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OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 31 ike Donnelly was ready. After three years of practice on and off the ice, the late Ron Mason gave the Livonia, Mich., product the chance to be a top-six forward on the power play. Donnelly made the most of that opportunity. The Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame member pumped in 59 goals during a breakout senior campaign, which sparked the Spartans to the 1986 NCAA champi- onship and cemented his place in the Division I record books. Compare Donnelly 's 59 goals to Vancouver forward Adam Gaudette, who scored an eye-catching 30 for Northeastern during his successful 2018 Hobey Baker Award campaign. The college game has tightened up considerably since 1986 with more defensive-oriented systems, better equipment and more mobile defensemen. But even then, one of the most prolific college scorers in recent years tallied just three more goals than Donnelly did on the power play (27) his senior cam- paign, his first playing regularly with the man advantage. Donnelly had 51 goals combined his first three years in East Lansing. "You see players get on a hot streak but it usually doesn't last the entire season," said Spartans linemate Kevin Miller, a 1988 U.S. Olympian. "It was fun to watch." Miller centered the line with Mitch Messier on the right side. "I was fortunate to have them," Donnelly said. "They were both pass-first guys and as the season went on they kept looking for me. I got the puck from them a lot. We were all speed and skill guys." "Our power play was five for- wards with (1986 No. 1 overall draft pick) Joe Murphy and Bill Shibicky, so we had a very pro- ductive power play," he added. " We m ov e d t h e p u c k a r o u n d really well." D o n n e l l y 's r e c o r d s h o u l d remain unchallenged for a very long time. "Untouchable," said Wisconsin coach Tony Granato, who was a linemate with Donnelly on the Los Angeles Kings. "You get 20 or 25 goals as a freshman or sophomore, the NHL's going to come calling so you aren't going to see guys like that stay for three or four years. [Badgers incoming sophomore] Cole Caufield [19 goals, 17 assists last season] is not going to be with us for three or four years." Playing that fourth year made all the difference for Donnelly. He needed to be a well-rounded player and not just a speedster. The talent the late Shawn Walsh, then a Spartans assistant, and Mason assem- bled was another reason. Walsh could not offer Donnelly a scholarship, instead asking him to be a relatively new thing—a recruited walk-on. Being one of the team's two undrafted players, despite the NHL holding 12 rounds of the draft, motivated him to work even harder on his shot accuracy By Joe Paisley "You see players get on a hot streak but it usually doesn't last the entire season. It was fun to watch." MSU Teammate Kevin Miller Mike Donnelly's goal scoring mark set in 1985 still tops the NCAA Div. I record books. M M AGES