Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

[John Biasi]

Ross-Colp-Rice were great, but they probably weren't even the best line in the league then. Mike Zuke-George Lyle-Jim Mayer at Tech were even more dominant and took the Huskies to three straight NCAA title games.

Don't forget about Pat Murray-Kip Miller-Dwayne Norris in 1989-90. Those three were so much fun to watch together. They were the last of the high-flyers before clutch-and-grab took over.

I’ll give you the three trips to the championship game.

The stats say the Lyle-Mayer-Zuke line was about as dominant as the Colp-Rice-Ross line with a slight edge to MSU’s trio. The difference is MSU had the top line and nothing else. The CRR line accounted for over 60 percent of State’s output in 75-76 while the LMZ line accounted for under 50 percent.


Colp-Rice-Ross | G | GPG | PTS | PPG |
1975-76 | 122 | 3.02 | 281 | 6.97
1974-75* | 76 | 2.16 | 197 | 5.77
1973-74 | 111 | 2.92 | 254 | 6.68

Lyle-Mayer-Zuke
1975-76 | 123 | 2.86 | 263 | 6.11
1974-75* | 81 | 2.15 | 150 | 3.94
1973-74** | 40 | 1.27 | 109 | 3.43

*Colp and Mayer missed over a third of the season
**Lyle played half the season and Mayer a quarter

 

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

I’ll give you the three trips to the championship game.

The stats say the Lyle-Mayer-Zuke line was about as dominant as the Colp-Rice-Ross line with a slight edge to MSU’s trio. The difference is MSU had the top line and nothing else. The CRR line accounted for over 60 percent of State’s output in 75-76 while the LMZ line accounted for under 50 percent.


Colp-Rice-Ross | G | GPG | PTS | PPG |
1975-76 | 122 | 3.02 | 281 | 6.97
1974-75* | 76 | 2.16 | 197 | 5.77
1973-74 | 111 | 2.92 | 254 | 6.68

Lyle-Mayer-Zuke
1975-76 | 123 | 2.86 | 263 | 6.11
1974-75* | 81 | 2.15 | 150 | 3.94
1973-74** | 40 | 1.27 | 109 | 3.43

*Colp and Mayer missed over a third of the season
**Lyle played half the season and Mayer a quarter

Good stat breakdown. That's all true too.

One mitigating factor in my mind is that LMZ did not play together on the top power play unit for the Huskies - Stu Ostlund was inserted in place of Mayer, and Steve Jensen split time with Lyle. And as effective as they were with the puck LMZ was also capable of playing a much more physical style when called upon to do so, which Ross-Colp-Rice would have had a hard time matching.

It all comes down to what qualifiers you consider to make a line "dominant". If they were on the same roster, it would be hard to say who'd get the start.

PS - the biggest reason for the 3 straight title games for Tech was more likely the goaltending of Jim Warden and Bruce Horsch, which was head and shoulders above Ron Clark and Dave Versical.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

Another great night for the KHL line, and Milan got in on some of the action as well. Hat trick for Khodorenko, with all coming on the PP. I'd like to see a statistic on how many times that's happened. Interestinly, all five of his goals this year have come on the PP.

Dominant performance with the exception of about 15 minutes to go to 5 minutes to go in the third. Seemed to lose focus and let Ferris get a couple breaks to tighten it up. KHL almost looked bored on a couple and if Lewandowski can get a little more accuracy on that one-timer, he adds a couple more last night as well.

Still not sure what happened to Ferris' goalie. Didn't look like anyone knocked into him from either team. Just fell down and was immediately in pain.

 

[wsummers]

Another great night for the KHL line, and Milan got in on some of the action as well. Hat trick for Khodorenko, with all coming on the PP. I'd like to see a statistic on how many times that's happened. Interestinly, all five of his goals this year have come on the PP.

Dominant performance with the exception of about 15 minutes to go to 5 minutes to go in the third. Seemed to lose focus and let Ferris get a couple breaks to tighten it up. KHL almost looked bored on a couple and if Lewandowski can get a little more accuracy on that one-timer, he adds a couple more last night as well.

Still not sure what happened to Ferris' goalie. Didn't look like anyone knocked into him from either team. Just fell down and was immediately in pain.

Yes, KHL was dangerous almost every time they were on the ice. Still waiting to see consistant scoring from another line...maybe tonight.

MSU still has defensive lapses, but unlike the last few years is scoring enough to make up for them.

Yes, their goalie appeared to have pulled a muscle and just collapsed. Reminded me a bit of Davis going down in football with no one near him.

 

[Pirateasaur]

Another great night for the KHL line, and Milan got in on some of the action as well. Hat trick for Khodorenko, with all coming on the PP. I'd like to see a statistic on how many times that's happened. Interestinly, all five of his goals this year have come on the PP.

