Michigan State moves into final

Chockey Betting Lines

04/06/2007 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Mueller had a goal and an assist to help the Michigan State Spartans advance to their first championship game since 1987 with a 4-2 win over the Maine Black Bears in the Frozen Four.

Nick Sucharski, Chris Snavely and Kim McKenzie all lit the lamp for the Spartans (25-14-3), who will play the winner of the North Dakota/Boston College game later on Thursday.

"The biggest thing today was the penalty kill," said Mueller. "We knew Maine had the top power play, but we played with patience and stayed out of the box, which was the key to winning the game."

Jeff Lerg finished with 29 saves for Michigan State, which last won a national title in 1986.

"We expected Maine to come out flying," said Lerg. "We didn't match them for the first two period, but we got our game going and the late goal in the second period gave us momentum for the third to carry on for the win."

Josh Soares and Keith Johnson each had a goal and an assist and Ben Bishop finished with 29 saves for the Black Bears (23-15-2), who defeated Michigan State in last season's East Regional final, 5-4.

"We played a great game," said Bishop. "But their goalie got off to a tough start, giving up a goal on the first shot, but he played well at the end and made some key saves in the third period."

The championship game will be played on Saturday.

Maine initially grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first when Johnson scored just 23 seconds in and a little over three minutes later Soares scored on a shot from the slot through traffic.

However, the Spartans scored four unanswered goals to win the game.

Mueller got his team on the board when he banged the puck out of mid-air into the net to make it a 2-1 game at the 7:25 mark of the first.

Michigan State tied the game with the only goal of the second period when Snavely scored to make it a 2-2 game.

The Spartans grabbed their first lead of the game as Sucharski jammed the puck into the net during a jam in front for a 3-2 advantage 5:11 into the third.

"There was traffic in front and the rebound popped out in front and I went to dive on it but somehow they slipped it underneath me into the net," said Bishop.

McKenzie sealed the win for the Spartans when he snapped a wrister on the fly from the left circle that Bishop stopped, but the rebound went right back to McKenzie and he buried it in the back of the net with 10:14 to play.

It is the fifth time in school history that Michigan State will appear in the championship game.

Footballbettingshop Chockey Betting News

<< Masters First Round News & Notes
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Most veteran players come to Augusta National a week or so ahead of time to get a feel for the course. Phil Mickelson, who owns two green jackets, has been stalking the premises for over a week already

<< Rose and Wetterich lead Masters; Woods four back
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Rose and Brett Wetterich are tied atop the leaderboard at three-under-par 69 Thursday after the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Tiger Woods, the winner of the last two m

<< Washington's Hawes experiments jumping to NBA
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Washington announced freshman center Spencer Hawes will experiment with making the jump to the NBA. The 7-foot Hawes, who led the Huskies with 14.9 points per game this past season, anno

<< Phillies acquire Rosario from Toronto
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies acquired right- handed pitcher Francisco Rosario from the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, in exchange for cash considerations. The 26-year-old Rosario went 1-2 with a 6.65 ER

<< Eustachy gets extension at Southern Miss
Hattiesburg, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Southern Mississippi has given men's basketball coach Larry Eustachy a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2010-2011 season. The extension, which will include a substantial raise

Arenas out 2-3 months following surgery >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas underwent surgery Thursday to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee and will be sidelined the next 2-to-3 months. Arenas was hurt in the first quart

Blueshirts lock up playoff spot >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist and Henrik Lundqvist made 25 saves as the New York Rangers clinched a playoff berth with a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. Petr Pr

Sabres rally to top Bruins >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thomas Vanek scored twice and also notched an assist as the Sabres doubled up the Boston Bruins, 4-2, in Buffalo's home finale at HSBC Arena. Derek Roy had a goal and one assist and Ales Kotalik als

Brodeur sets record on championship night for Devils >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Brodeur used 34 saves to break the all-time mark for wins in a single season and Jim Dowd scored the short-handed game-winner midway through the third period, as the New Jersey Devils clinched the Atl

Islanders stay alive with win over Leafs >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Blake scored the go-ahead goal 3:46 into the third period and the New York Islanders kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nassau Coliseum. Aaron Asham and M

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.