Lerg
Sault Ste. Marie — Bryan Lerg owns Lake Superior.
With three goals on the weekend, MSU’s senior captain now has 10 goals in nine career games against the Lakers — including two in the third period Saturday, turning MSU’s tenuous one-goal advantage into a three-goal blowout.
Through two periods, though, things weren’t exactly going Lerg’s way and he said he was growing frustrated.
“There were a lot of bad bounces not going my way, couldn’t get much energy going for our line,” Lerg said.
Head coach Rick Comley echoed those sentiments.
“He was a little bit frustrated, I thought, in the first two periods,” Comley said. “Then he kind of relaxed a little bit and the puck went in for him.”
But what is it about playing the Lakers that gets Lerg going?
“I have no clue, to tell you the truth,” he said. “I usually go into this series with confidence because I’ve had success in the past and it felt good.”
Lerg earned No. 1 star honors both nights.
Breaking out
Sophomore defenseman Michael Ratchuk was close to not even playing Saturday night.
Comley said Ratchuk almost didn’t play because of a rib injury. They decided after warm-ups to dress Ratchuk but also dress freshman A.J. Sturges as a seventh defenseman.
“He was not very comfortable in the morning,” Comley said.
Ratchuk, who has been plagued throughout his career by some inconsistent play in MSU’s end, exploded for a goal, three assists and a plus-two rating against the Lakers this weekend.
“This weekend, he played well and with more control,” Comley said.
He is now fifth on the team in scoring with 11 points in 15 games and is playing a key role on MSU’s second power-play unit.
“He has so much speed and energy, it’s perfect,” Lerg said. “It’s just a matter of using it in the right way. As long as his head’s in the game, it’s the best thing about him. When he’s frustrated, he’s totally out of the game. He’s got to be joking around before the game, he’s got to be loose.”
Standing tall
Junior goaltender Jeff Lerg’s save totals may not have stood out on the scoresheet, but when his team needed him the most, Lerg was there, stopping 49 shots on the weekend with several coming in spectacular fashion.
“I thought he was really good,” Comley said. “He was sharp and alert all weekend. I thought he was steady. A lot of tough shots where he had to be right on his toes.”
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With two wins on the weekend, Lerg upped his season record to 9-3-2.
“We’re only as good as he is and that’s the bottom line,” Comley said. “When he’s good, we’re good and we win.”
