Re: MSU Spartan off-season - the grand flame-out
I have been so focused on hosting people for the Frozen Four I did not get a chance to finish collecting my thoughts on the end of the season. I will warn you that this is going to be a VERY long message. here ya go...
Freshman Class: The freshman class looked to have a lot of promise in the first couple months of the year. I think in the week following the GLI the coaching staff started to do too much changing of lines and messing with lineups and that may have affected the mental makeup of some of the young guys. Guys like Hayes and Golembiewski were not "great" but they did provide solid minutes, and then all of a sudden they disappeared.
Tory Krug is going to be a special player at MSU. I think he could wear the A next year, and really be a Dryamond Green type of catalyst for the hockey program. We saw glimpses of what can be for Derek Grant. I think he had his hot streak early in the year, and we may have expected him to keep up a pace that is just not possible for a freshman. Grassi and Josepher developed very nicely on the blueline. I get nervous when they get caught up together on the same side of the ice, but positional play improves with experience.
Sophomore Class: I am so torn about this class that it drives me crazy. I want to expect great things from this class, but I just don't see them developing. I really hope guys like Perlini and Nill get stronger over the summer. This class showed flashes of brilliance with the puck in open ice, but not much strength on the stick or toughness in the corners.
Junior Class: This class was exactly what we expected, and what we needed this year. This class failed us tremendously in 08-09 but lead by a refocused Corey Tropp and the leadership of Jeff Petry, they did not disappoint. But now they have to step up like seniors do.
With Petry gone we need to see AJ Sturges actually step up and play. I understand there have been some things going on that prevented him from seeing the ice, but it's time to change that. He should be healthy and we are going to be severely undersized on the blueline without him.
Andrew Rowe had a great season and did more than I think was expected of him. I think putting him on a line with Grant and Leveille is important to keeping his stat line up. Andrew Rowe is the most consistent player on our roster going into next season and he will be the x-factor for success.
Departing Seniors: First, what can you say about Nick Sucharski? He is a quiet kid that always left his best effort on the ice. He has been one of my favorite Spartans since exploding against Maine in the 2007 Frozen Four. I hope he has success in the future.
Jay Sprague was a fundamental part of the development of Nick Sucharski. The two worked great together during the 2007 season and I hoped it would be a great tag team for the future. It really sucks that injuries took the toll that they did, but it was great to see him come back late in the year and have one last chance to wear the Green and White.
The hardest job in all of sports is being a full time backup goaltender. Athletes are competitors by nature, and I'm sure it wasn't easy for Bobby to ride the pine for 4 years. But that shows his character and commitment to being part of a program. I'm glad we got to have him around.
Justin Johnston: I'm not sure what to say...I've said all I need to about the situation that occurred on senior night. All I will say is thanks for your time in East Lansing.
COACHING:Everyone on here knows I have been a major supporter of Coach Comley. When he came in I warned everyone that he was not going to have us winning 30 games a season. However I did expect to compete for the CCHA title each season. I am pleased with the way he worked with a young team this season, however I am not satisfied with the way things ended.
Good coaching means developing young talent and grooming players during the year so they are playing at their best at the end of the season. In the Comley system we generally see the team play slow to start the season and finish strong. For some reason it happened the other way around this year.
We have now gone 3 years without making it to The Joe in the CCHA playoffs. That puts us on par with WMU. I don't expect to win the tournament each year, but we have got to stop losing playoff games at home. I am not ready to join the "Fire Comley" camp quite yet, but I will say that we need to make a run at the CCHA playoff title this year AND we absolutely must make the NCAA tournament. It has been 30 years since we missed the NCAA tournament 2 years in a row. If it goes 3 years then that is far too long.
The Fans:I was generally pleased with the renewed interest in MSU hockey after the winter break this year. The promotions, though not highly advertized were fairly successful. It was nice to see the corners fill in, and I was happy that I had some people in Section O with me for the first time in a few years!
The students, lead by aallenpollreisz were good. I would like to a group of students carry his passion into next season and work to help make Munn a more formidable environment. Those of us that were at Munn in the 80's and 90's know exactly how loud it can be in there--but back then it all started with the students.
I hope the athletic department gets their head out of their asses. Back in the day hockey mattered because basketball and football were stagnant. However now the hockey program has to fight for attention. There is no reason however for them to ignore the program as they have. I admire Mark Hollis for his great work accross the board. But the glaring problem is the complete lack of regard for the hockey program. It is unacceptable that a program with our tradition and potential is completely forgotten by the administration.
Overall:This program is loaded with quality players who carry themselves well in the community. Our 28 man hockey roster did more community service hours than the 100 man football roster. These are good kids, but we need to develop them into good hockey players. The coaches and strength and conditioning staff needs to build an effective summer program that builds strength and toughness. We were badly beat in the corners this season.
Next season I expect us to finish in the top 3 in the CCHA, make it to The Joe and make the NCAA tournament. Anything less than that and I will be very disappointed. From 2006 to 2008 we were one of only 3 programs that went to the Regional Finals 3 years in a row. We are not that far removed from success. However it feels much more gloomy right now. I feel like we are in a critical point in Spartan Hockey history, and we need everyone to step up and do their part.
I will do my part as a fan and be in my seat come October.
The catcher and blocker look familiar too.
