Take freshmen forwards Andrew Rowe and Corey Tropp of the MSU hockey team, for example.

Rowe admits that adjusting to college life was difficult, especially because he played juniors for two years.

“It was really tough for me to make the transition,” Rowe said. “Not too much schooling and education went into that.”

And knowing who to go to when times get rough helps alleviate those burdens, too, he added — a role he hopes to grow into as he makes progress in the MSU hockey program.

“Being the go-to guy, if the younger guys need anything,” Rowe said. “The seniors and juniors right now do a great job of that. We obviously know who to go to.

“Hockey-wise, be a good contributor to the team. Hopefully we’ll be a successful all-around team and win some more championships, that’d be really cool in my four years.”

Tropp added that he also aspires to become a mentor for younger players in the future.

“Everyone looks up to our older guys, the captains,” Tropp said. “I want to be one of those guys who is really respected, you know, someone the younger guys look up to.”

But to become a part of this team, it takes focus, skill and determination — three aspects that easily can be swept under the rug that is a busy college life.

“I can’t emphasize it enough, doing the small things,” Rowe said. “They don’t go unnoticed.

“Your work ethic must be 100 percent. You (have to show) you want to be here, and you want to play — doing the little things right. Get the puck out of the zone, battle in the corner and win small battles. Finish your hits, obviously, don’t bury your teammates in practice, but give them a good bump. Small things, for sure, will do it.”

It’s this kind of mentality that got Rowe playing time last weekend.

Both he and Tropp had career bests with three points — a goal and two assists — against Nebraska-Omaha last weekend.

Tropp leads the team’s freshmen in both goals and points.

“It’s always nice to get points, and yeah, obviously, to score,” Tropp said.

“You grow a lot of confidence. But the main thing is, whether you’re getting points or not, is how the team’s playing. It brings a lot of confidence to yourself and that self-confidence can only help the team down the road.”

While Tropp sees regular playing time, Rowe has played in only 10 games this season, and MSU head coach Rick Comley said putting him in the lineup improved the team’s speed against Nebraska-Omaha.

“I had no idea Rowe was going to score,” Comley said. “He takes pressure off defensively … Rowe skates so well with the puck, and he’s a kid I have high hopes for. He just hasn’t had a chance to play too much yet.”