I A HOBEY BAKER CANDIDATE? Ten goals may not set him apart. But 40 assists have made Shawn Horcoff one of the prime can- didates for this year's Hobey Baker Memori- al Trophy awarded to college hockey's best player. t. Quietly and effec- tively, the Michigan State senior center has moved into third place on the country's total points list. Horcoff anchors the Spartans' top line that will square off against Michigan's young but talented first unit that unites freshmen Jed Ortmeyer and Andy Hilbert with star cen- ter Mike Comrie. Shawn Horcoff Against Michigan this year, Horcoff has had success. In the championship game of the Great Lakes Invitational tournament, Horcoff assisted on two of Michigan State's three goals - earning hiniself GLI MVP honors COMMENDED HERO Only a sophomore, Mike Comrie is touted as one of the nations' top players. In fact, Comrie's name is consistently mentioned in Hobey Baker conversation. Night in and night out opposing defenses key in on the prolific playmaker, looking to shut him down - but they've had little suc- cess. Comrie leads the Wolverines with 47 points on the season -' 17 goals and 30 assists. . In Michigan's 2-0 victory over the Spar- tans at Munn Ice Arena, Comrie fed the puck to linemate Mike Comrie Hilbert on the Wolverines' second goal to put the Spartans away for good. THE DYNAMIC DUO Last season Joe Black- burn rewrote Michigan State's hockey history books, recording a .928 save percentage and a nation-leading 1.55 goals against average - the lowest total any collegiate goaltender posted in the '90s. Blackburn had an impressive season. Yet that was not enough to Ryan Miller guarantee him the start- ing job this year. Instead, even with a 10-5-1 record, he has been splitting time in net with freshman Ryan Miller. So what does that say about Miller? Having amassed a 12-4-1 overall record thus far in an impres- sive debut season, the freshman has silenced all doubters. With two stellar netminders, Michigan State coach Ron Mason is in an enviable position --he can and does alternate them night after night. Mason has yet to announce who will start in goal against the Wolverines, though all indicators point to Blackburn. THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE A 2-0 shutout at Munn Ice Arena in his first game back from injury gave Josh Black- burn his starting job back. In the Wolverines dominating victory, Blackburn made the key saves, stopping 23 shots. In early January, his return to the lineup and immediate immersion gave Michigan added momentum, which the Wolverines are still rid- ing. Heading into tonight's Josh Blackburn contest, Blackburn carries a 9-3-1 record with a 1.91 goals against average. For here on out, in order for the Wolverines to have a shot at any titles, Blackburn must play his best hockey - a fact he him- self has acknowledged. "Offensively Michigan has the potential to destroy you. Hopefully we'll have our wits about us in our zone. " - Joe Blackburn Michigan State junior goalie "The first thing they tell you when you come here is that you hate ,green. It's a rivalry from day one" - Mike Cammalleri Michigan freshman forward * IF MICHIGAN WINS The Wolverines are calling this the biggest game of the season. And no one can argue with them. If the Wolverines win, they are guaranteed at least a tie atop the regular season conference stand- ings. With 37 points, Michigan is only two league points ahead of Michi- gan State. Because tomorrow's game at Joe Louis Arena does not count toward these all-important conference standings, if the Wolverines win tonight, they would need only one point the following weekend to clinch sole possession of the regu- lar season conference champi- onship. Michigan would also receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. A victory tonight would mean that the Wolverines will go into the final weekend of conference play four points ahead of the Spartans. The Wolverines face Bowling Green March 3-4 in a home-and- home series to finish out the regu- lar season.Michigan and Michigan State have already locked up spots in the CCHA tournament. The tournament invites the top 10 out of the 12 conference teams. Each team has also secured home ice advantage for the first round of the conference tourna- ment. The CCHA first round will take place March 10-12 at campus sites. The semi-finals and finals will take place at the Joe on March 17-18. If last weekend was any indication of what's to come for the Wolver- ines, another tie would be in Michi- gan's future. The Wolverines returned from Northern Michigan securing neither a win or a loss, but two ties. It was these two ties that lessened the Wolverines' conference lead over the Spartans, who swept Alas- ka-Fairbanks to climb in the stand- ings. IF MICHIGAN LOSES A loss would not only strip the Wolverines of their pride, but it could possibly cost them the regular season conference championship. With a victory, Michigan State would tie the Wolverines in the CCHA standings heading into the final weekend of conference play. This would mean that both teams would set all their marbles on the table in their last weekend of the season. The team that comes out of the final weekend of play with the most points would clinch the regu- lar-season conference champi- onship and the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Michigan's opponent, Bowling Green, has already caused trouble for the Wolverines this season. The ninth-place Falcons defeated Michigan once this season, and the Wolverines don't want to give them the opportunity to do it again. The Spartans face Notre Dame in their last two conference matchups. The Fighting Irish, ranked fifth in the CCHA, have also taken one from Michigan State this season. With a Michigan loss, Northern Michigan would also have a chance to make its way back into the race. The Wildcats have 32 points going into this weekend with four games remaining. If Northern can capture two vic- tories at Miami this weekend, it would place the Wildcats only one point behind the two conference leaders going into the final weekend of conference play. If that scenario arises, the CCHA champion will be decided through those final games. This weekend, lower Michigan hockey fans will be captivated with the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. But Upper Peninsula natives will watch another .decisive conference rivalry play out when Northern Michigan faces Lake Superior State in a matchup that could have far- reaching implications. "Years from now, all people will remember is how well your team did. We're excited for this game." - Shawn Horcoff Michigan State senior center "if you're not ready to play this game, you shouldn't come to school - or come to school here. This is why you come to Michigan." - Red Berenson Michigan hockey coach eq 0 "It's a big game. Neither team's going to leave anything off the ice. We'll be ready." -- Brad Hodgins Michigan State senior defenseman IF MICHIGAN TIES Three weeks ago, the Spartans had been struggling and falling fast through the ranks. In fact, at that time they didn't think they'd finish higher than fifth place. Even though the Wolverines wouldn't lose any ground to the Spartans if the teams tie, that result may be damaging anyway. The two teams would remain only two points apart heading into the final weekend of play. "We know what to expect and they know what to expect. There's a lot of pride and a lot of meaning to these games." - Mike Comrie Michigan sophomore center i ,.,. '. i