"Quick Shifts" Column - Oct. 29, 2010

M1 Robert Morris-Illinois is off to its best start in team history with a 9-0 mark after sweeping Kent State last weekend ... RMU-IL had previously enjoyed a 4-0 start twice ... The 14th-ranked Eagles put their unblemished record on the line this weekend when they travel to Pittsburgh this weekend for games against M1 University of Pittsburgh and M1 Duquesne, both of whom received votes in the latest M1 rankings.

Milestones:  Lindenwood senior forward Cory Spradling eclipsed the 100 goal mark in fine fashion last weekend by notching a pair of hat tricks as top-ranked LU swept the University of Indiana by scores of 8-0 and 7-1 ... The St. Louis, Mo., native added an assist each night for an eight-point weekend ... Spradling now has 102 career markers, including a goal in all eight games this season and a streak of 12 straight contests dating back to 2009-10.

Fifth-year Kent State head coach Jarret Whidden achieved his 100th career victory on Oct. 15 as the Golden Flashes posted an 8-2 victory over Akron ...Whidden has led Kent St. to 20-win seasons in each of his first four campaigns, including a a 26-victory effort in 2006-07.

Play For The Cure:  The M3 South Dakota State University Jackrabbits “Play for the Cure” hockey game last Thursday night at Larsen Ice Center was a success in many ways ... In addition to the notching an 18-2 win over rival South Dakota, the game was played in front of an estimated 900 fans who packed the house with breast cancer awareness pink garb ... the SDSU players planned, promoted,  organized the event with help from the SDSU women’s hockey team in manning the raffle tables ... the 25 neon pink and balck Harrow jerseys worn byt he Jackrabbits were raffled and auctioned off after the game.

M1 Stony Brook hosts Towson University on Oct. 30 and the game will be part of Hockey Fights Cancer Week for the team ... Proceeds from the game, scheduled for 8 p.m at The Rinx in Hauppauge, N.Y., will be donated to the Pediatric Cancer Center
at Stony Brook University.

M1 Lehigh University is collecting $5 donations in lieu of admission fees during the 2010-11 season ... Donations are part of the Play For The Cure Campaign.

More Outdoor Games:  As part of the weeklong outdoor hockey extravaganza in Ann Arbor, W1 Michigan will be hosting W1 Michigan State in an outdoor women's game at the "Big House" ... The game will take place Dec. 6 at Michgan Stadium, which is being turned into a hockey venue for a Dec. 11 contest between NCAA Division I Michigan and Michigan State ... Northern Illinois will travel to Robert Morris University-Peoria on Dec. 4 for an outdoor game at the Elmhurst YMCA.