DETROIT -- Tickets are on sale now for the final regular season installment of College Hockey at "The Joe," which will feature two of the top teams in the nation, the No. 5 Michigan State University Spartans and the Lake Superior State University Lakers. The teams will face off at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Joe Louis Arena.

The Spartans head into this week with a record of 19-10-7
overall and 13-7-6 in the CCHA. The Lakers (15-11-6 overall, 11-11-4 CCHA) fell out of the top 20 this week for the first time since Dec. 5, 2005. The Spartans hold second place in the CCHA, while the Lakers are tied for fifth.

Saturday's tilt at "The Joe" will be the second of the season between the Spartans and Lakers and the 98th in the all-time series. The Spartans hold the edge in that series with 58 wins to the Lakers' 29. Lake Superior State will seek its first win against Michigan State since a 7-1 victory on Jan. 3, 2006.

* Please note this game was originally scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., but has since been changed to a 2 p.m. start.

Defensive battle
Both the Spartans and Lakers feature excellent goaltending and stalwart defenses. Michigan State freshman goaltender Jeff Lerg of Livonia, Mich. boasts a 1.99 goals against average (6th NCAA) and 0.927 save percentage (8th NCAA). The Spartans' 2.36 goals allowed per game gives them the 11th-ranked defense in the country. Junior goaltender Jeff Jakaitis leads the 10th-ranked Lakers defense (2.34 goals allowed per game) with a 2.23 goals against average (15th NCAA) and 0.919 save percentage (19th NCAA).

Tickets
Tickets for the contest between the Spartans and Lakers are priced at $30, $24, $22, $15 and $10 and are available at the Joe Louis Arena Box Office and all Ticketmaster retail locations, including Hockeytown Cafe in Detroit and Hockeytown Authentics in Troy. Tickets also may be purchased online by clicking here or charge by phone at (248) 645-6666. Group tickets are available by calling (313) 396-7911.

The Family Four Pack, which includes four general admission tickets, four Little Caesars pizza slices and four Cokes, is available for only $43 and may only be purchased in advance by calling (313) 396-7575. Student tickets, available for $9.50, and College Hockey at "The Joe" season ticket packages may each be purchased by calling (313) 396-7575.

The 2005-06 College Hockey at "The Joe" season concludes with the 25th Anniversary of the CCHA Championship at Joe Louis Arena on March 17 and 18. Tickets for the tournament are also available now.