Neil’s Notebook: GLI Starts Spartans’ Second Half of the Season
12/29/2018 8:54:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
DETROIT – The last time Michigan State played Lake Superior State in the Great Lakes Invitational things didn't work out so well for the Spartans.
The Lakers blanked MSU, 5-0, in the GLI semifinals on Dec. 27, 1996, at Joe Louis Arena. That was the only time the two teams have played in the annual tournament in Detroit.
The Spartans are hoping for a much different result in this year's GLI, but revenge isn't much of a factor here since that game was 22 years ago. What's motivating Michigan State players is to get to the championship game, have a chance at a title, and build momentum for the second half of the season.
Michigan State (6-9-1 overall, 2-5-1-1 Big Ten) faces Lake Superior State (9-6-1, 6-5-1 WCHA) at 4 p.m. Sunday in the second GLI semifinal at Little Caesars Arena. In the first game, Michigan Tech (10-7-1, 9-2-1 WCHA) plays Michigan (6-7-4, 2-4-4-2 Big Ten) at 1 p.m.
The third-place game and championship are set for 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, on Monday.
"It's a great tournament to be part of, and it sets us up for the second half of the year,'' junior left wing Taro Hirose said. "Little Caesars is awesome. The atmosphere there is great. The (third-place) game against Michigan last year had one of the best crowds I've been a part of – with the 'Go Greens, Go Whites.' It was an exciting game to be a part of.''
The Spartans are seeking their first GLI title since 2009 when they routed Rensselaer, 6-1. In Hirose's two GLIs, MSU is 0-4. In last season's GLI third-place game, Michigan topped the Spartans, 6-4.
"We haven't had much success there but every game counts if you want to play a real meaningful game the second day,'' Hirose said. "We know that first game with Lake State is going to be a tough one. They're a good team.''
Of the four teams in the 54th annual GLI, Lake Superior has the highest PairWise Ranking. The Lakers are No. 21, Michigan Tech is 23, Michigan 28th and MSU 31st.
"They're a good team and have beaten some good teams,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of the Lakers. "They play hard, have good balance with their first two or three lines. We're going to have to do the same things that we always have to do to have success.
"We have to be solid throughout our lineup, make good decisions through the neutral zone and put some pucks on net. It's a good challenge for us,'' Hirose believes better defense and puck movement will lead to more offense and boost the Spartans chances of winning in the last three months of the season.
"We have to defend better in the defensive zone, maybe not get stuck in our one as much and break the puck out quicker,'' he said. "That will open up more opportunities for our offense for sure.
"Obviously, we want to score more goals but it's not just shooting the puck or making plays in the offensive zone. It starts in the defensive one, making plays and coming out of the neutral zone clean. These are things we can improve on and we're working on it in practice.''
Lake Superior State started the season with a five-game winning streak, including sweeps at Merrimack and Alabama Huntsville and a 5-2 win at Michigan.
The Lakers are 5-1 on the road. They won 5-0 at Bowling Green in mid-November, and after losing four of five games, LSSU swept Alaska, 4-1 and 4-2, in Fairbanks in their last series, Dec. 7-8.
One day after Michigan State defeated the U.S. U-18 team, 1-0, in an exhibition game, the Lakers topped the U-18s, 7-3, in Plymouth.
MSU and LSSU have played seven times in the last three seasons with the Spartans holding a 4-3 edge. Michigan State won both games last season, 4-3 and 6-0, at Munn Arena. But in 2016-17, the Lakers swept the series in Sault Ste. Marie, 6-1, 7-3, to start the season.
In 2015-16, MSU topped the Lakers 4-1 in the IceBreaker Tournament in Portland, Maine. The teams played two weeks later in a non-conference series at Munn Arena with LSSU winning the opener, 4-2, and the Spartans taking the second game, 2-0.
"They're a big, physical team and have some coaches who played at Michigan State so they'll want to win the game badly, and we have to bring a high compete level,'' said senior right wing Cody Milan. "We're focusing on the first game and getting off to a good start. We have to play well in that first game.''
LSSU head coach Damon Whitten and assistants Mike York and Zach Cisek are former Spartans and graduated from MSU.
Whitten, who's in his fifth season at Lake Superior State, played forward for the Spartans from 1997-2001, and served as director operations at MSU from 2008-2010. Whitten and York were teammates for two seasons (1997-99).
