Lighting the Lamp

On Friday, the No. 17 MSU hockey team picked up a critical 3-2 win against No. 4 Michigan at Munn Ice Arena after trailing 2-0. But even more impressive, the Spartans scored two power play goals in the process.

You read that correctly: MSU had TWO power play goals.

In the final month log jam that is the CCHA standings, games and playoff position will be won and lost on the merit of special teams. For a team that went on an 0-for-28 power play scoring drought to start of 2012 and that has been mostly stagnant this season with an extra attacker, that’s huge.

The Spartans now have scored a power play goal in three straight games and — not coincidentally — are 3-0 in the stretch and have moved into a tie for third place with the Wolverines in the CCHA standings. Before this current streak, the Spartans haven’t scored power play goals in back-to-back games since Dec. 10th and Dec. 29th against Michigan and Michigan Tech, respectively.

Head coach Tom Anastos said the team is starting to come around on the power play, and it was an essential skill in Friday’s win against the Wolverines.

“Another thing to note (in the win) is special teams,” Anastos said. “It hasn’t been very often this season where our power play has been a big reason for a win, and it was tonight. It’s obviously a very good win for us.”

Also of note, the Spartans have killed 19 straight penalties, dating back to the series with Ferris State.

With five games to play in the regular season, success on special teams might carry this team to home ice in the CCHA Playoffs. But we’ll have to wait and see if it continues.

After wide-spread speculation and rumors, the 2013 Great Lakes Invitational will be played outdoors at Comerica Park, leading up to the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on January 1st.

On Thursday, the NHL announced its winter festivities including the Winter Classic at the Big House in Ann Arbor in correlation with the inaugural Hockeytown Winter Festival at Comerica Park, beginning in mid-December.

Traditionally held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, the Great Lakes Invitational will be held outdoors for the first time in its 48 year-history and will feature the state’s utmost college hockey talent. The tournament will be comprised of MSU, two-time defending champion Michigan, Michigan Tech and Western Michigan.

In addition to the Great Lakes Invitational, the outdoor hockey rink at the Hockeytown Winter Festival will feature the NHL Alumni Showdown between alumni members of the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. The rink also will host games for many different age brackets including high school, AHL and OHL games, and will be open for public skating.

“I think this is a tremendous opportunity for our program,” said MSU hockey head coach Tom Anastos in a statement to the athletics department. “For the players, it’s special to be able to participate in an outdoor game. For us to be involved in a celebration of this magnitude gives us a chance to show the world how important hockey is in our state.”

For a span of nearly 20 years, the MSU hockey program sold out every single home game at Munn Ice Arena. Through a span of 323 consecutive regular season home games starting in 1985, fans packed the arena to celebrate great Spartan teams and players such as Shawn Horcoff to Anson Carter to Ryan Miller.

Since the streak was broken in 2004, the attendance numbers have dipped from the nearly 6,492 people attendance average during the streak — taking out the Cold War outdoor hockey game at Spartan Stadium and adjusting the average — to an average of 5,403 since then.

When head coach Tom Anastos took the job in March, 2011, after Rick Comley stepped down, one of the goals he set was to restore the aura to the program and that started with bringing the fans back to Munn Ice Arena. And with the team starting at just three regular-season home games left in the season, Anastos said he has seen Munn Ice Arena take “a nice step” in fulfilling that goal in his first season.

“I can’t say how far we are from where we want to be, other than we want to fill the building every night,” Anastos said. “I think the student section has really embraced trying to play a bigger role, and they’re taking great pride in it, and our guys are working it, trying to develop a rapport with the student section and let them know how much they’re appreciated and how much they can have an impact.”

The continued success of the football and the basketball teams along with the decline of the hockey program — with the exception of its 2007 National Championship — has left interest dwindling in taking in a game a Munn Ice Arena.

In an effort to bring people back to the arena and increase interest, Anastos moved the student section to wrap around a corner of the end zone in the opponents’ end and place them on the glass at the start of the year. Anastos also has made networking attempts through his weekly radio show and on Twitter to reach out to the fan base and connect them to the program.

As a result, interest is coming back in the Spartan hockey program.

For players such as junior defenseman Torey Krug, having a distinctive home-ice advantage builds confidence for the team, and it has been more apparent in the way the team plays when it’s at home.

