Last week’s games brought us a week of notable firsts, and they make up the bulk of this week’s list of 15 things.
- Michigan State’s 5-2 win over Minnesota was the Spartans’ first in 10 games. In the last nine meetings, MSU had gone 0-4-5. The win was also the first on the road for the Spartans this season, where they are 1-5-0.
- Tuesday night, Nov. 23, marked Ferris State’s first shutout win over Michigan State in 108 meetings. Pat Nagle made 27 saves in the 3-1 win, and Chad Billins had the game-winning goal at 15:25 in the first. The Bulldogs and Spartans skated to a 0-0 tie Dec. 8, 2000.
- Ohio State lost for the first time in 11 games played at Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, when Alaska beat OSU, 5-2, Saturday. The Buckeyes were undefeated at Nationwide until Friday’s 3-3 tie with the Nanooks and are now 7-1-3 all-time in that venue.
- Notre Dame sophomore defenseman Sam Calabrese scored his first collegiate goal, the goal that sent the game to overtime, at 16:57 in the third of ND’s 2-2 tie with North Dakota Saturday. The game was Calabrese’s 16th career contest.
- Lake Superior State sophomore defenseman Zach Trotman scored LSSU’s first shorthanded goal of the season at 3:10 of the second period of the Lakers’ 6-3 loss to Denver Friday.
- Ferris State sophomore forward Eric Alexander recorded his first collegiate multi-point game in FSU’s 3-0 win over MSU. He had two third-period goals. Alexander’s three goals in 14 games this season equal his goal output from 24 games his freshman year.
- Western Michigan senior forward Max Campbell had a goal and three assists for the Broncos when WMU beat Miami, 5-2, Friday, becoming the first Bronco this season to register more than three points in a game.
- The Wolverines notched two power-play goals in Friday’s 4-4 tie with Wisconsin. The goals – Carl Hagelin’s at 8:17 in the first, Chris Brown’s at 1:46 in the second – were Michigan’s first, second and only power-play goals for the month of November.
- Western Michigan’s 5-2 win over Miami Friday was the Broncos’ first over the RedHawks since Jan. 13, 2007.
- The Wolverines had a tie and a loss to show for this year’s College Hockey Showcase, but Michigan still enters the books with the best record (20-14-2) and win percentage (.583) in the 18-year run of the CHS.
- Michigan and Michigan State combined for a 34-30-8 record in the College Hockey Showcase.
- With their 5-1 win over Alabama-Huntsville Friday in the Rensselaer Holiday Tournament, the Falcons recorded the 800th win in Bowling Green hockey history.
- BGSU’s win over UAH was the Falcons’ sixth in 16 games this season. BG had five overall wins in 2009-10.
- Three of the top scorers in the country play for Miami, and they comprise the RedHawks’ top line: Carter Camper (12-20—32), Andy Miele (8-19—27) and Reilly Smith (11-8—19) have combined for 31 goals, three fewer than Ferris State and Northern Michigan have each scored all season.
- Two CCHA sophomore forwards have been invited to Canada’s World Junior Hockey Selection Camp (Dec. 12-15) in Toronto, Ont. Notre Dame’s Riley Sheahan hails from St. Catharine’s, Ont., and Miami’s Reilly Smith is from Mimico, Ont.
Players of the Week
With the new format, I’ve been neglecting CCHA Players of the Week. Here they are for last week.
Offensive: Nik Yaremchuk, Alaska
Defensive: Chad Billins, Ferris State
Goaltender: Reid Ellingson, Northern Michigan
Rookie: Brett Mohler, Bowling Green
If you get the chance, check out Mohler’s BGSU team photo – the one in which he’s missing his right front tooth.