York, who joined the LSSU staff in 2017, is tied for 12th among MSU's all-time scorers with 202 points (79-122) from 1996-1999. He spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach at MSU while finishing up his degree before joining the Lakers. York played eight seasons in the NHL and seven seasons in Germany.
Cisek joined LSSU's coaching staff in August after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Notre Dame last season. He also spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Miami University. Cisek served as MSU's No. 3 goalie from 2013-15.
"We loved Yorkie. He was here for a little bit and he's a good guy and a great coach,'' Milan said. "It'll be weird looking over at their bench and seeing him. He was here (with LSSU) last year and that was fun. It's always good to see him but we want to beat him.''
Cole said he's very familiar with the Spartan graduates running the Lakers' program.
"I know Yorkie and Damon really well and I got to know Zach Cisek, especially when he was at Notre Dame,'' the second-year MSU coach said. "They're good Spartans and that makes them want to win this game even more. We know they'll be prepared and looking forward to playing us.''
GLI A SPECIAL EVENT: Danton Cole loved playing in the GLI and now he loves coaching in the annual tournament in Detroit.
"It was a really big thing. We always had about seven guys from the Detroit area and we all grew up watching it and we wanted to be a part of it,'' he said. "Coach (Ron) Mason always circled the GLI as a way to set the tone for the second half of the season.''
Cole played in four GLIs from 1985-88 and his Spartan teams were 5-3 with one title, one runner-up finish, and two third-place victories. Cole won the GLI as a freshman in 1985 when MSU defeated Michigan Tech 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals and then topped defending NCAA champion Rensselaer 8-1.
In 1986, the Spartans lost to Western Michigan, 7-3, before rolling past Michigan Tech, 9-0, in the third-place game. As a junior, Cole's team defeated Michigan Tech 5-2 but lost in the title game to Wisconsin, 4-3.
As a senior in 1988, MSU lost to North Dakota, 7-3, in the semifinals but cruised past Michigan Tech, 7-1, in the third-place game.
"I like it. It's great for Michigan State, Michigan and Michigan to have it on the schedule every year,'' Cole said of the GLI. It's a good showcase in the city of Detroit, a good hockey hub. Lots of kids are playing in the area and have a good opportunity to see it.
"It's a great avenue for us to display our game. There's a lot of excitement and we get to play teams we normally don't play.''
THE MSU-LSSU RIVALRY: The Spartans hold a 73-37-14 edge in the series that started with an 8-1 MSU victory on Dec. 19, 1980, in Sault Ste. Marie. In the last 15 games, MSU is 7-6-2 against the Lakers.
From December, 1986, to February, 1989, Lake Superior went 8-3-1 against the Spartans. But Michigan State dominated the series from February, 1997, to January, 2008, with a 29-2-2 edge.
The teams met in one NCAA Frozen Four. In 1992, Lake Superior topped MSU, 4-2, in a NCAA semifinal in Albany, N.Y. The Lakers went on to defeat Wisconsin to capture the national championship.
SCOUTING THE LAKERS: LSSU's top six scorers include three seniors, two juniors and a freshman. Seniors Anthony Nellis (10-8-18) and Diego Cuglietta (9-6-15) are the top two scorers, followed by juniors Brayden Gelsinger (6-7-13) and Collin Saccoman (7-5-12), a defenseman, and senior Gage Torrel (2-10-12) and freshman Jacob Nordqvist (2-10-12).
In goal, senior Nick Kossoff has a 7-3-1 record with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .915 saves percentage. Sophomore Marek Mitens is 2-4 with a 2.70 GAA and a .900 saves percentage. Mitens is a former junior teammate of MSU sophomore forward Gianluca Esteves with the Aston (Pa.) Rebels of the North American Hockey League. Mitens is from Ventspils, Latvia.
Lake Superior State's roster is made of players from all over the world – United States, Canada, Sweden, Latvia, Slovakia, Germany and Japan. There's 12 Canadians, 10 Americans (including two from Sault Ste. Marie), three from Sweden, and one each from Latvia, Slovakia, Germany and Japan.
