Gophers a test for young MSU hockey team
All season, Michigan State hockey coach Tom Anastos has preached the importance of discipline and consistency to his young team.
It appears the Spartans are beginning to heed his message, and not a moment too soon with a tough Big Ten-opening series approaching.
After posting a winning 3-2-1 record in November, the Spartans (4-6-1 overall) host No. 11 Minnesota (7-5-2 overall) at Munn Ice Arena this weekend. The puck drops on the series at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The teams then meet again at Munn at 8 p.m. Saturday.
MSU earned three of its four victories last month, including a win over No. 5 North Dakota on Nov. 25. The second game in the series ended in a 2-2 tie.
"I think there's a deeper understanding of what we're trying to do structurally as a team," Anastos said of MSU's improvement. "So that's helping the cause across the board. We still have a ways to go in that area. But we're certainly getting better.
"And I do think we're growing our confidence level. I think guys are understanding the expectations that we have for them, both individually and as a group."
The Spartan will be a bit shorthanded against the Golden Gophers, who were selected as the Big Ten favorites during the preseason.
Junior defenseman Carson Gatt, who suffered a lower body injury against U.S. U-18 team last Sunday, is out. Freshman defenseman Butrus Ghafari is dealing with an upper respiratory issue and is day-to-day, Anastos said.
With two defensemen down, the Spartans will rely more on its freshmen. Anthony Scarsella and Damian Chrcek, who didn't receive much playing time early in the season, played extended minutes last Sunday and will likely play against Minnesota.
"That hurts our depth back there," Anastos said. "(Scarsella and Chrcek) have been playing real hard, they just don't have a lot of experience. We'll accelerate that process to the extent we can during practice this week."
Minnesota, who finished with a 14-6-0 conference record last season and reached the Big Ten Tournament championship game, returns several key players from last year's team, including sophomore Tyler Sheehy, who ranks third in the conference with 20 points.
Anastos said the Golden Gophers may be the best team MSU will face this year. With three wins and a tie in their past seven game, Anastos said that Minnesota's talent and experience will serve as a a measuring stick for the Spartans.
"It's a new season, now that the Big Ten season's opening," he said. "For us to be home it's going to be important that our compete level is very high. We've got to continue to improve and understanding and executing the structure of our game. And we have to raise our game another level from where we've been."
Today's game
No. 11 Minnesota at MSU
When: 6:30 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network