The last time the MSU hockey team played No. 8 Michigan at Joe Louis Arena, the Wolverines dominated the Spartans 5-1.
And the last time the two teams battled at Yost Ice Arena, U-M stole a similar result, defeating the Spartans 6-1.
Spartans prepare for tough weekend series
The MSU hockey team is continuing play on the road this weekend when they take on No. 8 Michigan at Joe Louis Arena and then Yost Ice Arena on Friday and Saturday.
The Wolverines have defeated the Spartans in the three meetings between the teams already this season.
The rivalry between the schools has meant a lot to senior goaltender Jeff Lerg and he is looking forward to the last two meetings between the teams this season.
MSU head coach Rick Comley also discusses what it’s going to take to beat U-M this weekend.
With the Spartans heading back to the Joe and Yost this weekend to again take on the Wolverines, MSU senior goaltender Jeff Lerg said he is looking for his team to build off the past three weekends when they have split series with ranked teams.
“We are looking to put together a good weekend and get through this rough stretch here,” Lerg said. “We want to pick up some points in the standings to stay above water.”
In the three losses at the hands of the Wolverines this season, U-M has scored a total of 16 goals.
Lerg said he is going to have to step his game up if the Spartans are going to pull any points out of this weekend.
“I have to be focused and competitive,” Lerg said. “They are the type of team that is always going to be around the net and the puck is always going to be coming at you from all over. Obviously I’ll have to be strong in net this weekend because of how powerful their offense is.”
The Wolverines have four players who have racked up more points than the Spartans’ leading point-getter Matt Schepke, who has 15 points on the year.
To contain the Wolverines high-powered offense, MSU head coach Rick Comley said he wants to see his team play more physical than they have in the previous meetings between the rivals.
“The people we have have to return hits,” Comley said. “If you are on the receiving end all the time, usually bad things happen.”
In the three losses to U-M this season, MSU has won the first period battle by a goal, but they have been dominated in the second and third periods, with the Wolverines outscoring the Spartans 15-3.
“I think we’ve played well in the first period, but then they’ve gradually taken it away on us,” Comley said. “We are capable, but we just have to react to the atmosphere and be ready to go.”
Lerg said sustaining the effort level for the entire game’s duration will be crucial if the Spartans are going to upset the Wolverines.
“We want to really play hard and lay it out there for 60 minutes because this rivalry is such a big deal,” Lerg said. “We can’t go through a whole year without beating these guys.”
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