Mason Appleton giving MSU hockey a scoring punch
EAST LANSING – After an 0-4 start to the season, MSU hockey picked up its first win on Saturday. Sophomore forward Mason Appleton and his newfound "attack" mindset is a key reason why.
Appleton, who led the team in assists last season, has again been highly productive through five games. He leads the team in points with a goal and four assists. His two assists on Saturday helped the Spartans defeat Princeton 6-2 at Munn Ice Arena.
Appleton set a goal to become more consistent this season, and though he isn't completely satisfied with his production, he's happy with his aggressiveness.
"I'm shooting the puck more, I missed the net a number of times but I think I'm getting more attempts," he said. "In our game against Princeton I think I had five, six seven attempts. Anytime I'm in that number, in that range, I think I'm doing the things I need to do offensively to create offense."
MSU coach Tom Anastos said he's seen a difference in Appleton's strength and acceleration. He's creating space more effectively, and that has allowed him to create opportunities not only for himself, but for his teammates as well.
"He's playing with a greater level of speed than he did a year ago and I think that's going to keep improving because his strength has improved a lot, not just his upper body strength but his leg strength for sure," Anastos said.
Though Anastos thinks Appleton is more of a puck distributor, he sees potential for him to become a goal scorer.
"I think if he gets the mindset to shoot the puck more, he has a good shot," Anastos said. "I think that's another area he worked to improve in the off-season and he has a good shot and he can get it off quick."
Team Yoga: The MSU hockey team has added a new routine to it's weekly workout slate — hot yoga.
Anastos got the idea from his wife, Lisa, and his daughter, Andie, who plays hockey at Boston College. Anastos finally went for a session himself after years of goading from his family. And after talking to other hockey coaches, he figured it would be a good exercise for his team as well.
"There's a mental component to it that I think is a huge benefit," Anastos said. "I think there's a calming benefit to it when life's moving pretty fast or when you're under stress or when you're in a difficult, whether it's a yoga position or something and you can learn to calm your mind down, I think that's a benefit. And then there's a flexibility component that's incredibly beneficial and core strength."
Do the players complain about it? Not in front of Anastos, he said. The team has had three sessions so far and will schedule more whenever there is free time in the upcoming slate.
"I'm not so sure if the guys are fond of it, you'll have to ask them," he said. "I'm not sure that I heard a big cheer anywhere in East Lansing, but I'm sure the guys worked hard at it and in the end felt pretty good about it."