Spartans Draw New Hampshire in NCAA
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State, the 2006 CCHA Champion, has earned a #1 seed in the East Region in the NCAA Tournament, and will face Hockey East entry New Hampshire in the first round on Saturday at noon in Albany, NY. The winner advances to Sunday's regional final (2 p.m.) to face either
Harvard or Maine.
"It so fulfilling to see a smile on everyone's face," beamed head coach Rick Comley, who gathered with his team, media, and fans in East Lansing to watch the selection show on ESPN on Sunday morning, just over 12 hours after defeating Miami, 2-1, in the CCHA Championship in Detroit.
"The nice thing is that we don't need to change much, or need to depend on one or two guys to have a great weekend. We've already been through a lot this year, and been in a lot of tough games - I think our strength is in our locker room, where we have good leadership and guys who play hard for one another."
New Hampshire, 20-12- 7, finished fourth in Hockey East during the regular season (14-7-6), and lost to eventual tournament champion Boston University (9-2) in the semifinals. The Wildcats are making their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, and lost to eventual National Champion Denver in last year's Northeast Regional Final.
The last time these two teams met was Dec. 29, 2004, a 4-3 win for Michigan State in overtime in the first round of the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament in Detroit. The schools have met three times in NCAA Tournament play, with New Hampshire owning a 3-0 all-time mark vs. the Spartans in the national tournament. The last postseason meeting was a 5-3 UNH win on April 1, 1999, in the NCAA semifinal at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, Calif. The two teams teams first met in the tournament in 1982, with UNH winning the quarterfinal series, 3-2 on March 19 and 6-2 on March 20 at Snively Arena.
The last time the two teams met was Dec. 29, 2004, a 4-3 win for Michigan State in overtime in the first round of the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament in Detroit, Michigan at Joe Louis Arena. The Wildcats own a 3-0 all-time mark vs. Michigan State in NCAA Tournament, the last meeting was a 5-3 UNH win on April 1, 1999, in the NCAA semifinal at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, Calif. The two teams teams first met in the tournament in 1982, with UNH winning the quarterfinal series, 3-2 on March 19 and 6-2 on March 20 at Snively Arena.
MSU makes its 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and first since 2004. The Spartans captured National Championships in 1966 and 1986, and last advanced to the Frozen Four in 2001. All-time, MSU is 23-27-1 in NCAA Tournament Play.
TICKETS: Michigan State receives a limited allotment of tickets from the NCAA for its travel party and fan base. Tickets are priced at $72 for all-session tickets (both Saturday games, and Sunday's regional final). MSU's allotment will first be made available to Ralph Young Fund donors, season ticket holders, and MSU students. Those making requests for tickets through the MSU ticket office will be contacted by Tuesday regarding the status of your order.
Tickets are available, however, immediately through Albany's Pepsi Arena box office at 518-487-2000. The regional is not sold out, so MSU fans who are interested in securing tickets immediately can do so directly through the host venue.