Dominant performance with the exception of about 15 minutes to go to 5 minutes to go in the third. Seemed to lose focus and let Ferris get a couple breaks to tighten it up. KHL almost looked bored on a couple and if Lewandowski can get a little more accuracy on that one-timer, he adds a couple more last night as well.

Still not sure what happened to Ferris' goalie. Didn't look like anyone knocked into him from either team. Just fell down and was immediately in pain.

The KHL line was unstoppable at times. They definitely get a little too cocky at times and attempt one too many passes for that highlight reel play. Oh well.

The game was interesting in that MSU was largely dominant but had
enough lapses to make it interesting. Even in the 3rd when MSU was outshot and outscored we still possessed the puck a ton.

Their goalie’s injury was strange. I’m pretty sure he was untouched but seeemd to be in a lot of pain. Everyone on the ice, Bulldog and Spartan, looked confused.

Anyways, Cole said earlier in the week that DeRidder would play this weekend. Curious that it might be in Big Rapids with the Dawg Pound.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

The KHL line was unstoppable at times. They definitely get a little too cocky at times and attempt one too many passes for that highlight reel play. Oh well.

The game was interesting in that MSU was largely dominant but had
enough lapses to make it interesting. Even in the 3rd when MSU was outshot and outscored we still possessed the puck a ton.

Their goalie’s injury was strange. I’m pretty sure he was untouched but seeemd to be in a lot of pain. Everyone on the ice, Bulldog and Spartan, looked confused.

Anyways, Cole said earlier in the week that DeRidder would play this weekend. Curious that it might be in Big Rapids with the Dawg Pound.

The KHL line has been a hit since they formed last season, but I don't think I've ever seen it as dominant as it was in the first period last night. To say they clicked on all cylinders was, well ...

We've been quite successful this year on special teams and, given how may times MSU's gone to the box, that's a good thing.

As soon as Kapelmaster went down untouched and saw the way he was helped off the ice, I was thinking strained groin - a TOUGH one for a goalie if that's the case.

So I'm thinking that the last time MSU started as good as 4-1 was the 2009-10 season (our "comeback" season that ended in a downer) or 2010-11.

And put this all down to my subconscious suppressing a bad 4 or 5 years, but I'm stunned I can't remember this: Ryan Keller in 2015 was the last Spartan with a hat trick.

It's on to Big Rapids tonight. I think State's got to play a more grinding, bring-your-lunchpail to work kind of game tonight in a place where the crowd makes a small place feel pretty intense. Real crucible if by chance DeRidder gets the not in goal.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

I'd rather we go with Lethemon tonight and save DeRidder for ASU, even though the Sun Devils' offense has been on fire. Ewigleben is just a strange place to play and Lethemon already got a win there last year.

KHL confuses me. They'll give up an open shot for the extra pass that causes everything to fall apart, and other times Lewandowski will get a spark in him and try to deke through three guys. But hey, it's working.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

I'd rather we go with Lethemon tonight and save DeRidder for ASU, even though the Sun Devils' offense has been on fire. Ewigleben is just a strange place to play and Lethemon already got a win there last year.

KHL confuses me. They'll give up an open shot for the extra pass that causes everything to fall apart, and other times Lewandowski will get a spark in him and try to deke through three guys. But hey, it's working.

Love Hirose, but he had some shots to take last night where 2 or 3 times he chose to pass and the possession broke down.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

MSU got taken down a notch, but maybe that's not a bad thing. They never matched Ferris' intensity last night, and DeRidder was not enough to make up for it. Can't pin this on him though - the Bulldogs sent 3 & 4 guys to the net - 3 rebound goals - and Spartans did not. Will be interested in how much the team has grown when seeing how they respond.

 

[gomsuman]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

For the second straight week a Spartan has taken home the first star of the week in the Big Ten. This time it is the "K" of the KHL line... with his hat trick and 1 assist on the weekend.

 

[wsummers]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

Well, last weekend we found out how much the Spartans depend on the KHL line.
This weekend we should get an idea of where we are in the rebuild as we play a good ASU team which has already played OSU and Penn State. The results should give a clue of how we’ll do when the conference games start in a week.

 

[wsummers]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

Looks like the games will be streamed at https://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university

This series is part of a Big 10 scheduling agreement with ASU. They will be coming to Munn next year.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

Well, last weekend we found out how much the Spartans depend on the KHL line.
This weekend we should get an idea of where we are in the rebuild as we play a good ASU team which has already played OSU and Penn State. The results should give a clue of how we’ll do when the conference games start in a week.

I have a feeling MSU will skate off the ice without any wins this weekend. I'm not sure we're settled on the right-wing adjustments for the bottom 3 lines. ASU is for real and, given the logistical challenges they face, they're more than compensating by their talent and scoring ability. Our goaltending is ... OK ... but not at the level it's going to take to win consistently. I'm looking at two losses, or one loss and an NCAA tie.

