Sports: Shooting for the Tip

With perhaps the best recruiting class in the nation, Ron Mason hopes to lead the 1994-95 Spartans to Providence. After returning to the NCAA's big dance last spring, the 1994-95 Michigan State University hockey team will be looking for an extended stay this time out, all the way to the national finals in March at the Providence Civic Center. The last time the finals were held there, in 1986, MSU defeated Harvard to claim the second national crown in school history.

Last year the Spartans went 23-13-5, finished third in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, but were eliminated from the NCAA Western Regional by Massachusetts-Lowell at MSU's own Munn Arena. Despite the premature ending, last year's campaign was the latest in a long line of stellar Spartan hockey seasons, and this year looks to be no different with 16 returning letterwinners and eight talented newcomers to skate in East Lansing.

Head Coach Ron Mason enters his 29th year in the collegiate coaching ranks and his 16th year at MSU. The all-time winningest coach in North American college hockey history, Mason will collect his 700th career win this season. His Spartan teams have reached the NCAA Tournament 11 times in the past 13 years (including nine straight seasons between 1981-82 and 1989-90), have won 20 or more games in a season a dozen times, and 30 or more games in a campaign seven times. 'We consider ourselves one of the elite programs in college hockey,' related Mason. 'Your team can vary from year to year, and this is one year where we are legitimately recognized as a program that's in good shape.'

Headlining the Spartan's 16 returnees is senior goaltender and All-America candidate Mike Buzak, MSU's main masked man a year ago when he collected 21 of the team's 23 victories. CCHA leading returning scorer Steve Guolla and First- Team All-CCHA Forward Anson Carter should provide MSU's primary firepower, along with Steve Suk and captain Rem Murray. Other returning forwards are Brian Clifford, Steve Ferranti, Josh Wiegand, Brian Crane, Matt Albers, Tony Tuzzolino, and Taylor Clarke.

Returning defensemen include Chris Sullivan, Chris Smith, Bart Vanstaalduinen, Ryan Fleming, and Chris Slater, while looking for playing time in goal will be John Weidenbach and Taylor Gemmel.

Looking to crack the Spartan starting lineup this season will be MSU's freshman 'Magnificent Seven' of defensemen Jon Gaskins, Tyler Harlton, and Kevin Harper, forwards Sean Berens, Mike Watt, and Richard Keyes, and goaltender Chad Alban. Gaskins, Harlton, and Watt were all selected in this past June's NHL Entry Draft.

Also joining the Green and White will be high-scoring wing senior Dean Sylvester, who transferred from Kent State's now-defunct hockey program. A proven goal scorer, Sylvester will pack an already potent Spartan power play with even more punch. Still, it's not going to be an easy year by any stretch. 'It's going to be a long hard battle in this league,' said Mason, 'and we hope to still be in the thick of it at the end.' All the way to Rhode Island, where MSU hopes hockey history will repeat itself.