Spartans preparing to dive into Big Ten play
By Alyssa Girardi –
EAST LANSING — During the MSU hockey team’s winter break following the Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park, head coach Tom Anastos joined the green and white masses invading Pasadena, Calif., for the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
After a shaky start to the season, the Spartan football team earned its first Rose Bowl championship in 26 years, and Anastos said the experience for him was awe-inspiring. Football appeared to be the only thing on fans’ minds, but while in Pasadena, Anastos was approached by strangers offering congratulations for a recent MSU hockey win.
Days before the Rose Bowl, the Spartans (6-9-2, 0-1-1 B1G) took on rival Michigan (10-4-2, 2-0-0 B1G) in the consolation game of the 49th annual GLI. MSU was the apparent underdog, taking on the No. 3-ranked team in the country, but the Spartans held the Wolverines scoreless in a 3-0 win and handed Michigan its first shutout in a day shy of a year.
“I always say that anytime we have that rivalry game, even though the game counts the same, it means more,” Anastos said. “I think everybody around it, on both sides of it, pay more attention to it.”
In the first game of the GLI, the Spartans went to a shootout with Michigan Tech after a 2-2 tie, but fell in five rounds.
The tournament was another boost of positive momentum to push MSU into the meat of Big Ten hockey season. In addition to the GLI shootout loss and win, MSU tied No. 1 Minnesota and beat them in a shootout Dec. 6, then stayed within one goal in a 3-2 loss the following night.
In the next nine weeks, MSU will see Big Ten opponents Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin before the inaugural Big Ten Tournament on March 20-22 in Saint Paul, Minn. The stretch kicks off against Ohio State in Columbus this Friday and Saturday.
“Really, the season starts now,” said Jake Chelios, a senior defenseman from Bloomfield Hills. “We’ve been looking forward to it all year; now it’s time to start getting points. I think this is the biggest weekend of the year for us because now we gotta climb. There’s only six teams, so every game counts.”
Berry’s back
Junior forward Matt Berry (Canton) scored a goal in each GLI game in only his fourth and fifth appearances after missing the beginning of the season with a lower-body injury.
After his first-ever major injury, he said he’s struggling to return to 100 percent but his GLI performance was a positive step toward him getting back to the point production he contributed last season. As a sophomore, Berry led the team in scoring (15), assists (16) and points (31).
“The Great Lakes was definitely a boost, getting a couple goals definitely helped my confidence too,” he said. “I just feel better knowing I have a couple points already and I don’t have to worry about getting my first goal or anything like that anymore.”
He lined up with sophomore Matt DeBlouw (Chesterfield) and junior Brent Darnell in the first GLI game, and sophomore Michael Ferrantino (Plymouth) and freshman Joe Cox (Chelsea) the second game.
Bondra out for season
Anastos announced sophomore forward David Bondra had shoulder surgery during break and will be out the remainder of the season. He said Bondra qualifies for a redshirt.
He also suffered an injury on his other shoulder last season, and Anastos joked he’s out of shoulders and hopefully shouldn’t need any more repairs in the future.
Bondra scored one goal in five games this season.