Oct. 5, 2005

East Lansing, Mich. - The Michigan State men's hockey team kicks off the 2005-06 season, Thursday night, Oct. 6, at Munn Ice Arena, with its annual Green and White game. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. and admission is free to the general public.

The Green squad will be led by last season's famed `ER' line, which consists of junior captain Drew Miller (East Lansing, Mich.), senior assistant captain Colton Fretter (Harrow, Ont.) and sophomore forward Chris Mueller (West Seneca, NY). Junior goaltender Dominic Vicari (Clinton Twp., Mich.) will be between the pipes for the Green, which will also feature forwards Zak McClellan (Frankenmuth, Mich.), Peder Skinner (Isle-aux-Morts, Newfoundland), Chad Hontvet (Warroad, Minn.), Daniel Sturges (Verona, Wisc.), Kurt Kivisto (Milford, Mich.), and Chris Lawrence (Havertown, Pa.) and defensemen Tyler Howells (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Jared Nightingale (Cheboygan, Mich.), and Matt Shouneyia (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.).

For the White squad senior David Booth (Washington, Mich.) centers sophomores Bryan Lerg (Livonia, Mich.) and Jim McKenzie (Woodbury, Minn.), while the trio of touted freshmen Justin Abdelkader (Muskegon, Mich.), Tim Crowder (Victoria, B.C.) and Tim Kennedy (Buffalo, NY) will skate together. Defensemen Ethan Graham (Xenia, Ohio), Corey Potter (Mason, Mich.), Daniel Vukovic (North York, Ont.) and Brandon Warner (Huntertown, Ind.) will set up in front of freshmen goaltenders Jeff Lerg (Livonia, Mich.) and Steve Mnich (Northville, Mich.).

Thursday's contest is the final tune-up for the Spartans who travel to Dayton, Ohio this weekend to take part in the Lefty McFadden Invitational. Michigan State will face off against Wayne State on Saturday afternoon before tangling with last season's national runner-up North Dakota on Sunday.