Michigan State 2009-2010

[Arwen22266]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

For what it's worth, I just had a burger from Lou and Harry's that was pretty darn good.

Ah, Sunday nights away from dorm food ...

FWIW, Crunchy's is a big supporter of the MSU hockey program. Also, concessions at the rink are pretty stellar, especially the walking tacos. But make sure to bring cash with you, as there isn't an ATM in the rink.

And FYI Clarkson fans, anyone needing a place to crash can PM me.

 

[vicb]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Thanks for the information.

 

[Sparty Foxbat]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Clarkson fan thinking of going to the games on Oct 9th and 10th. Anyone tell me a good place to stay near MSU and any food recommendations.

Stay at the Marriott or Kellog Center, the latter of which is on campus and a five minute walk from the arena. Local places only:

Walkable Distance
Crunchys - local sports bar, weekends are karaoke nights
Peanut Barrel - MSU icon. You have to eat here. Pretty much in bar/lounge mode all day but 21+ enforced after 9pm
Dublin's, Lou and Harrys - restaurants by day, bars by night. I'd avoid Dublin. Cute but overpriced and the waitstaff tacks everything on. Personal grudfe
El Azteco - local Mexican/MSU icon
India Palace - local Indian
Charlie Kang - really nice Chinese/Korean place. Not fancy, not dive, friendly.
Bell's Pizza and Georgios Pizza - local pizza by the slice type places.
Sushi Ya/Udon - The former's fancy, the latter's homely. Both Sushi places.
Harrison Roadhouse - awesome local roadhouse diner type place. Burgers, pasta, etc.
Tony's - nice breakfast type place

Longer Walk/Drive
Coral Gables - family type place, great lasagna, steak, etc.
Theios - a mix of truckers and students, a 24/7 greasy spoon.
Sindhus - local Indian with a good weekend buffet
Altus - Ethiopian?

Whatever you do, don't come here and waste your time at the Taco Bell or McDonalds Pinball Pete's is a cool arcade, and most of the nightclub type bars are laid back but active in the daytime. You can kill Saturday walking around campus/watching football somewhere.

 

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Crunchys - local sports bar, weekends are karaoke nights
Peanut Barrel - MSU icon. You have to eat here. Pretty much in bar/lounge mode all day but 21+ enforced after 9pm
Dublin's, Lou and Harrys - restaurants by day, bars by night. I'd avoid Dublin. Cute but overpriced and the waitstaff tacks everything on. Personal grudfe
El Azteco - local Mexican/MSU icon
India Palace - local Indian
Charlie Kang - really nice Chinese/Korean place. Not fancy, not dive, friendly.
Bell's Pizza and Georgios Pizza - local pizza by the slice type places.
Sushi Ya/Udon - The former's fancy, the latter's homely. Both Sushi places.
Harrison Roadhouse - awesome local roadhouse diner type place. Burgers, pasta, etc.
Tony's - nice breakfast type place

Don't go to Bell's unless you're ripped. Really, really ripped. The food just won't taste very good unless you've reached a decent level of inebriation.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Don't go to Munn unless you're ripped. Really, really ripped. The hockey won't taste very good unless you've reached a decent level of inebriation.

Kidding - applied to last season. Really the same can be said of Cottage Inn Pizza.

 

[Smithdog]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

I drive in from the Detroit area for games. For years I have only gone to two places: El Azteco for excellent Mexican or the Peanut Barrel for a great burger and a bar atmosphere. Try are walking distance from one another in case there is no seating.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

It's now officially Fall, right?

So why not make some observations about what might happen for our guys this Winter

Start in net:
No question we don't have the same guy in goal that can (as WesternCollegeHockeyBlog puts it) hide how bad the team was this time. But Palmisanno's shown moments of brilliance and could be a top-4 goalie in the league with a little consistency. Again, the few times Jarosz played the last two seasons he showed he is a capable 2nd.

Defense: Deeper, bigger, more experienced, more offensively minded. The problem was behind our own blue line last season. That needs to improve if MSU wants to compete and keep #29 from being overwhelmed this season.

Scoring: You have a better chance winning the lottery than MSU has of even coming close to a top-6 finish if they don't double their scoring output over last season. The junior class will need to lead the way. But unlike last year's Freshmen class, MSU's class of '13 has accomplished more at the junior level (and generally at a higher junior level).

Health: Do I even need to go there? A better off-season conditioning program will - I HOPE - make a big difference. If we lose 7 guys for an extended period of time again - it's over.

Bottom line is I think an 8th place finish is achievable ... and reasonable as long as everyone does what they're capable of and barring no big mishaps.

Still a year away from seriously competing for a top-4 finish.

 

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Health: Do I even need to go there? A better off-season conditioning program will - I HOPE - make a big difference. If we lose 7 guys for an extended period of time again - it's over.

Anybody want to give us an over-under on the number of shoulder injuries this season?

