Needless to say, MSU head coach Rick Comley was very upset with his team’s performance, saying the Spartans did practically nothing right during the game.

Comley’s anger lit a fire under his young team and they came to play on Friday night – defeating UMass-Lowell 2-1.

Nine freshmen suited up in Friday’s game, and they had a huge impact, most notably freshman goaltender Drew Palmisano, who got the nod from Comley.

With the forthcoming departure of All-American goaltender Jeff Lerg at the end of this season, Palmisano is going to be the go-to guy next year.

Palmisano showed on Friday why the coaches are so confident in him.

The Ann Arbor native was ranked the No. 1 goaltender recruit by Inside College Hockey, and it’s pretty clear why. He has a lightning-quick glove hand, and his strength rests in his fundamental butterfly style.

Then there’s freshman forward Daultan Leveille, who was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the first round of this year’s NHL Draft. Leveille brings deadly speed to the table, and he’s extremely patient with the puck.

Comley said Friday night he wouldn’t be surprised if freshman forward Andrew Conboy made it into the NHL. Conboy makes it his personal mission to finish every check and get in front of the opponent’s net to cause commotion.

Add Ben Warda’s speed and Trevor Nill’s physicality — both freshmen forwards — and freshman defenseman Tim Buttery’s staunch defending to the mix and you have a young class that will get better with every game.

If most college teams had 11 freshmen on the roster, the season could easily be chalked up as a rebuilding year.

But let’s not kid: The move from juniors to the college game is huge. The collegiate level is much faster, more intense and demands a higher level of conditioning.

And I’m not knocking juniors. But the transition is like learning to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time.

Sure, you are going to fall, but the more you stick with it, the easier it will get. Comley is the dad running alongside, holding onto the back of the seat. He won’t let you quit or get too frustrated.

It will take time for the freshmen to find their roles on this team and splitting weekends early on is going to be inevitable. But Comley’s teams traditionally have done better after the winter break anyway.

Some games might not be pretty, and wins are going to have to be hard-earned, but expect the Spartans to kick off their training wheels sooner rather than later.