The Lakers are averaging 3.06 goals per game, which is tied with Michigan Tech for 21st in the nation, and is allowing 2.56 goals a game, also tied with Michigan Tech and ranking No. 24 nationally.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Michigan Tech is 5-2-1 since Thanksgiving and split its last series, at home against Alabama-Huntsville, losing 1-0 in the opener and winning the second game, 2-1 in overtime. The Huskies are 10-7-2 overall and in first place in the WCHA with a 9-2-1 record. After starting the season with two home losses against Minnesota-Duluth, Michigan Tech played eight-straight road games and went 5-3. The Huskies have played seven of their last eight games at home. Senior left wing Jake Lucchini is the team's top scorer with six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 18 games. Tech has played three goaltenders in 18 games. Matt Jurusik, a junior who transferred from Wisconsin, is 6-3-0 with a 2.86 GAA and a .895 saves percentage. Sophomore Robbie Beydoun is 3-1-0, with a 0.78 GAA and a .960 saves percentage, while senior Devin Kero is 1-3-1, 2.76 GAA and a .902 saves percentage. Despite Michigan Tech's recent resurgence, it has only won one GLI title in the last six years. The Huskies ended a 31-year title drought when they captured the GLI championship in 2012, defeating Michigan 4-0 in the semifinals and Western Michigan 4-0 in the title game. Still, Tech has reached the final in four of the last five years.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Michigan is missing its two best players – sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes and sophomore center Josh Norris – who are playing for the U.S. Junior Team in the World Junior Championships in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. Hughes (3-17-20) leads U-M in scoring while Norris (10-9-19) is second. The Wolverines (6-7-4 overall, 2-4-4 Big Ten) will look to three juniors to provide offense – Will Lockwood (5-10-15), Nick Pastujov (9-4-13) and Jake Slaker (7-6-13). Michigan is winless in its last seven games at 0-3-4. In its last series, U-M tied Minnesota, 2-2, and lost 4-3 at Yost Arena on Dec. 7-8. After scoring 12 goals at Penn State – in a 6-4 win and 7-6 loss in overtime, the Wolverines have scored only 12 goals in its last six games. But overall, Michigan is the highest-scoring team in the GLI, averaging 3.12 goals per game (19th nationally). However, the Wolverines are fourth among the teams in goals against. They're allowing 3.29 goals against, which is 47th in the nation.
GLI HISTORY: Michigan State ranks second in GLI titles with 12, while Michigan is first with 17, and Michigan Tech is third with 10. Nine of the Huskies' championships came in the first 16 years of the tournament, which started in December, 1965. Lake Superior State is making its fourth appearance in the GLI and has never won a title. The Lakers competed in 1977, 1996 and 1999. They lost in the semifinals in 1977 and 1999 and advanced to the finals in 1996 when they blanked Michigan State, 5-0, before losing to Michigan, 5-4, in the title game.
Michigan State won four GLI titles in a row from 1982-85 and again from 1997-2000. Michigan Tech won five consecutive championships from 1976-80, and then didn't win again until 2012. Michigan holds the record for consecutive titles with nine from 1988-1996.
Thirteen Spartans have won the GLI Most Valuable Player Award: Forward Bill Watt (1968, when MSU finished third); forward Tom Ross (1973); forward Dale Krentz (1982); defenseman Dan McFall (1983); goalie Bob Essensa (1984); defenseman Don McSween (1985); defenseman Mike Weaver (1997); goalie Mike Gresl (1998); forward Shawn Horcoff (1999); goalie Ryan Miller (2000); forward Jim Slater (2004); forward Bryan Lerg (2006), and forward Brett Perlini (2009).
In the 53-year history of the GLI, 14 games have been played at Olympia Stadium (1965-1978), 37 at Joe Louis Arena (1979-2012, 2014-16), one outside at Comerica Park (2013), and last year was the first GLI at Little Caesars Arena. Bowling Green in 2017 won its first GLI championship with a 4-1 victory over Michigan Tech.
IN THE BIG TEN: Two Big Ten teams ended their holiday breaks on Friday with victories in the first game of non-conference series. Minnesota trailed Ferris State, 3-2, after the first period but rallied with two goals in the second period and one in the third to earn a 5-3 victory in Minneapolis. No. 5/7 Ohio State edged Mercyhurst 3-1 in Columbus. The Gophers and Buckeyes conclude their respective series on Saturday.
Meanwhile, No. 6 Notre Dame plays host to Boston College on Monday afternoon.
Wisconsin, which has been off since playing MSU, Dec. 7-8, has this weekend off, and doesn't play again until Jan. 4-5 at home against Denver. Penn State is also idle this weekend. The Nittany Lions played Princeton on Dec. 15 and the teams tied, 4-4.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
DETROIT – The last time Michigan State played Lake Superior State in the Great Lakes Invitational things didn't work out so well for the Spartans.