“Just talking to some players around the league, I don’t remember specifically, but they talk about how much harder we are to play as a team (at home),” Krug said. “Coming into Munn, it’s definitely a harder place to play.”

When Red Berenson took over as Michigan’s hockey head coach in 1984, Tom Anastos was just 21-years old. A senior in college at the time, Anastos was eying a national title as a player for the Spartans and an eventual jump to the NHL.

A U-M alumnus and former NHL player, Berenson took over a Wolverine hockey program coming off a 14-22-1 season under John Giordano. By contrast, the Spartans were 34-12-0 and finished in second in the CCHA that season under Ron Mason.

In close to 30 years as the head coach of the Wolverines, Berenson has accumulated nearly 750 wins, two national championships and has cultivated a strong hockey presence in Ann Arbor.

Now 48 years old in just his first year as head coach of the Spartan hockey program, Anastos said Berenson has stood the test of time and he never dreamed that he would be coaching against Berenson someday.

“I had watched him when I was a kid growing up playing for the Red Wings and the Blues; I don’t remember him playing with the Canadians,” Anastos said. “He was a new college coach when he came in and the program was really down at the time. I’m sure it was a pretty long season, and we kind of had our way with them back then. But he’s really stood the test of time, for sure.”

On and off the ice, Torey Krug has dazzled many during his career at MSU. From his well-spoken nature with the media to his aggressive play at both ends of the rink, Krug has many tools that make him an attractive NHL prospect.

The junior defenseman always seems to have a trick up his sleeve.

According to Tom Anastos via Twitter, the MSU hockey team held its inaugural Spartan Hockey Skill Competition today at Munn Ice Arena. Anastos tweeted that the competition featured a hardest shot contest, accuracy shooting and a shootout to close it out.

Anastos said senior forward Brett Perlini won the hardest shot contest with an 100 mph blast, junior forward Dean Chelios and sophomore defenseman Chris Sandmeyer won the shootout round with three goals and the target round was won by senior forward Daultan Leveille and freshman forward Matt Berry with four targets.

But nothing could top Krug’s shootout goal on the afternoon.

In the shootout round, Krug made an aggressive drive to the crease, pausing only to spin, before passing the puck with his hand to his stick all the way to the back of the net.

Wait, what? That was beyond awesome. Even Pavel Datsyuk would have to tip his cap for a move like that. It was as impressive, if not more so than the entire NHL All-Star weekend (which I guess isn’t saying much, but still impressive).

Check out Krug’s moves here and see what you think.

Following a five-point weekend, junior defenseman Torey Krug has been named the CCHA Postgame Offensive Player of the Week.

Krug had a goal and two assists in MSU’s 6-3 win Friday against Ohio State. On Saturday, Krug netted the game-winning goal and added an assist to lead the way in the Spartans’ 3-2 win.

On the season, Krug has eight goals, 16 assists and 24 points along with posting a team best plus-17 plus-minus total. In his career, the junior captain has 22 goals, 51 assists and 73 total points.

Krug likely will have a decision to make when the season concludes, as he legally can sign with any NHL team following the end of MSU’s season. If he stays, Krug will anchor a young Spartan defense, who will lose seniors A.J. Sturges, Brock Shelgren, Tim Buttery and Matt Crandell.

After last weekend’s sweep and consequent fall out of the USCHO poll, the season seemed over for the MSU hockey team.

Fast forward and a weekend sweep of their own against then-No. 10 Ohio State this weekend in Columbus catapulted the MSU hockey team back into the USCHO poll this week, as the team comes in at No. 17. The Spartans currently sit in seventh place in the CCHA with six games remaining on the schedule.

Other CCHA teams named to the poll include No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Ferris State, No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 18 Western Michigan, No. 19 Northern Michigan and No. 20 Miami (Ohio).

Another week has come and gone in the CCHA. In the final month of play before the conference’s playoffs, teams continue to jockey for position in an effort to secure home-ice advantage. Here’s a peek at the current outlook of the CCHA after the first weekend in February.

1. Ferris State (18-8-4 overall, 12-6-4-1 CCHA) – 41 points

Late in the year, the Bulldogs continue to impress and remain in first place in the CCHA. The next series — a home-and-home against Notre Dame — will be a telling sign of how good this team can be. They also close out against Western Michigan in a series with major conference ramifications.

