Comley & The Spartans Bring Home the Cup

Written by Caleb Wojcik

The Michigan State hockey team has taken some hits lately. The hiring of Coach Rick Comley was criticized by some, the record streak of sold out games at Munn Ice Arena has been stopped and these players don’t get as much attention as the other major Spartan teams. And to these three points, I ask the fans, students and media one question. Why?

This is the Spartan team we should all be watching. Coach Rick Comley has molded a great group of young men into a great hockey team. We have established veteran Spartan captains such as junior forward Drew Miller, a heck of goalie in freshman Jeff Lerg and even a strong freshmen line that produces goals. Michigan State put the stamp of success on the season with their 11th CCHA Championship Title, beating Miami of Ohio 2-1.

The game started out even until fourteen minutes into the first period when Michigan State converted on their first power play. Freshman forward and future Detroit Red Wing Justin Abdelkader poked in a rebound off a shot by freshman forward Tim Crowder to go up 1-0.

This lead did not last long though. Miami was very quick to answer. And here, the definition of quick, is twenty seconds. Ryan Jones of Miami knocked down a shot by Alec Martinez, which was saved by Jeff Lerg, but left an open rebound for Jones to poke back in to tie the game 1-1. The goal underwent a quick review, but stood.

State answered with a goal six minutes into the second period. Drew Miller started the play from the neutral zone by passing up to sophomore forward Jim McKenzie who took a shot which was rebounded by senior forward David Booth and put right back for a 2-1 lead. Michigan State was able to hold off the Red Hawks for the rest of regulation and when the buzzer rang, MSU was the CCHA champs. The University of Michigan finished third, defeating Northern Michigan 3-2. How’s that third place working out for ya?

The players rushed their goalie Jeff Lerg and sticks, helmets and gloves went airborne. For the seniors, who have never been crowned regular season or tournament champions once during their tenure, this was a very pleasing performance. This is Coach Comley’s third CCHA championship title (Northern Michigan, 1980, 1981) and puts the stamp on how much we should be proud of the great coach that we have in him.

What may have been one of the tightest battles of the season for the Spartans turned into a great win to propel them into a number one seed for the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State (24-11-8) will take on number four seeded New Hampshire (20-12-7) at noon Saturday, March 25th at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y. Go Spartans!