A one-goal win on the road over its archrival made heading into final semester exam week a little more enjoyable for the Clarkson University Hockey team. The Golden Knights, guided by fourth-year head coach Casey Jones and assistants Phil Roy '00 and Andy Jones, completed the 2014 portion of their ECAC Hockey schedule with a 2-1 victory at St. Lawrence on Saturday night. The win extended, the Knights conference unbeaten streak over their North Country neighbor to nine games (8-0-1) and also pushed the Green and Gold into sole possession of third place in the league standings.

Led by junior captain Paul Geiger (Stouffville, ONT) and assistant captains, senior James Howden (Edgeley, SASK) and junior Jeff DiNallo (Aurora, ONT), Clarkson has gone 3-0-1 over its past four conference games to improves its ECAC Hockey mark to 4-1-2. The Knights stand at 6-7-4 overall.

Clarkson travels to East Lansing, MI on Sunday for a 5:00 p.m. game at Michigan State. The game against the Spartans will be broadcast lives by Fox Sports Detroit (FSD).

Scouting Michigan State

Playing in its final game before the holiday tournaments Michigan State owns a very similar record as Clarkson. The Spartans, guided by fourth-year head coach Tom Anastos, stand at 5-9-1 overall and hold down third place in the Big 10 with a 1-2-1 conference mark. Michigan State has gone 1-1-1 in its past three games. This past weekend at Munn Arena, the Spartans gained one point in league play against third-ranked Minnesota. On Friday, Michigan State was shut out by the highly-rated Gophers 5-0, but came back on Saturday to outshoot Minnesota 45-24 in a 3-3 tie. In their only other action against an ECAC Hockey foe this season, the Spartans split on the road at Princeton, losing 3-1 and winning 4-2 on November 28-29. Michigan State is 2-4-1 in East Lansing this year with its last home victory coming on November 1 vs Ferris State (4-1).

• Two of the long-time powers in college hockey, Clarkson and Michigan State have played just 14 times with the Golden Knights holding a 7-6-1 edge in the series. The Spartans won the last two meetings (6-1, 4-3) on October 9-10, 2009 in East Lansing after a 41-year break in the series. Eleven of the previous 12 meetings were held at Clarkson's Walker Arena. The Knights and Spartans played in the 1966 NCAA Championship game with Michigan State winning 6-1 in Minneapolis.

• Sunday's game at Michigan State will be Clarkson's first game against a Big 10 opponent in the two-year history of the league.

• The Knights are tied for 11th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 2.00 goals per game and are first in ECAC Hockey, allowing only 1.29 GPG. Clarkson is allowing only 23.59 shots per game, which is third best in Division 1.

• Clarkson has played in 11 games this season decided by one goal-or-less, going 3-4-4. The Knights have outscored their ECAC Hockey foes 15-9 in seven league games, but have been outscored 34-31 overall. Clarkson is averaging 1.82 gpg.

• The Knights are 6-1-4 when scoring at least two goals. Clarkson has scored over two goals in only four games this season, going 3-1.

• Clarkson hosts Atlantic Hockey's American Internationl on Tuesday, December 30 in the final game of 2014. The Knights open the 2015 portion of the schedule, playing at Cheel Arena in seven of the second half's first nine games.

• The Knights, at 4-1-2 in the league, have only played two ECAC Hockey home games. Clarkson's lone conference loss was a 2-1 overtime setback at Cornell (11/14) when the Knights gave up a shorthanded goal early in the extra session.

• Clarkson's play on specialty teams has mixed reviews. The Knights are strong on the penalty kill, ranked 11th in the nation at 89.3% (50-56), but have clicked at just 9.8% on the power play (5-51), 49th in the country. The Green and Gold are first in the league on the PK (96.3%, 26-27). The only goal allowed by the Knights on the man-advantage in ECAC action was at Cornell (11/14). Clarkson killed off all five of St. Lawrence's power plays on Saturday.

• Sophomore Steve Perry (Ligonier, PA) has started the last five games in the Clarkson crease. He posts an overall .912 save percentage and a 1.94 goals against average en route to a 6-6-1 record, including one shutout. Perry ranks first in ECAC Hockey in conference save percentage (.958), GAA (0.99), and in win% (.800, 4-1-0).

• The Knights are 4-0-2 when leading after the first, but 0-4-1 when trailing after the opening 20 minutes. After two periods, Clarkson is 5-0-3 when leading and 0-4-0 when losing. Clarkson is 4-1-2 when scoring first, but 2-6-2 when the opponent gets the opening lead. The Green and Gold are winless when being outshot, 0-2-3.

• Sophomores James de Haas (Mississauga, ONT) and Jordan Boucher (St. Therese, QUE) scored the goals in the win at St. Lawrence. de Haas, who was a healthy scratch in the previous game at Merrimack (11/29), responded on Saturday with his third goal of the season from the blueline to tie the game 1:34 after the Saints went on top 1-0 early in the second. Boucher followed later in the period with his team-high third game-winner of the season, which is tied for fourth nationally.

• Boucher (5-4) and de Haas (3-6) are tied as Clarkson's second-leading scorers with nine points each. de Haas leads the Green and Gold in assists.

• Joe Zarbo leads the Knights in scoring with 10 points, including a team-high six goals. He has 56 career points (28-28) in 120 games.

• Clarkson has played eight games against team currently ranked in the Top 20, going 1-5-2.

• Brandon DeFazio '11 became the latest former Knight to reach the NHL when he was called up from the AHL to the Vancouver Canucks on November 9. He played in two Vancouver wins before being sent back down to Utica. He joined Mark Borowiecki '11 (Ottawa), Grant Clitsome '08 (Winnipeg), Erik Cole '00 (Dallas) and Willie Mitchell '99 (Florida) among former CU players skating in the NHL in 2014-15.

• Four current Golden Knights have been selected in the NHL Draft - James de Haas (2012 Detroit - 6th rd, 170), Terrance Amorosa (2013 Philadelphia - 5th rd, 189), Troy Josephs (2013 Pittsburgh - 7th rd, 209) and Kelly Summers (2014 Ottawa - 7th rd, 189).

• In its 93rd season, Clarkson boasts 70 winning campaigns and a 1,369-807-145 all-time record for a .622 winning percentage since 1920-21.