Junior goaltender Jeff Lerg blocks a penalty shot during the Green and White Game on Oct. 7 at Munn Ice Arena. Lerg has started all but one game this season.
The MSU hockey team didn’t draw a cupcake heading into its final series before winter break.
The No. 5 Spartans will battle a much-improved Ferris State team this weekend in a home-and-home series with Friday’s game being contested in Big Rapids and Saturday’s game at Munn Ice Arena.
Friday’s game will be especially tough, as Ferris State’s Ewigleben Ice Arena has some of the CCHA’s rowdiest fans in a small, confined area.
“It’s more the building that’s tough than the crowd,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said. “The low ceiling, the bench, the crowd behind your goalie.
“It’s freezing, it’s just got a really enclosed feeling to it.”
Ferris State’s student section, the “Dawg Pound”, is notorious for riding junior goaltender Jeff Lerg, honoring him with original taunts like “midget porn star” or unoriginal ones like “Oompa-Loompa.”
“I’ve always been the short goalie in there with them to make fun of me,” Lerg said. “I don’t mind, I kind of like it.”
While MSU has dominated the all-time series, 62-25-13, the Spartans have had a lot of trouble in the past six meetings with the Bulldogs, going 2-2-2.
“Ferris has given us trouble here the past couple of years,” senior captain Bryan Lerg said. “They’re on a little bit of a tear right now. They’re playing well, and I imagine they’re going to be better than they were last year, it sure looks like it.”
Even though the jerseys will say Ferris State on the front, Comley said he expects the series to have a similar feel to last weekend’s series against Lake Superior.
“Defensively, they play almost identical,” Comley said.
“They flood the puck in the defensive zone and they’re defense first. But Ferris skates better, probably better goaltending and overall a better team.”
Not only will the consistency of the opponent’s style help, but so will MSU finding a groove itself.
“I think we’ve settled in, and I think our guys are buying in more as far as how we need to play,” Comley said.
But Comley says the biggest adjustment that has been made is moving Bryan Lerg from center to left wing.
Lerg played center for much of the season to give the Spartans three top-line centers.
But when that didn’t work out for the best, Comley went back to what’s worked in the past — playing Lerg with senior Chris Mueller.
The duo have clicked at even strength and on the power play.
“Out of respect for him, I let him play center for a while,” Comley said. “But the best thing for our team is what I thought it was back on day one.
“I think he’d earned the right to try it, and he can play center. He can be very good at center, but as a team, when I have Mueller and him together, we’re just a better team.”
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Each game will faceoff at 7:05 p.m.
Once the weekend is done, the Spartans will be off until Dec. 28 when they begin play against No. 20 Michigan Tech in the Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
