“There’s a lot of seniors that play four years in their sport and don’t win championships,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said. “These kids are part of a national championship. They have great memories and they will remember that forever.”

Here are thank-you notes addressed to each of the seniors for their hard work during their tenures at MSU.

Nick Sucharski, forward and co-captain

Thank you for being the hands-down vocal leader of this year’s team. You always are the guy in the pregame huddle pumping up the team and getting everyone ready to give it their all.

I can’t imagine how difficult last year must have been for you. With a separated shoulder that required surgery, you had to sit on the sidelines and watch your team go through one of the worst seasons in program history.

But your decision to take a redshirt last season has proven to be huge for this year’s team. All the youngsters on this squad look up to you and you have proven to be a great example of what MSU hockey is all about. Yes, your offensive numbers has cooled off of late. But you still are the team’s go-to face-off man. Your return this season has been absolutely crucial to the success of the team and your leadership will be missed.

Bobby Jarosz, goaltender

Thank you for being a really solid backup goaltender for the team this year. Every time you were given the nod this season you stepped in and showed what you could do.

Surely, one of the best memories will be of your outstanding performance against No. 1 Miami (Ohio) at the beginning of this season. In only your second start of the year, you stood on your head and stopped 26 shots from the best team in the country. A late, fluky goal gave Miami the 2-1 win and everyone on the team felt horrible for not giving you more goal support.

Last season, you were the team’s third-string goalie and rarely dressed for games. But your skills certainly could have made you a starting goaltender at many other colleges across the country. I don’t think anyone can argue that. And having two solid goalies makes practices more game-like, which is a huge benefit for the team.

Jay Sprague, forward

Thank you for working hard to get back into the lineup this season. After knee and ankle injuries that required surgery earlier this year, some people would have thrown in the towel on the year.

But not you.

You fought to get back in shape and cracked the lineup for the first time last Saturday. In your first game of the season you tallied a huge, and I mean HUGE, goal against Ferris State, which helped propel the team to a vital 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs.

Having two major injuries during the season would kill most people’s spirits. But every time I saw you around the rink, you always had a smile on your face. Keep up the hard work and physical play this weekend.

Justin Johnston, defenseman

Thank you for giving last season your all. The depth of this year’s freshmen class has kept you out of the lineup this season, but you logged a ton of ice time last year.

Although you haven’t recorded a goal, you’ve tallied three assists in your career at MSU. Most importantly, you’ve helped show the younger players on the team the ropes of the MSU hockey program.

Alex DiFilippo is the State News hockey reporter. He can be reached at difilip3@msu.edu.