911–14). He added to his physical prowess the exemplary qualities of being a completely unselfish sportsman and an opponent of publicity. Facts about Baker's career often sound more like myths, such as the story of his playing every second of a 73-minute game against Harvard, or the claim that he was penalized just twice during his career, and both times the mere suggestion that he had violated a rule of the game nearly drove him to tears. To date, two Spartans have won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award: Cousins Kip and Ryan Miller.

Spartan center Kip Miller was the recipient of the 10th Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 1990 after leading the nation in scoring for the second consecutive season with 101 points on 48 goals and 53 assists. A two-time first-team All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association honoree, Miller was recognized as the league's Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring for the second straight season with 36 goals and 38 assists for 74 points. In MSU's career record books, the two-time first-team All-America selection finished third in goals (116), assists (145) and points (261). He closed out his career among the NCAA's top 25 all-time point producers. Over the course of his four seasons, the Spartans won three CCHA regular season and playoff titles and amassed an impressive 132-45-9 record. The 1989-90 Hockey News/Bauer College Hockey Player of the Year also led the Spartans to their ninth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance as a senior.

In 2001, Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller backstopped the Spartans into the Frozen Four as the number-one team in the nation. Miller shattered the NCAA record for career shutouts in just his second year of college hockey, with 18 overall. The sophomore's selection made him just the second goaltender ever to win the Hobey Baker. Minnesota netminder Robb Stauber was the first, in 1988. To win the award, Miller edged forwards Brian Gionta of Boston College and Jeff Panzer of North Dakota, who tied for second place in the balloting. The native of East Lansing, Michigan, posted 31 wins with a .950 save percentage and a 1.32 goals against average, leading the nation in all three categories. His 31-5-4 record in 2000-2001 included 10 shutouts to also lead the nation in that statistic. Miller, the CCHA Defensive Player of the Week five times during the season, was previously named a First-Team All-American and CCHA Player of the Year, as well as being a member of the all-conference first team. He holds four league and seven school netminding records. Ryan was a general business management major with a 3.07 grade point average. Off-ice activities for the All-Academic goalie included volunteering with the D.A.R.E. drug-resistance program, reading to elementary-school children and giving tours of the dressing room — sometimes during games. Ryan Miller currently plays for the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and Kip Miller plays for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL.

Spartan Hobey Baker finalists

The Spartans have had 14 players among the top 10 candidates for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, including 1990 winner Kip Miller and 2001 winner Ryan Miller. Goalie Ron Scott was the runner-up to Bowling Green's George McPhee in 1982.

Coaches

As of progression of 2014–15 season

All-time coaching records

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
2011–present Tom Anastos 4 49-67-14 .429
2002–2011 Rick Comley 9 186-140-39 .563
1979–2002 Ron Mason 23 635-270-69 .687
1951–1979 Amo Bessone 28 367-427-20 .463
1949–1951 Harold Paulsen 2 6-25-0 .194
1925–1931 John H. Kobs 6 8-18-1 .315
1922–1924 No Coach 2 2-7-0 .222
Totals 6 coaches 74 seasons 1253-954-143 .564

Program records

The following are the Michigan State school records. Statistics are accurate as of the 2010–11 season.[2]

Note: Italics indicate a player is still an active Spartan.

Career

  • Most goals in a career: 138 Tom Ross (1972–76)
  • Most assists in a career: 186 Tom Ross (1972–76)
  • Most points in a career: 324 Tom Ross (1972–76)
  • Most penalty minutes in a career: 466 Don Gibson (1986–90)
  • Most points in a career, defenseman: 164 Steve Beadle (1986–90)
  • Most wins in a career: 83 Jason Muzzatti (1987–91)
  • Most shutouts in a career: Ryan Miller

Season

Game

See also

Michigan State Spartans

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Michigan State Men's Hockey Team History". U.S. College Hockey Online. 1996–2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Spartan Hockey Media Guide 2010-11". Michigan State University. 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "WCHA History Tradition and Success". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  4. ^ "1959 NCAA Tournament". Inside Colelge Hockey. April 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  5. ^ "1966 NCAA Tournament". Inside Colelge Hockey. April 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "1986 NCAA Tournament". Inside Colelge Hockey. April 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "2001 NCAA Tournament". Inside Colelge Hockey. April 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  8. ^ Hockey’s Book of Firsts, p.72, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
  9. ^ "Hobey Baker Memorial Award". MSU Spartans. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  10. ^ "2004 NCAA Tournament". Inside Colelge Hockey. April 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "2006 NCAA Tournament". Inside Colelge Hockey. April 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  12. ^ "2007 NCAA Tournament". Inside Colelge Hockey. April 2002. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  13. ^ "Last-Minute Tally Hands Spartans Third NCAA Title Michigan State scores three times in the final period to beat Boston College 3-1". MSU Spartans. 2007-04-07. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  14. ^ Florek, Michael (December 9, 2010). "Teams Ready for Big Chill at Big House". College Hockey News. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  15. ^ Rennie, Matt (December 12, 2010). "Hockey attendance record falls at Big Chill in the Big House as Michigan beats Michigan State, 5-0". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  16. ^ Staff (January 25, 2011). "MSU hockey coach Rick Comley to retire". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  17. ^ Gholston, Sandy (August 10, 2010). "Anastos to the Detroit News: Penn State 'very attractive' to the CCHA". Mlive.com. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  18. ^ Staff (March 21, 2011). "Big Ten confirms plan to sponsor hockey starting in 2013–14 season". USCHO. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  19. ^ a b Staff (March 23, 2011). "Tom Anastos to coach Spartans hockey". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  20. ^ Boger, Timothy (October 8, 2011). "Reimer's OT goal caps Michigan State comeback win against Air Force". U.S. College Hockey Online. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  21. ^ Brotzman, Vic (March 10, 2012). "Smith has three-point game to lead Miami to sweep of Michigan State". U.S. College Hockey Online. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  22. ^ Drew, David (March 21, 2012). "NCAA hockey tournament preview: Michigan State vs. Union". MLive.com. Kalamazoo Gazette. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  23. ^ Drew, David (March 23, 2012). "Michigan State hockey bows out of NCAA tournament after 3-1 loss to Union". MLive.com. Kalamazoo Gazette. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  24. ^ "2016–17 Michigan State Spartans". Michigan State Official Athletic Site. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  25. ^ "Alumni Report". Internet Hockey Database. 2008. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
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