Michigan State Hockey 202?-202?

[gomsuman]

Oof. Talk about a clunker of a weekend. We’re gonna be regretting this come March, I bet.

The pressure is on to rattle off a few W’s to start the new year. None of us want to see any shades of last year’s implosion.

I didn’t attend any games but I almost did. I’d like if the GLI could continue with this format in GR. We may not have looked it this week d, but I think if the program can continue to improve here then the games will be well attended. Decent Tech and WMU teams will do their part, as well.

I wasn't there, nor did I watch, but the updates I got from Twitter make it seem like MSU outplayed Ferris and was toe to toe with Michigan Tech the whole way. Just unlucky to walk away with a loss and an OT loss. Anybody confirm that?

[Puckstopper467]

Losing to a low scoring team like Ferris is very poor. MSU was not ready to play. Western came out and exposed Ferris the way MSU should have. In the Tech Game MSU was better just missed some close ones or could have won in regulation. also the penalty on Krygier was weak, tall kid shoulder on smaller player

[FLHockeyMom]

I wasn't there, nor did I watch, but the updates I got from Twitter make it seem like MSU outplayed Ferris and was toe to toe with Michigan Tech the whole way. Just unlucky to walk away with a loss and an OT loss. Anybody confirm that?

I wasn't in attendance either, but I believe what fans are taking exception to are 1) the aggressive style of play vs. Ferris in the 1st period resulting in going down 0-3, a difficult road to come back from under any circumstances but certainly given our historical lack of scoring; 2) the boneheaded penalty by a Twin at the end of regulation in the MTU game, resulting in MTU's tying PP goal; and 3) the egregious line change in OT resulting in MTU's GWG. All things you would hope that we've moved on from under the new coaching staff. For me it just highlights that 1) the roster is still primarily Cole recruits so we need to be patient until the Nightingale replenishments arrive; and 2) the smoke-and-mirrors nature of our OOC schedule, like last year, begets early and unwarranted optimism. #thistooshallpass

[John J. MacInnes]

The consolation game was a street fight. Tech and MSU are similar teams in that they don't have game breaking talent and have to win as a collective.

The game came down to mistakes - Tech has a number of injuries on the blue line, and with forwards & young players in the lineup, they committed the two errors that led to goals. Forward Jake Crespi got caught flat footed in the neutral zone creating the Tucker breakaway, and rookie Evan Orr misplayed a rush and got walked on the Russell goal.

The first Tech goal came on a delayed penalty where MSU lost focus and expected that the play was going to be blown dead, only to see it end up in a point shot that deflected in. And Cole Krygier's penalty at the end of regulation was:
1) 100% the right call
2) lucky he didn't get upgraded to a 5 minute call
3) completely unnecessary
4) exactly what we've come to expect from him

In the OT the call on Mucha was also 100% correct. He made a lazy play, got caught in the neutral zone going the wrong direction, and reached with his stick to try and recover. The line change in the overtime was really bad. It was early in the kill so not necessary at that point. With two defensemen on the ice that was probably a situation they haven't been in a lot, and you would have expected Nash Nienhaus to be out there had he been in the lineup. Gucciardi and Basgall was a strange pairing to pick for the kill.

Considering that this was the first time this season that MSU lost a game they led going into the 3rd period, this appears it could be an outlier. They aren't built to come back when behind, so it will be imperative that they are playing from in front or even in the second half.

[Pirateasaur]

Pretty incredible weekend at Munn. 2 full crowds and 5 huge points to bounce back from a rather significant slump. Those two games were not easy on the nerves but the fellas showed a ton of grit with those comebacks. It’s a shame there’s only 3 home games left. The remaining games are sold out. I haven’t enjoyed watching a team like this in probably almost 15 years.

[wsummers]

Good pickup….another recent recruit (who like Maxim had decommitted) had a visit and could result in another commitment to MSU soon. Things are certainly heading in the right direction.

The other recruit committed. Michael DeAngelo, a decommit from Arizona State. Likely to arrive next year after spending this year at Green Bay.

[Pirateasaur]

Well, let’s just hope we never see Minny again the rest of the year.

By the way, where has Jesse Tucker been? I think he’s been out of the lineup since at least PSU.

[wolverineTrumpet]

I saw somewhere that my favorite hockey play by play guy will be celebrating his 1,000th hockey broadcast on Friday. Wanted to shout out a congrats on this milestone!

[FLHockeyMom]

Well, let’s just hope we never see Minny again the rest of the year.

By the way, where has Jesse Tucker been? I think he’s been out of the lineup since at least PSU.

Line chart (4th line winger) and stats show that he played the second game of the Minny series, although I didn't watch. Perhaps an injury/illness, but he sure seems to be somewhat out of favor with the new staff.

[HockeyDad2023]

Great to see the Munn and Sparty's getting things going again! Haven't seen this type of hype around this team since the Krug era. Coaching staff is really getting the best of this group and excited to see what they can do with their own cast of players.

[moose97]

I'll be making my first trip to Munn this Saturday. Pregame meal suggestions? Thanks!

[Lost_Husky]

I'll be making my first trip to Munn this Saturday. Pregame meal suggestions? Thanks!

Nothing is immediately by Munn;

Depends on what you are looking for:

All of these are within walking distance of each other. (Crunchies is the outlier at about 3 blocks away)
Crunchy's is an East Lansing staple for burgers/bar food. A touch on the greasy side.
Peanut Barrel is Crunchy's v2.0
Beggers Banquet for a nice sit-down meal with an excellent beverage selection
HopCat has solid food offerings and great craft beer selection
Jolly Pumpkin similar to HopCat, but focused on their brand of beer.

I personally would skip Harpers.

Harrison Roadhouse is a few blocks away from the above cluster and is similar to Crunchy's and Peanut Barrel.

There are several respectable Asian/Indian inspired offerings in the area as well, but usually don't associate those with a pre-game meal.

Good Luck.

[moose97]

Nothing is immediately by Munn;

Depends on what you are looking for:

All of these are within walking distance of each other. (Crunchies is the outlier at about 3 blocks away)
Crunchy's is an East Lansing staple for burgers/bar food. A touch on the greasy side.
Peanut Barrel is Crunchy's v2.0
Beggers Banquet for a nice sit-down meal with an excellent beverage selection
HopCat has solid food offerings and great craft beer selection
Jolly Pumpkin similar to HopCat, but focused on their brand of beer.

I personally would skip Harpers.

Harrison Roadhouse is a few blocks away from the above cluster and is similar to Crunchy's and Peanut Barrel.

There are several respectable Asian/Indian inspired offerings in the area as well, but usually don't associate those with a pre-game meal.

Good Luck.

Thanks! We lived in Traverse City for a while & loved Jolly Pumpkin up there. Didn't know they had a location in E Lansing...

[Pirateasaur]

Well, big ol’ nasty game tonight. The biggest at Munn in many years, I’d wager. Not looking forward to sitting g through it. Hopefully we just quickly go up by 6 goals or so and don’t have to worry about anything.

[John J. MacInnes]

For those wondering whether the series is still going to be played this weekend at Wisconsin, the team traveled to Madison by bus on Wednesday. And BTN has an active crew call for the telecast on Friday night at 9pm, so I would say in all likelihood they're going to play.