The Spartans were able to rely on solid goaltending, kill penalties, and capitalize on their chances to get the 3-1 win over Massachusetts in the opening game of the Ice Breaker Invitational at Agganis Arena.

“In the past we’ve been a team that’s played OK but not great (early on) and we’ve been a better second half team,” senior goaltender Jeff Lerg said. “So it’s encouraging to see a good win after that and hopefully it will carry into tomorrow.”

Lerg wasn’t worried about facing 37 shots in the opening game and after the Spartans held the Minutemen without a shot for the first nine minutes of the game, he was wondering if he would ever see the puck.

“I think it’s good to face that many shots because you get the nerves out for the year,” the Spartans captain said. “I was waiting for them (to get a shot on net) but once they did it kept on coming.”

Even though it was the first game of the season, the freshmen showed why MSU head coach Rick Comley is so confident in them.

Three freshmen recorded their first points in the Green and White, as Andrew Conboy scored a goal, Daultan Leveille had two assists and Trevor Nill had an assist.

“Putting points up helps the team win and you’ve got to do what it takes to help the team win,” Leveille said. “It makes it easier on the team as a whole.”

The Spartans got on the board early with a goal by sophomore Andrew Rowe that occurred one second after MSU’s first power play expired. Leveille went flying through the neutral zone twice during the man advantage to set the power play up, but it was on his second time up the ice that he made the Minutemen pay.

Leveille brought the puck past the red line with speed and dumped it off to sophomore Corey Tropp at the blueline. Tropp skated the puck toward goal and threw a wrist shot at the net that UMass goalie Dan Meyers had a hard time with. Meyers gave up a soft rebound right in front of the net and Rowe was right there waiting to pounce on it. He banged it home to give the Spartans the lead and the first goal of the season.

After the Spartans got the first goal of the game, Leveille settled down and started to feel more comfortable with every shift he took.

“(Getting the first goal) took a lot of weight off our shoulders,” Leveille said. “It’s always good to get the first goal because it takes the pressure off us and settles us down because everyone is a little bit antsy and nervous going out there. But it let us play our game a little bit easier and it allowed us to be a little more defensive minded.”

Leveille was the set-up man for the second Spartans goal as well. This time it came on the power play 52 seconds into the second period.

Leveille had the puck at the boards near the blueline and skated parallel to the line before delivering a no-look drop pass to sophomore defenseman Jeff Petry. Petry fired a slap shot from the point that was deflected past Meyers by Conboy, who positioned his big 6-foot-3 frame in front of the net.

Another freshman set up the third goal for MSU. Nill skated down the right side of the ice and charged the net hard but wasn’t able to get much of a shot off before he was taken down. The puck bounced right out to senior forward Matt Schepke who was crashing the net and sent the puck into the top-shelf.

Lerg made a great save about halfway though the third period to persevere his shutout. He stoned UMass senior Chris Davis who received a saucer pass and walked right in on Lerg.

But Lerg didn’t have a chance to make a save two minutes later when the Minutemen got on the board for the first time.

UMass sophomore Brian Keane charged right at Lerg before getting drilled by MSU sophomore Jeff Petry. Keane’s body flew into Lerg’s and the puck slid under the net minder into the goal. The goal was reviewed and deemed good by the officials.

“It was kind of a coincidence (the puck) got buried into my pad and carried it into the net,” Lerg said. “I had a feeling when I saw it it could be a goal.”

Despite pulling their goalie in the final minute, the Minutemen weren’t able to beat Lerg again.

Lerg’s 36 save performance is something Comley has grown to expect and he saidtomorrow’s final Ice Breaker game against host Boston University will be yet another challenge for the netminder who “continues to get better.”

“Jeff is obviously our heart and soul,” Comley said. “You don’t want him to have that many (saves) but I think with our lineup right now he might get a few more tomorrow.”