Athletes probably get used to being overlooked when they're 5-foot-6.
But not sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg.
Lerg, who was named the team's Most Valuable Player on Monday, may be forgotten among Hobey Baker candidates such as Notre Dame goaltender David Brown and Boston goaltender John Curry. But even with two other goalies in this weekend's Midwest Regional hogging the Grand Rapids spotlight, those who know of Lerg attest he deserves a little space in the light, too.
"Playing with him, I've seen Jeff do things I never thought he could do or any other goalie could do," junior defenseman Daniel Vukovic said.
"If they're thinking that Jeff Lerg isn't going to be the goalie that their goalie is going to be, they're going to be mistaken. He definitely is in their caliber."
Just looking at Lerg's statistics would give those unfamiliar with the Spartans' season the wrong impression. Although he finished the season with a .909 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average, many of Lerg's subpar performances came in the beginning of the year.
By contrast, though, Curry and Brown's numbers trump Lerg. Brown has allowed 1.58 goals per game and had a .931 save percentage. Curry averages 1.92 goals per game and he, like Brown, has a .931 save percentage.
"I know these guys have gotten a lot of recognition over the year, and deservingly so," Lerg said.
But what the statistics can't calculate is character, and Lerg has more than his 5-foot-6 frame can handle. When MSU head coach Rick Comley barks at players during practice, the only other sound in the arena is Lerg's laughter. When there's an impossible chance to stop a puck during practice, Lerg throws his body at it anyway. When scoring-starved Lake Superior put six pucks past him Saturday, he was smiling the next day.
"There's nobody in our locker room who has even close to the work load that he has," Comley said. "Every day he practices like it's a game. There isn't a moment in the net when he isn't working on something."
It's that type of attitude that causes teammates to think they're playing for him instead of just with him.
"From day one, we knew he was our guy," senior forward and captain Chris Lawrence said. "We're only going to go as far as him. He's been our best player all year. There's not another guy in the country that I'd rather play in front of.
"It's fun to play for a guy like that who cares so much, is so focused, so determined. I want to win to win, but to get Jeff the praise he deserves would be nice."
And he will gain recognition if he can out-play or even match Curry and possibly Brown this weekend. Curry and Brown are arguably two of the best goaltenders in the nation and have earned the credit they receive for their performance this season.
But these are the playoffs. The regular season hardly matters anymore. Regular-season statistics are erased from memory and replaced by individual performers on the national scale. Everything is even. Everybody has a chance to grab that spotlight.
Even Lerg.
"It's a good opportunity for me to play and prove myself," he said.
"It's a tough game playing against a good goalie, but then again this is the time of year goalies have to shine."