2. Western Michigan (14-11-5, 11-8-3-3) – 39 points

It’s hard to say how good this Western Michigan team can be. The Broncos leave many scratching their heads and with good reason. After two consecutive series splits with Bowling Green and Alaska, the Broncos will need to rise to the occasion or second place will slip away.

3. Michigan (17-9-4, 11-7-4-1) – 38 points

The Wolverines are coming off a very impressive weekend sweep against Miami (Ohio) and have the size and talent to win the conference. However, they are facing MSU this weekend, and the Spartans are hungry for victories. U-M last beat the Spartans in the Great Lakes Invitational final on a heart-breaking late goal, and you can believe Tom Anastos will have his team ready this time around.

4. Notre Dame (16-11-3, 11-8-3-0) – 36 points

As was the case with Western Michigan, it seems as though Notre Dame is stumbling at the moment. The Fighting Irish have split with Alaska and Bowling Green in a pair of winnable series for them. Ferris State will give them a better series than either of those teams and a split might not be enough to stand pat.

4. Miami (Ohio) (15-13-2, 11-11-2-1) – 36 points

Even as big and physical as the RedHawks are, they slipped up against a talented Michigan team this weekend and were swept. The road doesn’t get easier for Miami, as they face Alabama-Huntsville, Notre Dame and Ohio State to close out the season. It’s a boom or bust stretch and I’m not sure if Miami will be able to rise to the occasion.

4. Ohio State (14-10-5, 10-9-5-1) – 36 points

The free fall continues for Ohio State. It’s now been 10 games without a win for the Buckeyes after being swept by the Spartans at home this weekend. It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that they had command of the conference standings, and now it’s looking like they will have to battle to break through for a win.

7. Michigan State (15-11-4, 10-9-3-2) – 35 points

As I wrote a week ago, this Spartan team can be hard to get a grasp on. After a sweep by Ferris State, it looked as though MSU would have to settle for finishing in the bottom of the conference. A weekend sweep against Ohio State changes everything. The Spartans are scoring on the power play and the offense is clicking, which can be dangerous. And with a series rematch with the Wolverines upcoming, look for this team to parlay OSU momentum into a competitive series with Michigan.

7. Lake Superior State (14-11-5, 9-9-4-4) – 35 points

The Lakers had a rare weekend outside of CCHA play with a 4-3 victory against the USA Under-18 team. The team finishes against Alaska, Western Michigan and Northern Michigan.

9. Northern Michigan (12-10-6, 7-9-6-3) – 30 points

A loss and a tie against Ferris State this weekend leaves the Wildcats in ninth place with six games to play. The team is young and talented, but it’s hard to say what they have left in the tank. A momentum building series against Bowling Green might make the outlook a little more clear.

10. Alaska (10-14-4, 7-13-4-2) – 27 points

Alaska was surprisingly competitive on the road against Western Michigan this weekend. The team won’t finish among the upper teams in the CCHA, but it could be pain for LSSU, MSU and Alaska Anchorage.

11. Bowling Green (9-16-5, 4-14-4-3) – 19 points

Another surprising performance came in a competitive weekend against Notre Dame for Bowling Green. There’s not much to compete for in the conference standings, but sometimes teams with the least to lose give other teams trouble. It could happen.

Earlier in the week, Tom Anastos unleashed his list of all-time favorite fictional characters on his Twitter audience.

Other than his enjoyment of Batman and the color black, what the list illuminated more than anything else was Anastos’ ability to embrace social media and new world concepts.

Unlike Tom Izzo or Mark Dantonio — who both eschew social media like the plague — Anastos has committed to the Twitter world in an effort to stir interest in the program, promote different promotions each weekend and increase the level of connection between the MSU hockey program and its fans.

Also unlike his predecessor Rick Comley — who hammered out a grand total of seven tweets from his @CoachComleyMSU account — Anastos has made an effort to understand his audience and keep them in the loop with everything related to MSU hockey.

“I’ve been tinkering around with Twitter,” Anastos said. “I’m trying to see how that tool can be effectively used, is what I’ll say. I guess there’s a portion that can be business-oriented and portion that can be personal, and at the same time when you’re dealing with people all the time, you’re representing the school, and you’re representing yourself. I’m careful with what I do with it, yet I’m still learning what I want to do with it.”

