MSU Icers Produce a Winning Season
Although it did not meet some preseason expectations, MSU's 1994-95 hockey team finished a respectable 25-12-3 overall and got into the NCAA tournament, Ron Mason's 12th appearance in 14 years.
The host of returning talent for next winter bodes well for brighter days ahead. 'When you put together that many wins,' says Mason, 'you're in contention to win it all. We didn't. But we were ranked in the Top Ten all year long, and in the tournament, despite having the toughest draw, we played tough, didn't win. 'But hey, we were there again and we're still recognized as one of the top programs in the country.'
Indeed, the 1994-95 campaign was a season to remember. Following an eight-game unbeaten string to start the year, the Spartans hit a slump by dropping three of their next five games to Michigan, Alaska Fairbanks, and Minnesota. Senior goaltender Mike Buzak made 46 saves in the Minnesota loss at the College Hockey Showcase in St. Paul, and had already copped CCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors three times before December.
MSU then took three straight against Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Lake Superior, the second two in decisive fashion, before dropping a decision at Bowling Green in a faceoff for first place in the league. The Green and White pulled together to top Cornell in the first round of the 30th Annual Great Lakes Invitational Tournament in Detroit, but couldn't maintain a 2-0 advantage in a 5-4 championship game loss to U-M.
The New Year arrived and with it a catalysis of MSU's fortunes, as the Spartans rolled off another four-game unbeaten tear. Another trek to BGSU for another first-place fight saw the Spartans come out second again, and catalyzed a schneid that would see State win only one of its next five outings.
An 8-1 romp at Western Michigan was the Spartans' last hurrah until a 4-1 win over WMU three weeks later at Munn Ice Arena. A loss to Michigan at 'The Joe' was the last blemish on MSU's regular-season record as State then reeled off six straight wins, including a two-step sweep of Illinois-Chicago in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. Heading to Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA semifinals, the Spartans squandered a 3-0 lead against Bowling Green, but pulled out a thrilling overtime win when Steve Guolla backhanded home the puck on a breakaway at 14:59 of sudden-death for a 4-3 MSU win.
The next day against defending national champion Lake Superior State, MSU again jumped out to an early lead, and was up 3-2 with under 12 minutes remaining before giving up three goals in a six- minute span en route to a 5-3 championship game loss. Later that night, State discovered that it had been seeded fifth in the NCAA Tournament West Regional at Madison, Wisconsin. Facing the host Wisconsin Badgers in the first round, State fell victim to the same old story - obtaining an early lead, but failing to protect it. A 3-1 second-period Spartan advantage disintegrated into a 5-3 loss that ended State's season, and with it the college careers of seven Spartan seniors - Matt Albers, Mike Buzak, Steve Guolla, Rem Murray, Steve Suk, Chris Sullivan, and Dean Sylvester.
Team captain Murray led MSU on the year with 56 points and finished tied for seventh place on the all-time Spartan scoring scroll, while junior center and Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist Anson Carter paced State with 34 goals. Guolla tallied 35 assists to finish in tenth place on the all-time assist list while Suk had 27 to finish eighth, and Buzak posted 17 wins in his senior swan song. MSU Head Coach Ron Mason completed his 29th collegiate campaign with 724 wins, the winningest record in college hockey ever, including 435 in his 16 years in East Lansing. One reason for Ron Mason's record wins is his well-known astuteness behind the bench. Senior co-captain Rem Murray led such offensive stalwarts as Anson Carter and Steve Guolla in scoring.