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Spartans could be real deal

By Alex DiFilippo

Created:
10/24/09 12:46am

Last updated:
10/24/09 12:46am

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Oxford, Ohio — It’s time to start thinking this team is for real.

The Spartans looked very impressive in tonight’s nail-biting 2-1 loss to No. 1 Miami (Ohio).

This team looks nothing like the team we saw take the ice last season. They are faster, bigger and much more physical.

The crowd was going nuts here tonight, too. But the Spartans didn’t get rattled and put forth a valiant effort against a solid Miami squad.

The high-note of the night was MSU senior goaltender Bobby Jarosz, who stood on his head and made 26 saves in only his third career start.

The real test will be tomorrow. After such a close game, Miami will come out hungry and the Spartans are going to pick up their level of play up even higher.

Sure it was a loss, but it was nothing for the team to hang its head about.

They gave the No. 1 team in the land all they could handle.

Questions:
Is Miami really that good?
At times, Miami looked like an unstoppable force. They were cycling the puck in the offensive zone and clogging up the neutral zone – giving the Spartans little to work with. But there were also times where they looked lackadaisical on defense, especially in the first period. I’m thinking the RedHawks might have underestimated the Spartans coming into this game. We will know more about Miami after tomorrow’s game.

How will Jarosz play?
In one word: Fantastic. He made some amazing saves between the pipes tonight and had absolutely no chance on both goals scored on him. This game could have easily broke open if not for his efforts. And it took me by surprise, too. He looked shaky in his first start of the season, but not tonight. He kept the Spartans in the game. Tomorrow night, sophomore Drew Palmisano will get the start, MSU head coach Rick Comley said after the game.

Can the four Spartans who have scored points in every game keep their streak going?
Obviously tonight’s game was low-scoring. But Grant kept his streak alive, recording at least a point in every game this season, along with tallying multiple points in four of the team’s five games. He’s got a knack for being in the right place at the right time, a sign of a good hockey player. Junior defenseman Jeff Petry and junior forward Corey Tropp also kept their streaks alive, with both recording at least one point in every game so far this season.

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About Lighting the Lamp

Hockey reporter Dillon Davis takes you inside the MSU hockey team.

Follow Dillon on Twitter at @DillonDavis and the rest of The State News sports desk at @thesnews_sports.

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