However, things won’t be getting any easier for the CCHA’s last place team this weekend, as the Spartans host a two game series against Alaska – a team tied for third place in the league.

As the season has reached its halfway point, senior goaltender Jeff Lerg said all of the games from here on are must-wins.

“This weekend is going to be a huge weekend for us,” Lerg said. “The playoffs start now for us and we have to battle our way up in the standings.”

Goal scoring has been the weak spot of the Spartans all season – as they sitting in last place in the league, averaging 1.60 goals a game.

And with Alaska goaltender Chad Johnson leading the league in goals against average (1.60) and save percentage (.941), MSU head coach Rick Comley realizes how tough of a battle the series will be.

But overall Comley likes the way his team matches up against the Nanooks, who were predicted by both the coaches and the media in the preseason polls to finish in 11th place.

“They have had a very good year and their goaltending is outstanding,” Comley said. “We will just have to see how it plays out. They are very solid and controlled and have a nice, even level of talent.”

Comley is stressing urgency to his last-place team, yet he is confident the Spartans will continue to grow throughout the rest of this season and be very competitive come playoff time.

“I still think there is an opportunity for this team as it goes down the stretch to be a bad team to play in the playoffs and to make some good things happen,” Comley said. “I think that today Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan are better than we are. But I’m not convinced at all that we can’t beat them in the playoffs.”

Marked man?
Freshman forward Andrew Conboy has undoubtedly established himself as the Spartans enforcer.

But after the Great Lakes Invitational where Conboy racked up a team high eight penalty minutes, Comley said he thought Conboy was being unfairly targeted for his physical play.

Conboy is leading the Spartans with 58 penalty minutes and said he thinks the referees are keeping a very watchful eye on him.

“I’m not going to change the way I play,” Conboy said. “There are certain refs out there that I’m always going to be a marked man. But I’m not going to change the way I play for that. That’s something you don’t do as a hockey player. I think if they are going to make that call they are going to look bad and not me.”

Conboy said doesn’t want to reserve his physical play solely for games, and he is going to do whatever it takes to step up into a leadership position to make sure his team quickly turns things around.

“Either myself or some of the older guys have to step up and say something,” Conboy said. “Or maybe I have to step up and fight somebody in practice to set the tone … we just have to learn to hate losing – not just not like it. I think we’ve been dealing with (losing) lately, and we just have to hate it.”

Help wanted
With the dismissal of junior defenseman Ryan Turek from the team two weeks ago, the Spartans are left with only six defensemen on the roster.

The Spartans, like most teams, dress six defensemen for every game – thus giving Comley no discretion on which players suit up.

Comley said he’s been left with no choice other than to hunt down another defenseman or two, even if they only skate with the team during practices.

“We are an injury away from problems,” Comley said. “So we are contacting some kids right now. I may even look to move a player to defense just to give us another body back there – just in case. But it’s a tough situation.”