Saturday, 8 January 1994 at Kent MSU 3 1 5 - 9 Kent 3 3 0 - 6 First period- 1, MSU, Fleming 1 (unassisted) 6:40 2, MSU, Carter 14 (Guolla, Murray) pp 7:42 3, Kent, McPherson 6 (Morin, Sylvester) pp 9:28 4, MSU, Murray 7 (Ferranti) 9:54 5, Kent, Sylvester 14 (Morin, Dartsch) 19:03 6, Kent, Thornbury 5 (Sabo, Muldoon) 19:44 Penalties- Suk, MSU (rough) 6:58 Mischke, Kent (rough) 6:58 Dartsch, Kent (rough) 7:28 Wiegand, MSU (cross checking) 8:17 Tuzzolino, MSU (interference) 11:13 Second period- 7, MSU, Carter 15 (Murray) pp 1:49 8, Kent, Morin 13 (Gunderson) 13:57 9, Kent, Sabo 3 (Sylvester) pp 16:32 10, Kent, Dartsch 8 (Sylvester) 19:49 Penalties- Sabo, Kent (hook) 1:06 Fair, Kent (elbow, 10-minute misconduct) 9:29 Tuzzolino, MSU (cross checking) 16:04 Vanstaalduinen, MSU (high stick, rough) 19:02 Fair, Kent (high stick, rough) 19:02 Ferranti, MSU (rough) 19:02 Third period- 11, MSU, Harper 7 (Carter) 3:42 12, MSU, Harper 8 (unassisted) 6:32 13, MSU, Harper 9 (Ferranti, Murray) pp 8:27 14, MSU, Worden 2 (Turner, Ware) 13:31 15, MSU, Carter 16 (Harper, Guolla) 15:57 Penalties- Fair, Kent (hold) 6:55 Sabo, Kent (10-minute misconduct) 15:57 Burkett, MSU (rough) 19:28 Krosky, Kent (elbow, rough) 19:28 Suk, MSU (rough) 19:28 Goaltender saves- MSU, Buzak 9-8-8--25 Kruse (16:32 2nd period) x-6-x--6 Kent, Shaw 8-11-13--32 Power Plays- MSU 3-4, Kent 2-3 Referees- Shell, Cline Linesman- Haneburg A- 804 ANALYSIS- Uncharacteristically poor Spartan defense in this game. However, what has previously been a virtually non-existant Saprtan offense came alive, especially in the third period. Kelly Harper, who has been somewhat quiet in the last month, scored his first career hat trick with three goals within a 4:45 span of the third period to pull the Spartans from a 6-4 deficit to a 7-6 lead midway through the third. In addition, Anson Carter added a hat trick as the Wexford line (Carter, Harper, Guolla) scored 10 points (6g, 4a) in the Spartan victory. For the first time this season, Ron Mason lifted Mike Buzak late in the second after Sabo scored on the power play to give Kent a 5-4 lead. Asked after the game why he put Buzak back in to begin the third, Mason responded that he felt that the style of play that the Spartans would need to play in the third favored Buzak over Kruse. With the victory and Lake Superior's 5-2 loss to Michigan and Bowling Green's 6-3 loss at Illinois-Chicago, the Spartans now have a 3-point lead on both the Lakers and the Falcons, while still not gaining any ground on the first-place Wolverines. The awakening of the offense appears to have come at the right time, since the Spartans' next four games are 15 Jan at home vs. BG, 21-22 Jan in a home-and home against Michigan, and 28 Jan at BG. A stretch that easily could make or break MSU's season and determine whether the Spartans will return to the NC$$ tournament after a year's absence. G. M. Finniss Michigan State University