Top 10 highlights of this year's hockey season

by James Andersen

1. The Spartans victory over Michigan on November 3, 2006 where MSU overcame a 3-1 first period deficit enroute to a 7-4 victory over the Wolverines

2. The impressive victories over Notre Dame and Michigan early in the season, and the head-scratching losses to Bowling Green and Ferris State came at season’s end.

3. The way the Spartans managed to make a lot of opposing goalies look really good in a lot of the games they played.

4. Bryan Lerg’s eight game winning goals, including one on his twenty-first birthday in a 4-0 rout of Lake Superior State, and the one the night before where his goal in overtime gave the Spartans a 3-2 victory over LSSU.

5. The Great Lakes Invitational title in December which saw the Spartans top Harvard, and defeat Michigan for the crown. Bryan Lerg earned MVP honors for the tournament and the Spartans were named to four of the six all-tournament spots

6. The January 13th game against Alaska-Fairbanks, which saw a barrage of hits and a whopping forty-eight penalties handed out as a benches clearing brawl erupted after the game after an exchange between Rick Comley and Alaska coach Tavis McMillan.

7. Rick Comley’s 700th career win, which came after a 4-1 victory over Miami (Oh) on Jan. 6.

8. The Spartans 7-6 overtime win over Lake Superior State in the third place game of the CCHA tournament, which saw Tyler Howells score the game-winner to help MSU secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

9. Goaltender Jeff Lerg’s play in the NCAA tournament. Lerg allowed 5 goals in 4 games and outshined several of the nation’s top goaltenders including BU’s John Curry and Notre Dame’s David Brown; both of whom were Hobey Baker candidates.

10. The Spartans third national title in school history after a 3-1 win over Boston College in the NCAA final.  

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