Ann Arbor - About 30 minutes after the book was closed on MSU’s 1-1 tie with Michigan, Ryan Miller stood amid a group of reporters in a makeshift interview room in the bowels of Yost Ice Arena.
Without warning, a U-M writer listening to Miller’s comments dropped his tape recorder. Instinctively, Miller swooped down and tried to snatch the device before it crashed onto the floor.
Alas, the recorder bounced in and out of the interviewee’s right hand - his nonglove hand - and hit the ground in spite of his effort. Too bad for the reporter, but the fumble was just about the only save Miller didn’t make Saturday night.
Sure, U-M center Dwight Helminen chipped a one-timer past the MSU junior goaltender with 6:37 remaining in the game to tie the score at 1-1. But that play was the result of a defensive-zone turnover and opportunistic positioning by the Wolverines. And Miller still got a piece of the puck with his shoulder.
The goal ruined the NCAA’s all-time shutout king’s bid for a 25th career blanking, but Saturday’s 42-save effort was still his best game of the season.
“Our best player was our best player tonight,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said. “And when he is, we can hang in there in a game like this. We rely on him and there’s no reason not to.”
Miller was everywhere Saturday night, making easy blocker saves, no-look glove saves, quick pad saves and everything in between. He continually frustrated both the Wolverines - who dominated the pace of play, particularly in the third period - and the Yost crowd of 6,986 eager to witness a public flogging of the visiting Spartans.
The U-M fans, buoyed by a spotty “Maize Out,” pelted the goaltender with various chants - most of which were based on the timeless, “You suck.”
“I just try to have fun with it,” he said. “I like the ‘Miller sucks,’ and they were a little more original this year - they had some good ones.
“It’s kind of flattering because if they didn’t think you were good, they wouldn’t rip all over you.”
Good is probably an understatement in describing Miller.
His name is the most recognizable in college hockey this year. After all, he won the Hobey Baker Award last April, and nobody has ever won back-to-back trophies.
But he has said the quest for another Hobey isn’t at the forefront of his mind as he tries to lead MSU to its first NCAA title since 1986.
His statistics are behind the standard he set during last year’s Hobey Baker run. His goals against average is up to 1.71 and his saves percentage is down to .937 from 1.32 and .950, respectively.
But a lot of the numerical drop-off can be attributed to a loss of defensive know-how and muscle among Spartan forwards.
Gone are steady, strong forwards such as Rustyn Dolyny, Damon Whitten and John Nail from last year’s team. In their place are the still-developing bodies and talents of freshmen Ash Goldie, Brock Radunske and Kevin Estrada.
“Defense has to be learned, and you’re not going to teach freshmen defense in a half a season,” Mason said.
So don’t worry about Miller, he’s fine. His numbers might not be as good as they were last year, but as a result, he’s becoming a better goalie - something he says he needs to do to be a professional netminder.
Uh oh