The Lakers blanked MSU, 5-0, in the GLI semifinals on Dec. 27, 1996, at Joe Louis Arena. That was the only time the two teams have played in the annual tournament in Detroit.
The Spartans are hoping for a much different result in this year's GLI, but revenge isn't much of a factor here since that game was 22 years ago. What's motivating Michigan State players is to get to the championship game, have a chance at a title, and build momentum for the second half of the season.
Michigan State (6-9-1 overall, 2-5-1-1 Big Ten) faces Lake Superior State (9-6-1, 6-5-1 WCHA) at 4 p.m. Sunday in the second GLI semifinal at Little Caesars Arena. In the first game, Michigan Tech (10-7-1, 9-2-1 WCHA) plays Michigan (6-7-4, 2-4-4-2 Big Ten) at 1 p.m.
The third-place game and championship are set for 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, on Monday.
"It's a great tournament to be part of, and it sets us up for the second half of the year,'' junior left wing Taro Hirose said. "Little Caesars is awesome. The atmosphere there is great. The (third-place) game against Michigan last year had one of the best crowds I've been a part of – with the 'Go Greens, Go Whites.' It was an exciting game to be a part of.''
The Spartans are seeking their first GLI title since 2009 when they routed Rensselaer, 6-1. In Hirose's two GLIs, MSU is 0-4. In last season's GLI third-place game, Michigan topped the Spartans, 6-4.
"We haven't had much success there but every game counts if you want to play a real meaningful game the second day,'' Hirose said. "We know that first game with Lake State is going to be a tough one. They're a good team.''
Of the four teams in the 54th annual GLI, Lake Superior has the highest PairWise Ranking. The Lakers are No. 21, Michigan Tech is 23, Michigan 28th and MSU 31st.
"They're a good team and have beaten some good teams,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of the Lakers. "They play hard, have good balance with their first two or three lines. We're going to have to do the same things that we always have to do to have success.
"We have to be solid throughout our lineup, make good decisions through the neutral zone and put some pucks on net. It's a good challenge for us,'' Hirose believes better defense and puck movement will lead to more offense and boost the Spartans chances of winning in the last three months of the season.
"We have to defend better in the defensive zone, maybe not get stuck in our one as much and break the puck out quicker,'' he said. "That will open up more opportunities for our offense for sure.
"Obviously, we want to score more goals but it's not just shooting the puck or making plays in the offensive zone. It starts in the defensive one, making plays and coming out of the neutral zone clean. These are things we can improve on and we're working on it in practice.''
Lake Superior State started the season with a five-game winning streak, including sweeps at Merrimack and Alabama Huntsville and a 5-2 win at Michigan.
The Lakers are 5-1 on the road. They won 5-0 at Bowling Green in mid-November, and after losing four of five games, LSSU swept Alaska, 4-1 and 4-2, in Fairbanks in their last series, Dec. 7-8.
One day after Michigan State defeated the U.S. U-18 team, 1-0, in an exhibition game, the Lakers topped the U-18s, 7-3, in Plymouth.
MSU and LSSU have played seven times in the last three seasons with the Spartans holding a 4-3 edge. Michigan State won both games last season, 4-3 and 6-0, at Munn Arena. But in 2016-17, the Lakers swept the series in Sault Ste. Marie, 6-1, 7-3, to start the season.
In 2015-16, MSU topped the Lakers 4-1 in the IceBreaker Tournament in Portland, Maine. The teams played two weeks later in a non-conference series at Munn Arena with LSSU winning the opener, 4-2, and the Spartans taking the second game, 2-0.
"They're a big, physical team and have some coaches who played at Michigan State so they'll want to win the game badly, and we have to bring a high compete level,'' said senior right wing Cody Milan. "We're focusing on the first game and getting off to a good start. We have to play well in that first game.''
LSSU head coach Damon Whitten and assistants Mike York and Zach Cisek are former Spartans and graduated from MSU.
Whitten, who's in his fifth season at Lake Superior State, played forward for the Spartans from 1997-2001, and served as director operations at MSU from 2008-2010. Whitten and York were teammates for two seasons (1997-99).
