The Michigan State Spartans now enter a point in the season where 4 games in
8 days could quickly decide what kind of chance MSU has at what appears to be
a possible Final Four berth this year (I know, I know, wishful thinking this
early in the season usually comes back to haunt you later, but...).
 
The Spartans begin the stretch tonight at home versus the defending national
champions, the Lake Superior State Lakers.  How even has this series been?  In
the last 24 meetings, the two teams are 10-10-4.  The Lakers got the better of
the Spartans last year 2-1-1, including two rather embarrassing losses by MSU,
11-1 at Sault Ste. Marie and 4-0 in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena in
Detroit.  The Lakers' last trip to Munn Ice Arena was quite pleasant for them,
with a 6-5 OT win over Northeastern and a 5-4 OT win over Michigan in the first
two rounds of the NCAA West Regional.  The last time the Lakers faced the
Spartans on the banks of the Red Cedar, MSU skated away with a 6-4 victory, on
the strength of 4 goals by MSU center Anson Carter.
 
The Lakers enter tonight's game with some question marks, particularly between
the pipes.  Last year's All-Universe goaltender Blaine Lacher, who was vir-
tually untouchable down the stretch in March of last year, has graduated.
Lacher's backup last year, Paul Sass, has supposedly left the team, leaving
only sophomore Sean Kulick and freshman John Grahame.  But, as usual, the
system of Jeff Jackson rolls on.  Jackson returns key players like the Talliare
brothers, Wayne Strachan, Mike Morin, and Rob Valicevic.  Don't start crying
for the defending champions yet.
 
The Spartans counter with one of their more balanced teams in a while.  MSU
has seen some huge production come from its all-frosh line of Keyes, Berens,
and Watt, and has added Kent transfer Dean Sylvester to strengthen its second
line with Murray and Suk.  The Spartans' offense struggled in a recent road
trip to Kalamazoo and Chicago, and goaltender Mike Buzak, who has been CCHA
defensive player of the week two weeks running, had to face an inordinately
large number of shots in the 3-point weekend.  The defense is still a little
wet behind the ears but will get thrown into the fire during this stretch.
 
Following Lake Superior comes Ohio State.  The Buckeyes have opened the 1994-
95 campaign in a rather dismal fashion, starting 1-5 and 0-3 in the CCHA,
heading into tonight's contest against Michigan in Ann Arbor.  The last time
the Buckeyes came to East Lansing on Jan. 29, 1994, they skated away with their
first-ever victory in Munn Arena, 5-4.  The Spartans will have to avoid the
letdown after what should be a very physical battle with Lake Superior.
 
A short rest leads to a Wednesday night tilt next week against a team that MSU
should be familiar with, the Bowling Green Falcons.  BGSU has started the
season off on a roll after the 6-3 loss to MSU on October 15 to go 5-0 in
conference and take the early CCHA lead.  Fortunately for the Falcons, they
have the week off before heading to East Lansing to face the Green and White.
 
To end the 4-game, 8-day stretch, the Spartans take only their second road trip
of the year when they head to Yost Arena in Ann Arbor to take on the team
Spartan fans love to hate, the Michigan Wolverines.  The Maize and Blue have
seemed a bit schizoid to start the season, splitting a non-conference series
with Colorado College two weeks ago followed by a trip to Big Rapids and a
split with Ferris State.  Prior to the MSU game, Wolverine fans also get a
chance to see last year's champions when Lake Superior visits Ann Arbor tomor-
row night.  The Michigan faithful will hope for a repeat of last year's regular
season performance against the Lakers, when UM swept LSSU for the first time,
and not a repeat of the debacle in East Lansing.
 
The stretch should show whether MSU is as good as the preseason hype has sug-
gested, which finds the Spartans either third or fourth in the nation in the
latest polls.  Even if the Spartans manage to do well in the 4-game period,
they won't have much time to rest on their laurels.  For around the corner is
Thanksgiving, and the trip to St. Paul to play Wisconsin and Minnesota, pre-
ceded by a two-game series with CCHA affiliate Alaska-Fairbanks, whose last
trip to Munn Arena yielded two wins.
 
G. M. Finniss
Michigan State University 3-0-1, 4-0-1
WVU '87, UTenn '92, MSU who the hell knows when?
 
BTW, for those of you who keep track of such things, first recorded snowfall in
Lansing was on November 1.  It's hockey time in mid-Michigan.