by Lance Callihan
12. March 2010 04:40
 | Previous Match-Ups:
Jan. 30: Michigan 5-4
Jan. 29: MSU 3-2
Nov. 14: MSU 3-2
Nov. 13: MSU 2-0 |  |
Best-of-Three CCHA Tournament Playoff Series
When: Friday-Sunday @ 7:05 P.M.
Where: Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing
TV: Fri/Sat – Comcast (Channel 900) … Sun – TBD
U of M Coach Red Berenson (AnnArbor.com): “We have to get off to a good start Friday if we want to put some pressure on them. I think there’s always more pressure on the home team, but if we could go in there and take the first game, the pressure will just multiply. If we could go in there and take away that home ice advantage, that would be huge.”
MSU Coach Rick Cromley (Lansing State Journal): “It'll be a great series, as will all the others in the second round. We usually have a tough time getting big crowds for the playoffs since students are on spring break. But with this series, it should be good.” For the Wolverines’ first round series last weekend against Lake Superior State, Goaltender Shawn Hunwick (Jr.) stepped in for the injured Bryan Hogan (Jr.), groin, admirably. Hunwich stopped 47 of the 49 shots he faced over two games against the CCHA’s 9th Best Offense (2.36 GPG). While the Spartans have only the 7th ranked offense (2.71 GPG), Hunwick won’t have the offensive support he enjoyed last week due to the fact the Spartans defense being far superior to the Lakers (CCHA GAA: MSU 2nd; LSSU 10th).
Look for MSU to let Michigan’s offense dictate the pace of the game. The Spartans like to allow the Wolverines’ offense to open up and create favorable opportunities for them to go ahead. If the Spartans get the lead, they will deliberately slow down the pace and rely on their defense to take them to Joe Louis Arena next weekend for the CCHA Championships.
Leading Scorers Heading into the Series:
| Player | Team | G | A | PTS |
| Carl Hagelin | Michigan | 16 | 25 | 41 |
| Louie Caporusso | Michigan | 16 | 19 | 35 |
| Matt Rust | Michigan | 12 | 22 | 34 |
| Derek Grant | Michigan St. | 11 | 18 | 29 |
| Andrew Rowe | Michigan St. | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| Jeff Petry | Michigan St. | 4 | 22 | 26 |
| Chris Brown | Michigan | 12 | 14 | 26 |
| Daulton Leveille | Michigan St. | 6 | 17 | 23 |
| David Wohlberg | Michigan | 7 | 16 | 23 |
| Brian Lebler | Michigan | 12 | 9 | 21 |
Goaltender Stats Heading into the Series:
| Player | Team | GAA | Save Pct. |
| Drew Palmisano (So.) | Michigan State | 2.27 | .922 |
| Shawn Hunwick (Jr.) | Michigan | 1.95 | .915 |
(Note: Hunwick’s stats come from 5 games with Hogan playing 36.)