MSU Hockey: Spartans celebrate national title

Green and white in good position to repeat in 2008

by James Andersen

The improbable season is over; the impossible dream has been achieved. 

The Michigan State hockey team, an underdog heading into the NCAA tournament, defied the odds by winning the third national title in school history with a 3-1 victory over Boston College on Saturday. 

This team, which was supposed to go nowhere who lost games to lesser opponents repeatedly that almost didn’t secure an NCAA tournament berth, now sits atop the collegiate hockey world. 

Rick Comley, the subject of criticism since his hiring in 2002, has finally silenced the critics. He has finally produced the championship that many expected when he first arrived and seemingly completed his resume at MSU. In five years here, he has three NCAA tournament appearances, two GLI titles, one CCHA tournament title, one Frozen Four appearance, and now one national title. 

Five seems to be the magic number for Spartan coaches: Comley won a national title in his fifth year here; Tom Izzo did the same with the basketball team in 2000.

Before Tuesdays pep rally, the normally stern-faced coach was beaming as he rode towards Munn Ice Arena, waving to scores of fans. As he spoke at the pep rally, he was forced to stop several times as fans cheered him on. Ron Mason may be the face of Michigan State hockey forever, but Comley deserves praise as well, and the fans seem to respect him more now that he has coached a national champion.

“When I stepped down, there was only one guy in my mind who I wanted to coach Michigan State and that was Rick Comley,” said Mason. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t ever think MSU would come this far. In fact, I had them pegged to fall in the NCAA regional finals where they would display a solid effort against Notre Dame, but ultimately fall short. After all, Notre Dame net minder David Brown was fresh off earning MVP honors at the CCHA tournament, where he allowed just two goals; surely the Spartans didn’t have a chance against him. 

Instead, Jeff Lerg outdid Brown, as the Spartans bested the Fighting Irish 2-1. Lerg continued his domination between the pipes throughout the tournament, allowing just five goals in four games and just one in the victory over B.C. 

Is this team one of the best of all time? I wouldn’t go so far as to use this tired old sports cliché to describe this team. Permit me to use another cliché, but they’re like the pieces in a jigsaw puzzle and they all seem to fit together. In recent years there have been MSU teams with a better offensive attack. The likes of Drew Miller, Jim Slater, and John-Michael Liles have come and gone.

This year’s team has done what twenty-one teams before it could not. Using a strong defensive game, timely offense, and some of the most solid goaltending in school history, these Spartans have done what many may have considered to be impossible.

“The one thing I will guarantee you, in those white jerseys there’s a tremendous amount of talent,” Comley said. 

One example of this tremendous talent is Jeff Lerg. If not for a slump in the beginning of the season, Lerg’s name probably would have been among those considered for the Hobey Baker Award. You can bet that his name will be among the preseason candidates for next year. 

With his play in the tournament, he showed that he really is the heart of the team. In four games he let in five goals, and he seemed to get better with each game. In the Frozen Four victory over Maine, Lerg let in two goals within the first 3:24 of the opening period. Lerg then proceeded to stop the next 28 shots the Black Bears threw at him, while the Spartans went on to score four unanswered goals to earn a spot in the title game. The Spartans have relied on Lerg to keep them in games and he has answered them continuously by coming up big when it counts. 

Now that the Spartans have completed their title run, it is possible to think they might do it again next year? Right now the chances are favorable, barring any unexpected departures. The Green and White only lose five players this year: Ethan Graham, Tyler Howells, Brandon Warner, Chris Snavely, and Chris Lawrence. 

The loss of Graham and Howells might hurt the Spartans as both are big physical defensemen, and Howells is a multi-position player who has often played the wing positions as well as defense. Snavely and Warner made up essential parts of the defensive core that will now have to be rebuilt. 

Lawrence was resigned to fourth-line duties this season and wasn’t much of an offensive presence, but was an important motivator and leader to this team that will be missed. Even before he spoke to the fans on Tuesday, Lawrence was already crying as the fans gave him a standing ovation. This championship is his as much as any other member of the team and it’s clear that his teammates hold him in a very high regard. 

Aside from that, MSU returns Lerg as well as many of their key offensive players: Kennedy, Abdelkader, Tim Crowder, and Bryan Lerg. Even younger players like Nick Sucharski and Daniel Vukovic have seemed to develop and fit into their roles nicely. If the Spartans continue their defensive game and develop into a bit more of an offensive squad, there’s little reason not to believe that they don’t have a chance to repeat as champions next year. 

This attempt at a repeat will not easy. The Spartans got by this year mainly on defense, but could be counted on to provide a goal when it was needed. Offense will be a key factor in the Spartans continued success. Jeff Lerg, as good as he is, cannot be expected to shoulder the load of keeping the Spartans in games. He made spectacular saves all season to prevent goals, but the often-sluggish offense couldn’t always provide him with goal support.

While MSU had six players with goals totals in the teens, only one player had over 40 points. The Green and White certainly have the ability to be a dominant offensive force, but it will require some players to step up and provide consistent offensive production. 

This season the team seemed to have goals coming from different players every night and the guys who are considered the top players on offense scored goals in spurts. They have the whole team concept down, but eventually they might need to mold a superstar. With his production this season, Bryan Lerg may be a good candidate, as well as Abdelkader or Kennedy.  

Regardless of what happens next year, fans are taking the time to relish this championship as they rightfully should. After all that’s happened this year with MSU sports, fans finally have something to feel good about.

As for next year……. we’ll just have to find out next April. 

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