INCH College Hockey Extra
Michigan State had a rough November, but that's all forgotten thanks to a five-game winning streak and the play of the Lerg cousins.
Tuesday night brought a rare midweek game in the CCHA, along with the rare sight of empty seats at a Michigan-Michigan State game. Typically, a tiddledywinks match between those schools will draw a crowd, and not too long ago they packed 75,000 people into Spartan Stadium for an outdoor game.
But if the Spartans can keep producing performances like Tuesday night's 2-0 win, the fans will return in droves. It was a dominating effort from start to finish, as Michigan State never allowed Michigan to use its speed and skill, resulting in the Spartans' fifth straight win. MSU is 7-1-1 in its last nine.
"Obviously it's been a team game for us the past five games," said sophomore Bryan Lerg, the team's leader in goals (nine), assists (17) and points (26). "Everyone has stepped up and been committed to playing well in every aspect of the game."
Michigan State's surge couldn't come at a better time. The Spartans travel to Nebraska-Omaha this weekend (their first visit to the Mavericks' Qwest Center) and host another Tuesday night game (against Ferris State) before a weekend series with Michigan. Setting the tone for the next five games -- particularly those rematches with the Wolverines -- was a key on Tuesday night, Lerg acknowledged.
The Spartans' recent run follows an 0-5-3 stretch in November, a span when injuries and a sputtering work ethic plagued MSU. But throughout, the Spartans could reflect on their 5-1-1 start and realize that they had the potential to turn it around in a big way. All it took, according to Lerg, was getting everyone to work together the way they did Tuesday night.
"We're playing for the guy across from you in the room, not playing for ourselves," he said. "It's not the name on the back of your jersey. If we want to be a good team and reach our goals, everyone has to chip in, and all of our lines have been going lately."
In addition to the forward lines, another Lerg has chipped in lately -- Bryan's cousin, Jeff Lerg. The diminutive freshman goaltender is just 5-foot-6, but he has stood tall between the pipes. MSU has allowed just three goals in its five-game winning streak.
The Lergs committed to Michigan State together two summers ago, and Bryan says it's always been a dream for the two of them to play in college together. Now they're on a team that's playing like one big family, and things couldn't be going any better.
Fallon tied Thomas' record of 10 career shutouts after a 3-0 win over Northeastern Friday, and promptly broke that mark the following night in another 3-0 victory. He now has 11 career shutouts in just 50 starts in net.
Thomas couldn't be on hand at Gutterson Fieldhouse to see his record broken, however. He was busy making 37 saves in his first start of the season for the Boston Bruins, a game that ended in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.
This weekend, the Catamounts head to Boston College (ESPN360, Sat., 7 ET) and Fallon's opponent in the opposite net will be another sophomore in Cory Schneider, who has been similarly impressive for the Hockey East-leading Eagles. Schneider may have put together this season's most remarkable feat -- or at least its best marathon performance. After knocking away 45 shots for the U.S. National Junior Team in the bronze medal game loss to Finland on Jan. 5 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Schneider made the coast-to-coast journey to Providence, where he stopped 43 saves in a 4-1 BC win over the Friars.
That was a matchup of two teams tied for first place in Hockey East -- just 49½ hours after he had suited up for Team USA.
-- Jeff Howe
It was the first time Mike had seen his son skate in an NHL game in person, and the younger Eaves, a former Boston College star, didn't disappoint. Patrick scored twice and added an assist in the Sens' 6-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, marking his first multipoint game in The Show. Afterward, Patrick admitted being nervous before his first NHL game in his home state.
"I had a lot of friends and family in the crowd, but once you get out there and start hitting, the butterflies go away," he said.
The elder Eaves was positively beaming when we saw him after the game, and despite watching several of Patrick's NHL games on TV, he noted how much more enjoyable it was to be there in person.
"You don't get the emotion or the feeling of the building that way," Mike said. "And here you get to notice a lot more stuff going on away from the play. It was a lot of fun."
With Mike's college team currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, and Patrick's old team (Boston College) currently in second place, Patrick said the prospect of a Badgers-Eagles NCAA final would present him with a big challenge, cheering-wise.
"I'd definitely have to root on my boys, but I have to support my dad too," Patrick said. "That'd be tough."
-- Jess Myers
St. Lawrence at Cornell (Fri.) and Colgate (Sat.) |
 
The Saints, sitting pretty in first in the ECACHL, take the league's toughest road trip this weekend to face the Big Red and the Raiders. They may have caught both at a good time. Last week, in what's supposed to be the league's easiest road trip (Quinnipiac and Princeton), both Cornell and Colgate split. St. Lawrence brings a potent offense that's led by senior T.J. Trevelyan and features terrific balance, with four players at nine or 10 goals and nine players in double figures in points.
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Providence at Maine Friday, 7 p.m., NESN |
 
This is a great gutcheck game for two teams still trying to prove themselves. Providence -- despite leading Hockey East for much of the first half of the season -- still has its critics. A win in Orono would go a long way toward silencing them. It won't be easy, however, as the Black Bears return home looking to rebound from last weekend's sweep at the hands of Boston University. Maine was the better team for long stretches of those two games, but was stifled by Terriers goaltender John Curry, spotlighting a lack of offense that has plagued the Black Bears for the past two seasons.
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The Edmonton Oilers have consistently been one of the best NHL clubs when it comes to finding college talent, and they've got another gem in Tom Gilbert. The Wisconsin defenseman, this week's INCH Player of the Week, ranks third on the nation's No. 1 team in scoring (6-13-19). He provides great defensive work as well, which is why head coach Mike Eaves believes Gilbert's name belongs in the mix with Denver's Matt Carle (a San Jose pick) and Andy Greene, an NHL free agent playing for Miami (Ohio) in the nation's best defenseman debate.
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• Two remarkable offensive displays came out of College Hockey America last weekend. Niagara freshman Les Reaney had four goals and three assists in two games to earn the league's Rookie of the Week honor. He lost out on Player of the Week, however, to a deserving candidate (Alabama-Huntsville's Bruce Mulherin had five goals and three assists in a pair of games).
• Conventional wisdom says that Wisconsin locked up the WCHA regular-season race with last weekend's sweep of Colorado College, and the Badgers' remaining schedule is a big reason why. This weekend's series with Denver and next weekend's against Minnesota -- both at home -- mark their last four games against teams that are over .500 in the league. • Miami (Ohio) has a similar death grip on its conference race in the CCHA, one reason why a recent 2-2-2 run doesn't concern the RedHawks. "It's nothing to worry about," said assistant captain Matt Davis said. "I think that after being away for so long and not being on the ice together during the holidays, some guys came back and it just took some time to start jelling again." • Princeton's wins against Colgate and Cornell marked the Tigers' first league sweep since the final weekend of the 2001-02 season. The timing works well, too, sending Princeton into its two-week exam break on a high note. • Army, long a doormat in Atlantic Hockey, has won four of its last five games, including three wins over conference title contenders Mercyhurst and Holy Cross. The Black Knights, now fifth in the league standings and just one game below .500, begin a string of five straight conference home games this weekend against Canisius.
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