York, who joined the LSSU staff in 2017, is tied for 12th among MSU's all-time scorers with 202 points (79-122) from 1996-1999. He spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach at MSU while finishing up his degree before joining the Lakers. York played eight seasons in the NHL and seven seasons in Germany.
Cisek joined LSSU's coaching staff in August after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Notre Dame last season. He also spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Miami University. Cisek served as MSU's No. 3 goalie from 2013-15.
"We loved Yorkie. He was here for a little bit and he's a good guy and a great coach,'' Milan said. "It'll be weird looking over at their bench and seeing him. He was here (with LSSU) last year and that was fun. It's always good to see him but we want to beat him.''
Cole said he's very familiar with the Spartan graduates running the Lakers' program.
"I know Yorkie and Damon really well and I got to know Zach Cisek, especially when he was at Notre Dame,'' the second-year MSU coach said. "They're good Spartans and that makes them want to win this game even more. We know they'll be prepared and looking forward to playing us.''
GLI A SPECIAL EVENT: Danton Cole loved playing in the GLI and now he loves coaching in the annual tournament in Detroit.
"It was a really big thing. We always had about seven guys from the Detroit area and we all grew up watching it and we wanted to be a part of it,'' he said. "Coach (Ron) Mason always circled the GLI as a way to set the tone for the second half of the season.''
Cole played in four GLIs from 1985-88 and his Spartan teams were 5-3 with one title, one runner-up finish, and two third-place victories. Cole won the GLI as a freshman in 1985 when MSU defeated Michigan Tech 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals and then topped defending NCAA champion Rensselaer 8-1.
In 1986, the Spartans lost to Western Michigan, 7-3, before rolling past Michigan Tech, 9-0, in the third-place game. As a junior, Cole's team defeated Michigan Tech 5-2 but lost in the title game to Wisconsin, 4-3.
As a senior in 1988, MSU lost to North Dakota, 7-3, in the semifinals but cruised past Michigan Tech, 7-1, in the third-place game.
"I like it. It's great for Michigan State, Michigan and Michigan to have it on the schedule every year,'' Cole said of the GLI. It's a good showcase in the city of Detroit, a good hockey hub. Lots of kids are playing in the area and have a good opportunity to see it.
"It's a great avenue for us to display our game. There's a lot of excitement and we get to play teams we normally don't play.''
THE MSU-LSSU RIVALRY: The Spartans hold a 73-37-14 edge in the series that started with an 8-1 MSU victory on Dec. 19, 1980, in Sault Ste. Marie. In the last 15 games, MSU is 7-6-2 against the Lakers.
From December, 1986, to February, 1989, Lake Superior went 8-3-1 against the Spartans. But Michigan State dominated the series from February, 1997, to January, 2008, with a 29-2-2 edge.
The teams met in one NCAA Frozen Four. In 1992, Lake Superior topped MSU, 4-2, in a NCAA semifinal in Albany, N.Y. The Lakers went on to defeat Wisconsin to capture the national championship.
SCOUTING THE LAKERS: LSSU's top six scorers include three seniors, two juniors and a freshman. Seniors Anthony Nellis (10-8-18) and Diego Cuglietta (9-6-15) are the top two scorers, followed by juniors Brayden Gelsinger (6-7-13) and Collin Saccoman (7-5-12), a defenseman, and senior Gage Torrel (2-10-12) and freshman Jacob Nordqvist (2-10-12).
In goal, senior Nick Kossoff has a 7-3-1 record with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .915 saves percentage. Sophomore Marek Mitens is 2-4 with a 2.70 GAA and a .900 saves percentage. Mitens is a former junior teammate of MSU sophomore forward Gianluca Esteves with the Aston (Pa.) Rebels of the North American Hockey League. Mitens is from Ventspils, Latvia.
Lake Superior State's roster is made of players from all over the world – United States, Canada, Sweden, Latvia, Slovakia, Germany and Japan. There's 12 Canadians, 10 Americans (including two from Sault Ste. Marie), three from Sweden, and one each from Latvia, Slovakia, Germany and Japan.
