Detroit— The final seconds of the clock ticked down and an adrenalized team of Spartans emptied off the bench. They tossed aside sticks, gloves and helmets before meeting freshman goaltender Jeff Lerg in celebratory fashion in front of the MSU net.
Hugs were aplenty for anyone wearing green and white following No. 5 MSU's 2-1 win over No. 2 Miami (Ohio) in the CCHA playoff championship game Saturday night. The win marks MSU's first postseason title since the 2001 season.
MSU head coach Rick Comley embraced assistant coaches Tom Newton and Brian Renfrew on the bench while the players who were scratched and absent from the starting lineup joined the pileup on Lerg.
But before the Mason Cup was hoisted up, there was a hockey game that was played — a game won by MSU, representative of the team's success this season.
"For me, obviously, it feels good but it's irrelevant how I feel," Comley said of his first CCHA playoff title since 1981. "These kids have been such a good team to coach and have rallied and pushed themselves and prodded themselves.
"This conference championship isn't like the Big Ten Tournament (of basketball). This has so much more significance to it."
The Spartans' resiliency as a team was tested exactly one week prior when they faced potential elimination from the playoffs after falling behind one game to Alaska Fairbanks in the quarterfinal series.
But the Spartans rallied to outscore the Nanooks 13-5 in games two and three to advance deeper into the postseason.
After beating No. 11 Michigan, 4-1, in the semifinals, the Spartans readied for a championship matchup with Miami, squaring off the top two division finishers from the CCHA's regular season.
Goals by freshman forward Justin Abdelkader and senior forward David Booth were enough to close out the RedHawks in the finals and bring the Mason Cup, named for MSU Athletics Director Ron Mason, back to East Lansing.
Comley said following the game that Booth was battling an injury that he suffered in the Alaska Fairbanks series.
"He wasn't near 100 percent," Comley said. "He was on crutches all last week. "He's been one of the best players in the country."
Lerg made 22 saves in the title game, and his 1.81 goals-against average and .934 save percentage throughout MSU's five-game postseason were impressive enough for him to score MVP honors in the playoffs. Lerg was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates junior captain Drew Miller and freshman forward Tim Crowder.
Comley said that Lerg's focus is the recipe for his MVP success.
"I've not had a single athlete at any position, I don't care whether they're freshmen or seniors, who (are) absolutely committed as he is to preparation," Comley said. "He gives us great confidence like all good goalies do."
At last Thursday's annual CCHA Awards, Miller and Lerg captured other honors. Lerg went home with Rookie of the Year and Miller won the Best Defensive Forward category as well as the Illitch Humanitarian Award.
"It's a great honor, but getting that cup is the most important thing," Miller said. "When the whole team is sitting around each other with that cup, taking a picture, putting the No. 1 up, that's what's important. It's the boys in the locker room, it's not the individual stuff."
MSU went 16-3-3 since Jan. 1 and ended the run with a championship celebration and the raising of an MSU banner to the Joe Louis Arena rafters on Saturday night.
"It's mind-blowing," senior defenseman Corey Potter said. "I've waited four years for an opportunity to play in the championship and to finally come through with it — all the hard work's paid off."
MSU will resume play Saturday when it meets New Hampshire in the NCAA Tournament.
