Comley does best to keep No. 6 Spartans levelheaded after signature sweep

---

Tweet

If you told players on the MSU hockey team at the beginning of the season they would be the No. 6 ranked team in the country in the middle of November, they wouldn’t have believed you.

But it’s true — and the Spartans are clicking on all cylinders.

MSU is coming off a weekend sweep of archrival Michigan and the team sits in first place in the CCHA — along with recording a nation-high nine wins.

Freshman forward Kevin Walrod called the sweep of the Wolverines the “best hockey moment” in his career.

But MSU head coach Rick Comley quickly brought the team back down to earth in the locker room after Saturday’s win.

“Coach knew we were all buzzing and high-fiving like we won the whole (league),” Walrod said. “But he told us we have four more tough games with equally as tough teams and to get off the high horse now and to back up what you’ve just done. We had a day or two to celebrate, now it’s back to hard practices.”

With a home-and-home series against No. 14 Notre Dame starting Thursday night at Munn Ice Arena, and games against No. 15 Wisconsin and Minnesota looming ahead during Thanksgiving weekend, Comley said it’s crucial for the Spartans (9-2-1 overall, 6-1-1-1 CCHA) not to get too high on themselves just yet.

“We are scratching the surface,” Comley said. “The next big test for them is dealing with this now. It’s one thing to chase people and have to prove you are good enough, but then all of a sudden you win some games and you are ranked nationally. You better be able to deal with that, too. If they get loosey-goosey and think they are OK, they are going to struggle.”

Senior forward and co-captain Nick Sucharski said the Spartans are tuning out national polls and focusing on improving every time they touch the ice.

“A lot of the guys didn’t even know we are No. 6,” Sucharski said. “All we are worried about right now is just our team and making sure we stay on the right path. We’ve done so much to get here, it would be a shame if we started letting egos get to our heads.”

Balancing act

During critical points in games last season, Comley was left scratching his head with no idea who to put on the ice.

But that’s no longer a problem.

“I put people out there at any time,” Comley said. “I have no hesitation to play any of those 18 skaters against anybody.”

MSU’s fourth line, consisting of four freshmen, shut down U-M’s top line Saturday night, en route to a MSU 2-0 shutout victory.

And that’s all Comley is looking for from his bottom two lines.

“We don’t have to rely on one line,” Comley said. “If (junior forward Corey) Tropp’s line scores, that’s great. If they don’t score, we aren’t necessarily eliminated.”

Sucharski said the play of the third and fourth lines has been key to the Spartans’ success.

“The way you win, you have to have a great fourth line and be able to put them out there,” Sucharski said.

“Right now, we have a fourth line and a third line that both can play so much. It’s great to see.”

---