MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

[owslachief]

The end came so precipitously for this team it's almost surreal.
Comley lost this team two weeks ago.
MSU may lose a lot more than 3 seniors. How can anybody feel good about next year?

[Pirateasaurus]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

We'll be alright.

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

... grumble.

More later.

[Sparty Foxbat]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

Wow. The University of Michigan-Walmart just ended our season with a sweep at our home and no amount of alcohol (effing daylight savings ) can erase that. Go Izzo!

There can't be any excuses for this. I don't think a firing would be adequate, but if someone else good can take over, I'd be thankful for a "retirement" or AD "promotion".

We'll be alright.

We were supposed to be alright this year.

[owslachief]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

We'll be alright.

That would have been my thought, if not for the WAY WE FINISHED.
To not go to the finals 3 years in a row is one thing. Ask me at the beginning of the year and I would have given this program about a 50/50 chance of doing that and given where we came from and the scoring gap we had to make up, would have accepted that.

We finished second because lets face it, there was lot of underachieving going on in this league this year.

But to start hot, and then sleepwalk through the second half was not what I envisioned. The worst possible scenario became reality this weekend.

I probably sound like a broken record when I say this program was building for a big rebound for 2010/2011, but I'm not so sure anymore. There are some overperforming freshmen who may have hit a ceiling. And guys we didn't see a lot of after January. There could be a player or two transfer, given how this went down. Don't be shocked. We know about Petry and Tropp and what could potentially be offered them (Tropp would be ill-advised to take the offer IMHO). And one (maybe more) reporter wonders about Rowe being tendered a free-agent offer. Imagine the impact these things taken together would bring.

I tell you, there was something rather fishy (rotten?) in that lockerroom - seems all that good feeling and that comraderie people talked about at the offset just sort of seeped away.

[streaker]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

Wow. The University of Michigan-Walmart just ended our season with a sweep at our home and no amount of alcohol (effing daylight savings ) can erase that. Go Izzo!

There can't be any excuses for this. I don't think a firing would be adequate, but if someone else good can take over, I'd be thankful for a "retirement" or AD "promotion".


We were supposed to be alright this year.

Yeah, leave it to you or Gomer to come up with a snappy MAC fanbase comeback. The effort at Munn personified the pathetic fan interest. Then again, Lloyd Comley used the "youth" excuse.

[WildcatGoal]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

I was so hopefully you would have been able to keep the michigan fans out of the Joe.

Now we have to listen to that again.

[streaker]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

I was so hopefully you would have been able to keep the michigan fans out of the Joe.

Now we have to listen to that again.

Is your team going to actually win a game there? What excuse will it be this year?

[Nevergoodenough]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

I tell you, there was something rather fishy (rotten?) in that lockerroom - seems all that good feeling and that comraderie people talked about at the offset just sort of seeped away.

Do you think that the players aren't getting along like at the beginning of the season? I'm not a betting man, but I would lay money on the table that this melt-down was not caused by a player v. player problem. Of course, I don't gamble much, so take it for what it's worth.

[owslachief]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

I'll not put anyone on the spot. A few vested interests at stake (I am somewhat vested); but there is a certain rumour regarding players vs. leadership*. If it's true, then many of my assumptions going into, say, the time of the banquet will have been turned upside down and sideways.

I would unequivocally say that as a program, MSU hockey is not all of one accord.


*My definition of "leadership" is not confined to one man, btw.

[Nevergoodenough]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

I'll not put anyone on the spot. A few vested interests at stake (I am somewhat vested); but there is a certain rumour regarding players vs. leadership*. If it's true, then many of my assumptions going into, say, the time of the banquet will have been turned upside down and sideways.

I would unequivocally say that as a program, MSU hockey is not all of one accord.


*My definition of "leadership" is not confined to one man, btw.

That appears to be a fair evaluation based upon what we've seen in the past few weeks. I think the players are still pretty tight, but that's based on what I've seen around.

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

There is a way that we can get the 16th seed in the tournament. On collegehockeynews.com you can finish out the season picking your teams that win and lose. They complete the pairwise rankings after your picks are made and if this happens it says Michigan State is tied for 14th and has the last spot in the tournament.

You have specified the following tournament results:

* Hockey East Semifinal #2: Maine defeats Boston University.
* Hockey East Semifinal #1: Boston College defeats Vermont.
* Hockey East Championship game: Boston College defeats Maine.
* ECAC Semifinal #2: Union defeats St. Lawrence.
* ECAC Semifinal #1: Cornell defeats Brown.
* ECAC Championship game: Cornell defeats Union.
* ECAC Consolation game: Brown defeats St. Lawrence.
* Atlantic Hockey Semifinal #2: Sacred Heart defeats Air Force.
* Atlantic Hockey Semifinal #1: RIT defeats Canisius.
* Atlantic Hockey Championship game: RIT defeats Sacred Heart.
* CCHA Semifinal #2: Ferris State defeats Northern Michigan.
* CCHA Semifinal #1: Miami defeats Michigan.
* CCHA Championship game: Miami defeats Ferris State.
* CCHA Consolation game: Northern Michigan defeats Michigan.
* WCHA Play-in #1: Minnesota-Duluth defeats North Dakota.
* WCHA Semifinal #2: Wisconsin defeats St. Cloud State.
* WCHA Semifinal #1: Denver defeats Minnesota-Duluth.
* WCHA Championship game: Wisconsin defeats Denver.
* WCHA Consolation game: St. Cloud State defeats Minnesota-Duluth.

According to the USCHO PWR predictor, if the above were to happen, we'd be the first team out.

[SJHovey]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

According to the USCHO PWR predictor, if the above were to happen, we'd be the first team out.

Yep. I think CHN had a problem with theirs, that has now been corrected.

[BlimpGuy]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

Out of next years seniors (Petry, Rowe, Gazley, Sturges, Shean and Tropp) who do you most want to see return?

Also, of those currently drafted on the team (Petry, Tropp, Leveille, Nill and Grant), who is most likely to leave early?

IMO Rowe is the guy I'd absolutely hate to see leave early. Most likely to leave would be Petry.

[The Vicar]

Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out

If Comley's got to go, I got the perfect replacement - Craig Dahl!