The Lakers are averaging 3.06 goals per game, which is tied with Michigan Tech for 21st in the nation, and is allowing 2.56 goals a game, also tied with Michigan Tech and ranking No. 24 nationally.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Michigan Tech is 5-2-1 since Thanksgiving and split its last series, at home against Alabama-Huntsville, losing 1-0 in the opener and winning the second game, 2-1 in overtime. The Huskies are 10-7-2 overall and in first place in the WCHA with a 9-2-1 record. After starting the season with two home losses against Minnesota-Duluth, Michigan Tech played eight-straight road games and went 5-3. The Huskies have played seven of their last eight games at home. Senior left wing Jake Lucchini is the team's top scorer with six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 18 games. Tech has played three goaltenders in 18 games. Matt Jurusik, a junior who transferred from Wisconsin, is 6-3-0 with a 2.86 GAA and a .895 saves percentage. Sophomore Robbie Beydoun is 3-1-0, with a 0.78 GAA and a .960 saves percentage, while senior Devin Kero is 1-3-1, 2.76 GAA and a .902 saves percentage. Despite Michigan Tech's recent resurgence, it has only won one GLI title in the last six years. The Huskies ended a 31-year title drought when they captured the GLI championship in 2012, defeating Michigan 4-0 in the semifinals and Western Michigan 4-0 in the title game. Still, Tech has reached the final in four of the last five years.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Michigan is missing its two best players – sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes and sophomore center Josh Norris – who are playing for the U.S. Junior Team in the World Junior Championships in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. Hughes (3-17-20) leads U-M in scoring while Norris (10-9-19) is second. The Wolverines (6-7-4 overall, 2-4-4 Big Ten) will look to three juniors to provide offense – Will Lockwood (5-10-15), Nick Pastujov (9-4-13) and Jake Slaker (7-6-13). Michigan is winless in its last seven games at 0-3-4. In its last series, U-M tied Minnesota, 2-2, and lost 4-3 at Yost Arena on Dec. 7-8. After scoring 12 goals at Penn State – in a 6-4 win and 7-6 loss in overtime, the Wolverines have scored only 12 goals in its last six games. But overall, Michigan is the highest-scoring team in the GLI, averaging 3.12 goals per game (19th nationally). However, the Wolverines are fourth among the teams in goals against. They're allowing 3.29 goals against, which is 47th in the nation.
GLI HISTORY: Michigan State ranks second in GLI titles with 12, while Michigan is first with 17, and Michigan Tech is third with 10. Nine of the Huskies' championships came in the first 16 years of the tournament, which started in December, 1965. Lake Superior State is making its fourth appearance in the GLI and has never won a title. The Lakers competed in 1977, 1996 and 1999. They lost in the semifinals in 1977 and 1999 and advanced to the finals in 1996 when they blanked Michigan State, 5-0, before losing to Michigan, 5-4, in the title game.
Michigan State won four GLI titles in a row from 1982-85 and again from 1997-2000. Michigan Tech won five consecutive championships from 1976-80, and then didn't win again until 2012. Michigan holds the record for consecutive titles with nine from 1988-1996.
Thirteen Spartans have won the GLI Most Valuable Player Award: Forward Bill Watt (1968, when MSU finished third); forward Tom Ross (1973); forward Dale Krentz (1982); defenseman Dan McFall (1983); goalie Bob Essensa (1984); defenseman Don McSween (1985); defenseman Mike Weaver (1997); goalie Mike Gresl (1998); forward Shawn Horcoff (1999); goalie Ryan Miller (2000); forward Jim Slater (2004); forward Bryan Lerg (2006), and forward Brett Perlini (2009).
In the 53-year history of the GLI, 14 games have been played at Olympia Stadium (1965-1978), 37 at Joe Louis Arena (1979-2012, 2014-16), one outside at Comerica Park (2013), and last year was the first GLI at Little Caesars Arena. Bowling Green in 2017 won its first GLI championship with a 4-1 victory over Michigan Tech.
IN THE BIG TEN: Two Big Ten teams ended their holiday breaks on Friday with victories in the first game of non-conference series. Minnesota trailed Ferris State, 3-2, after the first period but rallied with two goals in the second period and one in the third to earn a 5-3 victory in Minneapolis. No. 5/7 Ohio State edged Mercyhurst 3-1 in Columbus. The Gophers and Buckeyes conclude their respective series on Saturday.
Meanwhile, No. 6 Notre Dame plays host to Boston College on Monday afternoon.
Wisconsin, which has been off since playing MSU, Dec. 7-8, has this weekend off, and doesn't play again until Jan. 4-5 at home against Denver. Penn State is also idle this weekend. The Nittany Lions played Princeton on Dec. 15 and the teams tied, 4-4.
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