Mitchell Named Assistant At Vermont

Willie Mitchell, a 1993 graduate of the University of Western Ontario and a former associate head coach at Wayne State has been named an assistant coach for the Vermont men’s hockey team. Head coach Kevin Sneddon made the announcement today. “I feel very fortunate to be adding another great coach to our program,” Sneddon said. … Read more

Vicari Forgoes Senior Spartan Season

Senior goaltender Dominic Vicari has decided to forego his final season of collegiate eligibility, opting to pursue a professional hockey career. Dominic Vicari will pass up his senior year in East Lansing. “In this day and age, the reality is that not all players stay in college all four years,” said Michigan State coach Rick … Read more

Miller Departs Michigan State For AHL

Michigan State hockey captain Drew Miller has signed a professional contract with Anaheim of the NHL. Miller, who was drafted by the Mighty Ducks in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, will forego his senior season of eligibility and leaves after three seasons at Michigan State. Terms of the contract … Read more

A Tale of Two Tims

They grew up on opposite sides of North America, but have met in between with one goal in mind — winning an NCAA title. Rookies Tim Crowder, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, and Tim Kennedy, from Buffalo, New York, ride shotgun to center Justin Abdelkader on an impressive freshman line that has accounted for … Read more

Larger Than Life

Jeff Lerg may be only 5-foot-6, but the freshman netminder’s play is plenty big for the Michigan State Spartans, says Sean Caruthers.

A Good Work In Progress

Michigan State started strong, then struggled before coming on in the second half to the cusp of a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. Sean Caruthers reports.

Upon Further Review…

A Friday no-goal in the game between Michigan and Michigan State illustrated the flaws in the CCHA’s well-intentioned review system, but Dave Starman has a solution.

2005-06 Michigan State Season Preview

The only true knowledge of things is the knowledge of their causes. — Archbishop Leighton All those who think that Michigan State will emerge a top-tier CCHA team this season, say, “Aye!” Come on. A little enthusiasm here. “I feel good about our hockey team,” says head coach Rick Comley. That’s a big statement from … Read more

Hot At The Right Time

One year removed from an All-American performance that earned Jim Slater a spot as a Hobey Baker Finalist, Michigan State’s senior sniper couldn’t even crack the All-CCHA team. For many around the league, the numbers just don’t add up. Blame it on unrealistic expectations or strong competition, but Slater’s 16-28–44 line is only four points … Read more

Stand By Your Team

Early on in the season, my CSTV studio partner Adam Wodon and I were asked for our teams to watch in the ECACHL, Hockey East, CCHA, and WCHA. My four were Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA, Michigan State in the CCHA, Cornell in ECAC, and Maine in Hockey East. Colorado College was my dark horse to … Read more

Thelen Admits Drinking Led to Dismissal

The catalyst for A.J. Thelen’s dismissal from the Michigan State hockey team on Monday was his underage drinking the night before a game, and missing a team function, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday. Thelen admitted in the newspaper story that he was benched for last Friday’s game against Notre Dame for missing a VIP … Read more

Thelen Dismissed From Spartans

Michigan State sophomore defenseman A.J. Thelen has been dismissed from the hockey team by coach Rick Comley. According to the shcool, Thelen’s scholarship will still be honored as long as he remains in school and is academically eligible. “A.J. did not meet the expectations for a student-athlete in the ice hockey program at MSU,” said … Read more

FSN Detroit To Rebroadcast Cold War Game

FSN Detroit will rebroadcast the historic Cold War Hockey Game between Michigan State and Michigan on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004, from 8-10 p.m. The outdoor hockey game, which was originally held on Oct. 6, 2001, saw a world-record 74,554 people jam Spartan Stadium to watch the Spartans and Wolverines skate to a 3-3 overtime draw. … Read more

Q & A With Rick Comley

As Michigan State gets ready for another meeting with archrival Michigan, I sat down with Spartans’ head coach Rick Comley in his office in East Lansing to just talk about coaching. This is the first in a series of talks with college hockey’s great coaches. Comley is in his third year at Michigan State and … Read more

2004-05 Michigan State Season Preview

Finally, this team belongs to Rick Comley. With the departure of Brock Radunske (7-6-13) and Lee Falardeau (2-4-6) and the return of the league’s genuine superstar, Jim Slater (10-21-31), Comley can feel pretty confident that the Spartans are all on the same page. “Our hockey team will be a pretty good team,” says Comley, a … Read more

Thelen Coming Back

Michigan State defenseman A.J. Thelen put to rest any speculation that he might leave school for the pros, telling reporters in Minnesota that he would return to East Lansing for his sophomore season. Thelen was the 12th overall pick in this past June’s NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. Thelen is a native of Minnesota, … Read more

Draft Day Only the Beginning For Thelen, Booth

The day the [nl]Minnesota North Stars bolted his home state for Texas was the day a young A.J. Thelen stopped worrying about where he might play some day in the NHL. All he began to care about was getting there. “I have no real favorite now,” said Thelen, a standout defenseman for Michigan State. “Once … Read more

CCHA Names All-Rookie Team

Three schools each have a pair of players among the six freshmen named to the 2003-04 CCHA All-Rookie Team by vote of the conference head coaches. At least one Wolverine has been honored in 12 of the 16 years since the team was created. The team will be honored at the 2004 CCHA Awards on … Read more