Michigan State Series Preview

The 2009-10 season opens tonight with the first of two nonconference games against the Michigan State Spartans. Because Clarkson is playing the same team two straight nights there will only be one preview this weekend.

Both programs are traditionally among the nation's best, but both are coming off of disappointing 2008-09 seasons. Clarkson went 10-19-7 overall last year and Michigan State was 10-23-5.

Both also have been picked for low finishes in their respective conferences by their fellow coaches. Clarkson was picked 11th out of 12 teams in the ECAC Hockey preseason poll and Michigan State was picked ninth out of 12 teams in the CCHA preseason poll.

Stat of the Night

Clarkson is making its first appearance in East Lansing, Michigan in the 88th year of the program's history. The Spartans have played in Potsdam 11 times.

Who to Watch

Clarkson

Normally this space goes to players who have done well against a given opponent in their careers. But the Spartans have not played Clarkson for 41 years so instead I am picking two sophomore forwards who will need to have big seasons for Clarkson to do well this year: Nick Tremblay and Julien Cayer . Both entered the program with high expectations but had tough freshman years. Tremblay, a Boston Bruins draft choice, had four goals and seven assists last year. Cayer, a Detroit Red Wings draft choice, had four goals and six assists.

Michigan State

Like Clarkson, the Spartans also need to improve their scoring this season. Michigan State scored only 62 goals in 38 games last season. But an early key for Michigan State will be the play of sophomore goalie Drew Palmisano , who is replacing Jeff Lerg , who played a big part in Michigan State's 2007 national championship team. Lerg played in 32 games last year and had a .917 save percentage. Palmisano saw time in seven games and went 1-3-2 with a .898 save percentage and a 3.79 goals-against average. He played in 30 minutes and 35 seconds of Michigan State's 5-2 exhibition win over Western Ontario on Monday and stopped 13 of 14 shots.

Last Meeting

Richard Nixon had recently been elected to the presidency and man had not yet set foot on the surface of the moon the last time Clarkson played Michigan State in a hockey game. The Golden Knights, who own a 7-4-1 lifetime record against Michigan State, defeated the Spartans 3-1 in Walker Arena on Nov. 29, 1968. While Clarkson has dominated the overall series, Michigan State won the most important game, beating Clarkson 6-1 in Minneapolis in the 1966 national championship game.

Stats and Notes:Should either tonight's or Saturday's games end in a tie there will be a shootout, but the game will still count as a tie in the team's overall records. The shootout will occur because the CCHA uses shootouts during its conference games. ... Clarkson's 11th-place selection in the ECAC Hockey preseason poll is the lowest in program history. ... Michigan State fans should have a slight interest in two of Clarkson's players, who are draft picks of the Detroit Red Wings. Cayer was mentioned above, but junior defenseman Bryan Rufenach is also a Red Wings draft pick. .... Clarkson has gone 3-3 in its six season openers under coach George Roll, who has a lifetime record of 8-8-1 against CCHA opponents. ... It was mentioned above that MSU's Palmisano has to replace a standout goalie in Lerg. But it's not the first time Palmisano has had to replace Lerg as a team's starting goalie. He was also Lerg's backup with the U.S. Hockey League's Omaha Lancers before inheriting the starting job after Lerg headed to Michigan State. ... Michigan State scored one goal or less in 19 of 38 games last season. The Spartans went 1-17-1 in those contests and were 9-6-4 in their other games.

Bonus Items

In the spirit of opening night, and because I'm also a big college football fan, I will include fight songs for both of this weekend's teams. Michigan State's comes after a football defeat of Notre Dame. Clarkson does not have a fight song, but any fan who has seen a Golden Knight game will recognize the music the team hears as it skates onto the ice before every period:

Clarkson

Michigan State