 

[Pirateasaur]

I have a feeling MSU will skate off the ice without any wins this weekend. I'm not sure we're settled on the right-wing adjustments for the bottom 3 lines. ASU is for real and, given the logistical challenges they face, they're more than compensating by their talent and scoring ability. Our goaltending is ... OK ... but not at the level it's going to take to win consistently. I'm looking at two losses, or one loss and an NCAA tie.

Oh man, I have had that lingering feeling as well. Let’s hope that’s just regular old MSU hockey negativity.

 

[FLHockeyMom]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

Oh man, I have had that lingering feeling as well. Let’s hope that’s just regular old MSU hockey negativity.

I don't think it's negativity as much as it's current reality. Until someone other than the KHL line steps up in the scoring department, other teams figure the best way to beat MSU is to shut down that line. Let's hope that we see some other guys step up in the scoring department this weekend.

 

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

Well, that was disappointing. Definitely the most disorganized I've seen since Cole took over. Not sure if the Krygiers did something during the week (and Mattson for that matter) to warrant getting benched after playing in every game, but nothing looked right. KHL was pretty non-existent except for a couple shifts. About the only good thing that came out of the night was we kept Walker off the board, but on the other hand it seemed like everyone one else who scored was getting their first career goal.

And that roof. That stupid roof.

 

[Pirateasaur]

Well, that was disappointing. Definitely the most disorganized I've seen since Cole took over. Not sure if the Krygiers did something during the week (and Mattson for that matter) to warrant getting benched after playing in every game, but nothing looked right. KHL was pretty non-existent except for a couple shifts. About the only good thing that came out of the night was we kept Walker off the board, but on the other hand it seemed like everyone one else who scored was getting their first career goal.

And that roof. That stupid roof.

I watched the stream(which was quite good, btw) and MSU was definitely sloppy. Could have been the different lineup or the time zone or the ****ty ice but it was probably our worst performance other than maybe last week in Big Rapids although I sidn’t see that one.

With that being said, as we expected, ASU is solid. They’re better defensively than I anticipated. Lots of sticks and bodies in our passing and shooting lanes. They also capitalized on Lethemon’s numerous rebounds. I don’t think they’re NCAA tournament caliber but they’re close.

Gotta be better tonight.

 

[Pirateasaur]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

Well, there’s no sugarcoating that one. Bad weekend and I thought this team was beyond that. ASU is solid for sure but MSU looked disjointed and poor in both games. Low shots and the power play got shut down all weekend. Disappointing after riding that high after Cornell and the first game against Ferris.

Huge series coming up. Gotta get back in the W column to keep from falling too far behind record wise.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

I watched the stream(which was quite good, btw) and MSU was definitely sloppy. Could have been the different lineup or the time zone or the ****ty ice but it was probably our worst performance other than maybe last week in Big Rapids although I sidn’t see that one.

With that being said, as we expected, ASU is solid. They’re better defensively than I anticipated. Lots of sticks and bodies in our passing and shooting lanes. They also capitalized on Lethemon’s numerous rebounds. I don’t think they’re NCAA tournament caliber but they’re close.

Gotta be better tonight.

In an interesting twist, Lethemon looked downright good on Saturday. The rest of the line-up were vastly outplayed. They just didn't compete, plain and simple. I'm sure those in charge of facilities were a bit nervous thinking about the fresh coat of paint the visiting locker room would need after the game. Some credit I'm sending ASU's way; They have 4 good lines with scoring ability from top to bottom (in their coach's presser post-game Saturday he mentioned that all but one player on the roster has a point this year). And I've not seen a team body the puckhandler or get in the passing lanes like they did. It was plain suffocating, especially those times when MSU's forwards' names begin with K, H or L. Have you seen that line have to dump&chase to that degree? But it wasn't just physical matchups - ASU got to the puck quicker (the number of cancelled icings a good indication), and we lost tons of battles. This hasn't been a pretty 3-game stretch. Actually, it hasn't been a good 10-period stretch.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Spartan Hockey 2018-2019 - Preparing for Glory

And so, as we officially close the "preseason" chapter on the 2018-19 campaign and head into league play, how wildly has your optimism needle swung from the green&white to the last road series?

From 0 - 10 ... 5 being "about as expected" ... I've gone from a 6, to an 8, and back to a 5.

Started with a 6 in early October, when it appeared there could be some scoring touch beyond the KHL line.
It hit a solid 8 after the first period at home against Ferris State, coming off a road sweep of Cornell.
Now it seems we're back to where we started. One reliable goalie, the other still acclimating to this level, and a frank realization that the formula to beating MSU is to body-up & frustrate the top line.