Sophomore forward Andrew Rowe, right, evades a hook from Ohio State forward Kyle Reed Friday night at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans tied the Buckeyes, but won the shootout.
Scoring first has been the catalyst for the success of the MSU hockey team of late.
The Spartans have scored the first goal in each of the last five games, going 2-1-2 in that span — earning seven points to pull into a tie for 10th place in the CCHA.
MSU head coach Rick Comley said jumping out to a lead has been vital in his team’s four-game unbeaten streak, especially with senior goaltender Jeff Lerg between the pipes to bail the team out of any potentially dangerous mistakes.
“It’s been critical because it means the other team has to get two (goals) on Jeff to win,” Comley said. “I think that puts some doubt in them because they have to work so hard to get the first one. It helps our kids and I think they relax a little bit that way.”
With the Spartans sitting in last place in the CCHA in goals scored, averaging 1.66 a game, Lerg said getting the first goal is a mental boost for everyone on the ice.
“Sometimes if we get that one, we start playing with more confidence and guys start to get their feet under themselves,” Lerg said.
“They start to just play the way they should be playing, which is just a little more relaxed and within the system.”
Confidence is everything
With the starting roster seemingly becoming smaller and smaller every weekend, everyone on the team is seeing a hefty chunk of ice time.
As a result, Comley has been forced to dress every healthy body he has — thus, ending competition in practice for the starting spots.
Sophomore forward Andrew Rowe said this is actually a positive for the team’s confidence because everyone
is gaining experience and discovering their role on the team.
“For the freshmen coming in, it was a battle every day in practice trying to get into the lineup,” Rowe said. “Now the freshmen are looking
at ice time all the time. They are getting comfortable and getting their confidence. Everyone is just gelling a lot better.”
With freshman forward Adam Henderson’s return questionable for this weekend after a shoulder injury suffered on Friday night, Comley might opt to dress Jake Schering, who started practicing with the team Feb. 10.
Although the lineup is extremely thin, Comley doesn’t necessarily look at his lack of numbers as a negative.
“It’s kind of the best case scenario for these kids,” Comley said.
“If they make a mistake they don’t have to worry about coming out of the lineup. They don’t have to worry about whether they are going to be dressing. They know they are going to play.”
Stealing the show
Lerg called his weekend performance against Ohio State “one of the best weekends I’ve had in four years here.”
Lerg stopped 69-of-71 shots in the two games and earned the CCHA Goaltender of the Week honors for his performance.
Comley said Lerg was
in the head of the Ohio State players throughout the weekend.
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“There were a lot of shots wide,” Comley said. “They were almost trying to be too careful when shooting the puck.”
Lerg now leads the country with 893 saves this season and has recorded 14 consecutive games with 29 or more saves.
Rowe said Lerg’s performance against the Buckeyes was “unreal” and “the best I’ve ever seen him play.”
“As a player, it gives you breathing room,” Rowe said. “We have the best ’tender in the league behind us so we can have the confidence to try the extra move.”