Anastos has developed a set of Twitter guidelines for himself and his players which asks them to avoid being critical of opponents, officials or anything that isn’t positive for the team or fellow teammates. Anastos also said he has studied social media and, as a result, looks to send out at least one tweet a day on various topics to create interest.

In the Twitter world, the possibilities are endless for those who understand how to harness rewards. Anastos understands this.

As a first-year coach at MSU, Anastos is able to bring positive vibes about the program by sending tweets about former players, the Slapshots student section and team meals, among other things.

Given the complicated nature of the recruiting world, it’s possible that Anastos even has the opportunity to connect with young players by tweeting things germane to their interests.

Obviously he can’t send any tweets to young players or connect with any of them who aren’t of the appropriate age, per the rules of NCAA recruiting. But if he was to use this as a tool to stir interest and announce his presence at MSU, Twitter is as good as any to do.

The possibilities of Twitter are endless, and it’s refreshing to see a coach who understands this.

“It’s been interesting to follow over a period of time because I’m getting a lot of responses back on things,” Anastos said. “Some of that is just to generate chatter and generate potential response to see what kind of response there is on things that are relatively meaningless.”

To follow Anastos on Twitter, you can at Twitter.com/TomAnastos.

On Sunday, Tom Anastos unleashed his list of greatest fictional characters in the world via Twitter. The highlights the summation of Anastos’ hockey philosophies, and he even sprinkles some humor in there. Here’s the complete list.

10. The Fonz from “Happy Days”

“In his era, he set the standard for ‘cool,’” Anastos said on Twitter. Although I’m a little young to appreciate the mystique of The Fonz, Anastos makes a solid pick here. “Happy Days” also spun off into five different series so this pick has longevity.

9. Road Runner

Anastos lists the Roadrunner here for being “always one step ahead.” Despite Wile E. Coyote throwing his best tricks and gadgets at him, the Road Runner always got ahead by being clever and agile. The Spartans will need to sprint to the finish to see themselves among the best in the CCHA standings, so I understand the pick.

8. Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau from “The Pink Panther”

“Underestimated, unconventional, yet always gets the right result,” Anastos said. Once again, I’m a little young to appreciate this pick, and Steve Martin butchering the role didn’t exactly catch me up.

7. Bugs Bunny

Everyone’s favorite cartoon rabbit cracks the list at No. 7. Anastos puts him in this spot for being “clever, a bit of a wise guy. The ultimate trickster.” If he’s good enough to help Michael Jordan beat the Monstars in “Space Jam,” he’s certainly a lock for this list.

6. Lieutenant Columbo from “Columbo”

Anastos: “Constantly under-estimated but always gets the job done. Dumb like a fox.” Peter Falk is a legend, but I’ll admit I haven’t seen it.

5. Forrest Gump

Anastos puts him on the list for being “the ultimate optimist who always had an unusual way of making things a little bit better.” Perhaps optimism is a virtue to finish the hockey season? We’ll wait and see.

4. Dr. Cliff Huxtable from “The Cosby Show”

Here’s a character Anastos should relate to. He cracks the list for “successfully navigated the fun of being a father of 5.” With Anastos having five children of his own, this one was a lock.

3. Maxwell Smart

“Bungling secret agent who always fought to protect Good vs the forces Evil,” Anastos said. In this instance, Anastos might be putting him in the role of Smart. But who would be the evil force? I’m taking bets on U-M’s Red Berenson.

2. Rocky Balboa

The ultimate fighter with a big heart. Knew how to take a punch and had a knack for getting up when knocked down. Balboa is a fine symbol of the perseverance and hard work Anastos has tried to cultivate.

1. Batman

“A superhero without super powers. Works to do good and doesn’t seek to get the credit. Likes black.” I like how Anastos has a noble explanation and ends with Batman’s color of choice. Anastos himself is a man in black on gameday and often wears a darker suit to signal a game of greater importance.

Overall, not a bad list by the first-year Spartan head coach. It has me curious of who would make Mark Dantonio or Tom Izzo’s list of fictional characters.

If I had to pick characters of my own, Anastos has missed some great characters. My personal list includes: Dwight Schrute from “The Office,” Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation,” Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman,” George Costanza from “Seinfeld,” Dexter Morgan from “Dexter,” and Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy.”