ORONO, Maine — University of Maine senior right wing Dave deKastrozza said he has vivid memories of the last game between his Black Bears and Michigan State University.
So does Spartan senior center Nick Sucharski.
It was April 5, 2007 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, home of the NHL’s Blues.
Maine jumped out to a 2-0 lead just 3:24 into their NCAA Frozen Four semifinal only to lose to the Spartans 4-2.
Sucharski scored the game-winner 5:11 into the third period and MSU went on to beat Boston College 3-1 in the NCAA championship game.
The programs have undergone some massive rebuilding as evidenced by the fact deKastrozza and Sucharski will be the only players on the ice tonight who played in that game. There are five who dressed for it, but MSU forward Jay Sprague is injured and Maine’s Dave Wilson and MSU’s Bobby Jarosz will be the backup goalies as they were in that semifinal.
Maine will entertain Michigan State on Friday and Saturday nights.
Maine junior defenseman Jeff Dimmen said the fact there will be just two players on the ice who played in that national semifinal is “pretty amazing.
“There will be a lot of new faces out here and, even if they’re older new faces, it’s the same game and you’ve got to come out and play,” said Dimmen. “We can’t be cute with the puck. We’ve got to get it deep and pressure them.”
DeKastrozza said the game seems like yesterday.
“It was probably the biggest game I’ve ever played in, especially being a freshman and being in the Final Four, in general, and playing against the guys who ultimately won the whole thing,” said deKastrozza. “I remember being up 2-0 and they came back and kind of put a trap on us.
“Hopefully, we can beat them this time and get a little bit of redemption,” said deKastrozza.
“We didn’t get off to a great start,” recalled Sucharski. “But we battled back. It was a good game.”
Maine sophomore goalie Scott Darling, who will return to the lineup after missing the two losses to Union due to suspension, remembers watching the game.
“I’ll never forget that game. I had just committed to Maine,” said Darling. “It was a huge goaltending matchup between [Maine’s] Ben Bishop and [MSU’s] Jeff Lerg.”
He also recalled the 6-foot-7 Bishop and 5-foot-6 Lerg shaking hands after the game.
“It was pretty funny,” said Darling.
Darling is looking forward to the challenge as two teams laden with freshmen and sophomores square off.
“I feel real good and I’m really excited about the weekend,” said Darling. “They’re a great program in a great league [Central Collegiate Hockey Association]. I’ve been focusing on staying high in my crease and that has really helped me be better on initial shots. I’ve always felt comfortable making saves off rebounds, but I’d get beat [too much] on initial shots.”
Maine sophomore right wing Gustav Nyquist said the teams should be pretty equal with all the freshmen.
“We’ve got to keep our feet moving a lot more than we did last week and use our speed,” he said.
Sucharski said he and his teammates are also very excited to play at the Alfond Arena.
“I know their fans are really into it,” said Sucharski. “We want to go out and earn some respect.”
The Spartans co-captain said he was impressed with how his freshman teammates played last weekend and said this type of road series is valuable in the development of the team.
MSU coach Rick Comley said he expects “a lot of energy and a lot of tempo” in the series.
Maine will be bolstered by the return of senior left wing Kevin Swallow from a shoulder injury as well as Darling. And sophomore defenseman Ryan Hegarty will return from a three-game suspension Saturday night.
Two familiar hockey names will be linemates for the Spartans as freshman Dean Chelios, son of future NHL Hall-of-Fame defenseman Chris Chelios, and sophomore Trevor Nill, son of former NHLer and current Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill, will be on a line with freshman Anthony Hayes.
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