Western Michigan postgame

This was a close one.

Right as the final horn sounded, Western Michigan appeared to score the game-tying goal. I thought for sure this one was headed to overtime.

But after the referee’s reviewed the play, the deemed time had expired, giving the Spartans the nail-biting 2-1 win.

Sophomore goaltender Drew Palmisano looked great for the Spartans in net tonight. He had only three shots in the first period and looked bored back there early in the game. But as the game progressed, Palmisano was more and more busy.

With tonight’s win, the Spartans are already halfway to their win total from last season, which was a measly 10.

It was a good sign for the team to hold onto the lead in the third period – even if it was too close for the naked eye to judge.

With the Spartans giving up late goals to Maine and Miami (Ohio) in their only two losses of the season, it was reassuring to see the team scrap at the end of the game and hold on.

With 5.1 second remaining in the game, Comley had three freshmen on the ice. Talk about confidence in the youngsters.

Questions:

Comley said on Tuesday that senior netminder Bobby Jarosz will get the nod tonight. Why did he change his mind and go with Palmy?

When I asked this question in the post-game press conference, Comley said he made the change to mess with the media. Obviously, he was kidding. Associate head coach Brian Renfrew told Comley that Palmisano had only played in two home games prior to tonight, so Comley decided to switch things up. And it was a good choice. Palmisano played spectacular, especially late in the third period with the game on the line. Maybe it was thanks to the new, shiny leg pads he was sporting tonight. Comley said Jarosz will get the nod tomorrow.

How will Grassi look?

Grassi only played a handful of shifts before being sent off with a five minute penalty and game misconduct for checking from behind. It was tough to tell how he looked out there because of his limited ice time. But Comley was right, he’s a huge body out on the ice.

Can the Spartans power play stay hot?

Although the Spartans only went 1-for-5 on the power play tonight, they were moving the puck really well, especially in the first period. Western Michigan likes to collapse low on the penalty kill, making it hard to get shots on net. I’m expecting the Spartans to make the adjustment for tomorrow’s rematch

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