 

[wsummers]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

It's now officially Fall, right?

So why not make some observations about what might happen for our guys this Winter

Still a year away from seriously competing for a top-4 finish.

No disagreements here. How well MSU goes this year will be determined by how many goals they score. Defense and goaltending should be competitive, offensive is in my mind a question mark. The junior and senior class (not very large in numbers) need to step up and find 4 or 5 guys who score 10 goals...If they do AND if the freshman class can contribute like Abs and Kennedy did as freshmen, then MSU could finish around 6th place. If the upperclass fails to show up then we could be looking at 10th place.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Anybody want to give us an over-under on the number of shoulder injuries this season?

Somehow I knew you'd mention that

At any rate - sure, I'll play.

How about 1.5 (forces <strike>regular minutes</strike> any player to miss at least a game).

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

No disagreements here. How well MSU goes this year will be determined by how many goals they score. Defense and goaltending should be competitive, offensive is in my mind a question mark. The junior and senior class (not very large in numbers) need to step up and find 4 or 5 guys who score 10 goals...If they do AND if the freshman class can contribute like Abs and Kennedy did as freshmen, then MSU could finish around 6th place. If the upperclass fails to show up then we could be looking at 10th place.

I suppose I'm happy with CCHA playoff games at home, to see some guys start to fulfill their promise (Tropp, Leveille), and to see improvements in several areas. It's always great to see some eye-opening play from freshmen too.

 

[Pirateasaurus]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

I dream about a very dramatic turnaround but i know we are just too young and we will have to endure some ups and downs. I am expecting us to be much improved, however. I have my expectation set a little higher than 8th as i believe that if we can stay healthy, we should be able to post hopefully atleast 6th but i am really pulling for some fortune and nailing 5th. I do not beleive we will crack top 4 but man, that would be awesome. Our game against Western Ontario should be a good preview to be used as a measuring stick against last year's team. Of course i do not know how good last year's WO was compared to this year's WO or previous years teams but really, i will be pretty unhappy if we don't bounce them pretty hard. Not necessarily on the scoreboard, but even in our inexperience, we should be noticeably faster, more skilled and capable. These exhibitions are against teams we should be handling pretty easily, outshooting 45-15 or something. Not clawing out hard fought victories. But maybe i am putting too much thought into Western Ontario, but i remember coming away from that game last year feeling like i have never seen an msu team even close to being that poor. I thought we looked dramatically better the second game against Lowell and against Northern but then i think injuries and bad momentum took over.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

I want so badly to dream 6th or 5th - but man there's just a LOT of scoring deficit to make up. It would require some dramatic philosophical shift on RC's part.

Somehow this looks like a team built to accomplish big things next season.

 

[Pirateasaurus]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

I just looked over our schedule again and the first half is pretty rough. Pairs at Miami and Northern, Home and homes against Michigan and Notre Dame and a home series against Nebraska who is always a total ******* to play. Not to mention the showcase which is thankfully at home. Could be a bit of a rocky fall.

 

[Arwen22266]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

I just looked over our schedule again and the first half is pretty rough. Pairs at Miami and Northern, Home and homes against Michigan and Notre Dame and a home series against Nebraska who is always a total ******* to play. Not to mention the showcase which is thankfully at home. Could be a bit of a rocky fall.

Think positive! By all accounts Clarkson and Maine are both down. The Notre Dame game on the road is at a neutral site. I prefer to be optimistic until I have to be otherwise.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Try as I might, this is impossible to resist

<table><tr><td>

</td><td> . . . . and . . . . <td>

</td></tr><tr><td>

Derek Grant​

</td><td></td><td>

Marcus Flint (left)​

</td></tr></table>

Heck - check out the team colors even
I wonder if Grant will wear the "C" in 3 years.

 

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Austin Czarnik apparently decommitted.

 

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Austin Czarnik apparently decommitted.

Forgot the link, which is here.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Forgot the link, which is here.

I was deparately afraid he would. His stock shot up like a rocket just before being drafted by Windsor this spring, and I guess he believed his own press.



Side note: after Jimmy McDowell decommitted in July, it was a safe bet that his brother, Jacob, would remain in the fold. I'm a little concerned I no longer see his name in Chris Heisenberg's list. So, could that be three defections in as many months? Troubling trend, and I guess it will take a breakout season by the 2009-2010 team to reverse it.

 

[MaizeRage]

Re: Michigan State 2009-2010

Side note: after Jimmy McDowell decommitted in July, it was a safe bet that his brother, Jacob, would remain in the fold. I'm a little concerned I no longer see his name in Chris Heisenberg's list. So, could that be three defections in as many months? Troubling trend, and I guess it will take a breakout season by the 2009-2010 team to reverse it.

Jake's scholarship got pulled once Jimmy left for the OHL. No surprise. Not the first time Comley booted somebody just because his brother decided to play somewhere else.