Michigan State 2, Northern Michigan 0
10/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 25, 2008
Michigan State Head Coach Rick Comley
On getting the two-game sweep over Northern Michigan...
It's great. With Nick Sucharski being hurt and Corey Tropp being out, the thinness of our lineup, I thought, was really going to make it tough. Jeff (Lerg) was really good. He wasn't bombarded, he was just really good. We blocked a lot of shots, kids played hard, and the young kids really stepped up for us. To get two wins against that team early in the year, I'm pretty happy with it. Northern Michigan is a very good team. They are a bit offensively-challenged, like all of us, but they are big and strong and they have good goaltending. They finished our season last year during the playoffs so two wins against them in the fashion we did, and with the lineup we had, gives us a lot to build on. It allows us to go into another week of practice and get better on a positive note.
On the penalty kill...
Well, they had a lot of practice - especially in the second period. They did a good job and they did what we wanted - pressured them and didn't give them much opportunity (to score). The power play was a big part of the game tonight for both teams. We got a goal and they had multiple opportunities.
On the play of MSU's fourth line of Merrified-Perlini-Sturges...
They were consistent. Early in game, especially, they were really good. They had the puck, they cycled - I thought they did a really nice job. We had a lot of people this weekend do a really nice job. A lot of people played and a lot of people contributed.
On what MSU's win in football over Michigan does for morale on campus...
I think it is a great win. I'm so happy for Mark Dantonio and Brian Hoyer. I don't care by how many points you are favored, or if you are favored, you are playing in front of over 110,000 people and to do so with the character that those kids did and that Mark did - I'm thrilled for them. It's a very special night for all of us.
On why he's is so happy for MSU quarterback Brian Hoyer...
I think he's done a really good job. He's been criticized a lot and he came up big in the biggest game of his life. I think he is a good person, he works hard, and I'm thrilled for him.
Michigan State Freshman Center Daultan Leveille
On his first career goal...
Well, I kind of blacked out, it was such a surreal moment. It was my first goal as a Spartan, and it's a pretty big thing for just helping out the team, which is the biggest part. It put us up 1-0, and I think it gave us a little boost and some confidence. We just had to hold onto the lead, work through it, and do the best we can for the rest of the game.
On sweeping Northern Michigan...
It was huge. A lot of people were doubting us, saying at the best we might split with them because they were the better, stronger team. I think our team was just kind of motivated to prove a lot of people wrong. We are a good team and are just going to keep getting better.
On the physical play tonight...
I think we did pretty well. We tried to not shy away from things, and throw the body back at them to show we will get physical and play that type of game. We just worked hard as a team and maybe shocked them a bit.
On keeping the momentum going into next weekend...
The biggest thing is another hard week of practice, so that we can work on things that we need to work on. We saw that Northern was a great team, and its got to be a stepping stone carrying it into next weekend versus Western Michigan, and they're going to be a strong team as well. We've got to try to work on everything, so at the end of the year we get better.
On the play of Jeff Lerg...
Having him (Jeff Lerg) back there makes everyone feel that much better. Personally, I've never had a goalie on my team that is that outstanding in the net. It makes you feel a little bit better that in the defensive zone if there is an opportunity that he will make that stop. It just lets you worry more about offense. We know that we need to produce more offense, so we try to do that, and know that he's going to be back there.
Michigan State Goaltender Jeff Lerg
On how you guys played tonight...
I think we played very well. Getting the shut out was good. We really didn't give up good chances to shoot. It's not like I had to make a lot of great saves. I think that it was the best defensive game that we've played all year. We didn't give up any odd man rushes and no breakaways, so I was really pleased with the way we played.
On how big the win is...
I think it was big to get into CCHA play and play one of the better teams in the league. Coming out with two wins was big because we've been trying to find our game the last few weeks. I think we see what it takes to win. We can't just show up and expect to win. We have to go out and earn it and I think that's what we did this weekend. Blocked shots, the energy level, and the hits - they were all there.
On the penalty kill...
Having Jeff Petry out when he is suppose to be killing penalties is difficult. He has a great stick in the penalty kill and he does a great job. Petry being off the ice gives opportunities for other players to step up. We did a great job killing them off and not giving them a lot of shots. We had a lot of blocked shots and a ton of cleared pucks. We also did a great job of getting pucks out of the middle of the net and getting them to the corners. I was battling trying to find the puck but it never really got to the net.
