“We had some issues with guys not being able to play or reduced ice time because of guys not feeling well, but it gave younger guys a chance to step up,” captain and junior forward Greg Wolfe said of last weekend’s wins against Alaska.

“The nice thing was, we won with basically three different lineups. That’s pretty huge for us; you usually don’t see that too often in the playoffs.”

Senior defenseman Matt Grassi became ill in Alaska and had to miss a game, and junior forward Lee Reimer got hurt during Saturday’s game, missing the final period that night and the rest of Sunday.

Head coach Anastos said Reimer gets a lot of playing time, and it took a team effort to make up for the guys who were out. He moved sophomore forward Tanner Sorenson from wing to center, a position he doesn’t have much practice at.

Because the MSU forwards are used to playing with different players, they were able to take the unexpected changes in stride.

“We’ve had a lot of different line combinations, a lot of guys have played together,” Wolfe said. “At the end of the day, you always have a little bit of confidence. It’s not like, ‘Oh I haven’t played with this guy, I don’t know what he does.’”

Netminder confidence
Coming off the wins against the Nanooks, MSU was able to put their faith in two different goaltenders in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Junior Will Yanakeff had proven success against Alaska on Feb. 22-23, and Anastos made the decision to play him again Friday and Saturday. Hildebrand got the nod Sunday, a decision Anastos said was a “no brainer.”

“The freshest player on our team was Jake Hildebrand, and it made all the sense in the world to go with him on Sunday,” he said. “I think Will’s re-established his confidence and his play. That’s the most important position on the team this time of year — probably all year, but especially this time of year, so we’re in good shape there.”

At Tuesday’s press conference, Anastos said he isn’t sure who will take the net this upcoming weekend against Miami (Ohio), but he said Friday’s performance will help dictate Saturday’s decision.