Four Home Events Dominate Big MCRHL Weekend

Ten MCRHL games will take place January 30th and 31st in three different locations. Most games will have huge implications on the season standings along with inflating or deflating some teams’ hopes for making the national tournament in April. The biggest games are highlighted below. If you live near one of the venues, come out and see some exciting college roller hockey between some of the best teams in the country. Friday, January 30, 7:00 PM Troy Sports Center #23 Michigan (12-5-1, 9-4-0) at #1 Michigan State (15-0-0, 12-0-0) These rivals will clash for the third time this season on Friday night, the second and final time in league play. The series has been lopsided so far, with the Spartans outscoring the Wolverines by a total of 15-2. Michigan is hungry though, and is looking for a couple of wins in their remaining schedule to lock up fourth place in the standings. Michigan State, on the other hand, appears to be gearing up to try to win their third national championship, and their first since 2000. Saturday, January 31, 9:00 AM Interstate Center #24 Ball State (9-6-2, 5-5-2) at Illinois (10-8-0, 6-8-0) The Cardinals joined the top-25 in DII for the second time in this week’s poll, and if they’re looking to have an impact in the MCRHL standings, they need to start now. Illinois also has only crucial games remaining, with the hardest portion of their schedule behind them. Both teams are tied with 12 points, but the Cardinals have two games in hand. Illinois was able to defeat Ball State in an exhibition game on the 18th of January 4-3, with Michael Benge scoring with just 14 seconds remaining. The first game between the teams, played the first weekend of the season in Fort Wayne, was also 4-3, but in Ball State’s favor. Be prepared for a competitive, exciting game as these teams each kick off a set of three games for the day. Saturday, January 31, 12:00 PM Interstate Center #24 Ball State (9-6-2, 5-5-2) at Illinois State (7-6-0, 7-5-0) The Cardinals and Redbirds will face-off for the first time this season at noon on Saturday in another middle-of-the-pack battle. This is a rematch of the 2002 CRHL Division II National Championship game, which saw ISU come out on top for their first national title, 2-0. Although Ball State remains in Division II to seek out that illusive crown, the Redbirds are competing again in Division I on a national level. These two teams are separated by only 2 points, each with 8 games remaining, and two against each other. Again, the season series will weigh heavy in determining who will finish on top. The Redbirds have won three in a row and will look to make the streak grow to six this weekend. Saturday, January 31, 3:00 PM Total Roller Hockey Eastern Michigan (9-6-1, 8-6-1) at #23 Michigan (12-5-1, 9-4-0) This will be a huge game in terms of MCRHL playoff seeding and positioning for the national tournament. The Eagles currently stand one point behind the Wolverines for fourth place, with Michigan having two games in hand. The two teams will face-off twice in the next month, and if one of them is able to sweep the series, they will almost definitely lock up a spot in the top half of the standings. There’s also a good possibility that this will be a preview of a first-round tournament matchup, which will be played at the same venue in March. Saturday, January 31, 4:00 PM Interstate Center Illinois (10-8-0, 6-8-0) at Illinois State (7-6-0, 7-5-0) When these two rivals met earlier in the season at the Interstate Center, the crowd was large and intense, and we would expect nothing else this weekend. In that October matchup, the teams combined for 81 shots, but only six goals due to great goaltending from Kurt Peterson and Tony Mers. The Illini will really need this game, with only three regular season contests to play after it. They will have extra incentive to win as well, after losing the first game 4-2. Expect a spirited struggle when these two teams meet Saturday, in what might be the game to watch at the Interstate Center. Saturday, January 31, 7:00 PM Troy Sports Center #1 Michigan State (15-0-0, 12-0-0) at #9 Western Michigan (17-2-0, 14-2-0) This game will be the premier game in the nation this weekend, featuring two teams who have legitimate chances at winning the national championship. If the Broncos have any hopes of winning the MCRHL regular season crown, they will have to win this game. The last time the two played was nearly three months ago when Michigan State came out on top 7-4. The key in that game may have been special teams, as the Spartans went 2-7 on the power play with the Broncos going scoreless in 4 attempts. Ken Jung led the Spartans that game with 5 points with Michael Cover adding 3 assists. The game will also be a battle between two of the best goalies in the region, no matter which plays for Western Michigan. Eric Dumais and Steve Stork have been solid backstops for the Broncos while Chris Luscombe leads the league in GAA along with earning the MCRHL Player of the Month in November. Again, if Western Michigan is able to stay out of the penalty box, this should be a thrilling game between two teams that are both much better than they were three months ago. Check MCRHL.com for scores and standings updates during and after this weekend as we get closer and closer to the inaugural MCRHL Tournament in March.