Spartan Hockey Falls Short in Big Rapids to Ferris State 2-1

Big Rapids, MI Ferris State University Under the leadership of Tom Anastos the MSU hockey program has made an amazing resurgence. They play tough, they give

Big Rapids, MI

Ferris State University

Under the leadership of Tom Anastos the MSU hockey program has made an amazing resurgence. They play tough, they give all they have and even though they are under sized and frankly at some positions woefully under talented they give “The Stache” (head coach Tom Anastos) maximum effort. Sometimes even with great effort, it isn’t enough. This team has to add maximum effort with maximum execution and that wasn’t the case tonight.

The Spartans simply don’t have the talent (with the roster that he inherited) that the Stache needs to be able to win against better teams when they don’t execute and play well.

We said coming in to the season that a .500 season would be a miracle. They have far exceeded that (they stand at 12-10-4 and #16 national ranking) by being competitive in nearly every game and looking poised for a CCHA playoff birth. Tonight was a night against a better team that they couldn’t afford any let downs and they had them.

The Spartans didn’t quit, they didn’t loaf, but perhaps with all the attention they are getting it slipped their mind that they are not good enough to show up and have teams melt. Ferris suffocated the Spartans, but they certainly aren’t the Detroit Red Wings. They made mistakes, and the Spartans failed to execute those mistakes into goals or into opportunities.

Coach Anastos said afterward, “It was a low scoring game and it was everything we thought it would be. It takes maximum effort and maximum execution every night and that was not tonight.” 

The Spartan Nation can be proud of Anastos. If The Stache had been Brian Kelly (Notre Dame Head Football Coach) his quote would have been about the lack of talent he had inherited, but not Anastos. He focuses on the reality of the situation and that is why these young men love him and respect him.

Junior Captain Torey Krug who is an incredible talent and person covered for his teammates. “I think I could have done some more things to set some guys up,” he is a great captain because after a disappointment like tonight when he played well, he took the blame. That is what makes this team special. He went on to add, “The guys never gave up, they kept battling and we have to put this behind us because we come right back tomorrow.”

There are two good things that came out of this night

#1 The Spartans ended their anemic power play offensive struggles. Not a shock that Matt “Big Shot” Berry who always seems to come up with goals at the most critical points in shoot outs was the one to put the biscuit in the basket. He connected with 4:12 left in the first. It was the Spartans only goal of the contest

Anastos wasn’t looking for moral victories after the loss, but he did say about the convergence of a goal on a power play, “We’ve been struggling and we just wanted to get a goal. Any way that it would go in would have been fine to me, but clearly we have a long way to go to fix it.”

#2 Yanakeff the magnificent. The sophomore net minder got another chance to start and with 28 saves he showed the flashes of two more years of eligibility and a lot of hockey left this season that has to make Spartans smile. He is not yet among the greats, Ron Scott, Mike Gilmore, Ryan Miller or Jeff Lerg, but as a sophomore he is showing flashes and the faith that The Stache has showed in him hints that he sees it also.

So the Spartans will do what they have done all year. They will compete and they will be back and ready tomorrow night and I look for the win as this team rebounds and keeps fighting. With their star player we have affectionately named “ROCKY” leading the way this team gets up. Krug won’t allow them to sulk. 

Anastos won’t reward people that won’t give him 110% and this group of hard working, tough blue collar young people, and more importantly good young men, the fight is on.

MSU has a theme called Spartans Will. The best thing I can say is that with Anastos crew it is more like Spartans Do. I can’t wait for the 7:05 PM face off tonight.