Lerg had some struggles early last season, but bounced back and ended the year with a 2.22 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and 4 shutouts. With three years experience backstopping the Spartans, he should have no problem adding to his already stellar career this next season.
No doubt Spartan fans will cherish every game this season, Lerg’s last as a Spartan.
Defense
Every year the Spartans seem to lose a few good defensemen. In 2007, it was Ethan Graham and Tyler Howells. This offseason, the Spartans lost Ratchuk, Jeff Dunne, and Daniel Vukovic on defense and will look to rebuild their defensive core heading into this season. All three were solid defenders with Vukovic providing a big physical presence and Ratchuk having a deadly shot.
At the head of this year’s defensive pairings is Brandon Gentile, a senior assistant captain. Gentile has been a solid defenseman for the last few years and will be looked upon to provide veteran leadership. Like some of his predecessors, Gentile has the ability to play physically, which will come in handy when MSU plays teams like Alaska and Michigan who like to throw their weight around. Look for Gentile to have a good year as he enters his final season in the green and white.
Aiding him on the blue line, Ryan Turek and Justin Johnston should also provide stability. Look for sophomores A.J. Sturges and Jeff Petry to step into bigger roles after getting playing time last season. Petry was named to the CCHA’s All-Rookie team after last season.
Incoming freshmen Matt Crandell and Tim Buttery may see some action as well. Both are in the top 10 in scoring among defensemen in the USHL and adding them in the lineup would give the team depth as well as potentially providing additional scoring threats.
Forwards
Don’t be fooled; the losses of Abdelkader and Kennedy will hurt. Abdelkader was a big physical forward who could score. He was the one who sealed the Spartans’ championship in 2007 with the game-winning goal against Boston College.
When Kennedy got into a scoring grove, he was as dangerous a scorer as anyone in the nation. He led the Spartans in points two years in a row. Together with Tim Crowder, these two could have been one of the best lines in all of college hockey this year.
Couple those departures with the losses of Bryan Lerg and Chris Mueller, and the Spartans have lost four of their top five scorers from last season.
Now the only one remaining, Crowder, another senior assistant captain, will be expected to put the puck in the net a lot. Last year, he was fourth on the team in points with 38.
Expect to see a lot more scoring from senior Nick Sucharski, who had 24 points last season and will be looked to more often for offense as well.
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