59 Teams in 59 Days Michigan State

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues as we hit day number 32. Today we go to East Lansing, Michigan where the Michigan State Spartans are featured.

Last year the Spartans captured the CCHA tournament title which led them to a number one seed in the East Regional in Albany. However the Spartans who had won 11 of 13 going 11-1-1 in that span, lost to Maine in the regional final.

Drew Miller the team's leading scorer and the captain of the Spartans last year left for the NHL. However, six out of the top nine scorers on the team return. True the Spartans will miss Miller. He had 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points. And true they will miss his leadership, however, the Spartans have a veteran team coming back and will look to make a run for their first Frozen Four apperance since 2001.

Defensively The Spartans look strong. Senior Tyler Howells will play both forward and defense like he did last year. His classmates Seniors Ethan Graham, Chris Snavely, and Brandon Warner all return on a veteran team. Goaltender Jeff Lerg will be the number one goaltender. The 5"6 Sophomore goaltender went 17-6-6 and was a key factor in the Spartans run late in the year. Senior Dominic Vicari will back up Lerg. He is one of the top backup goaltenders in the country and could start for a lot of other teams in the country. When you put it all together, this leads to a conclusion that the Spartans are going to be one of the best defensive teams in the country.

Head Coach Rick Comley has not been to a Frozen Four since 1991 with Northern Michigan where he won his only National Championship in his coaching career. Comley is approaching win number 700 (needs 12 more to get there) and is curently third among active coaches in wins. He is only behind Jack Parker of BU, and Jerry York of BC, who both have 700 wins. Comley will have a lot of talent in front of him, can he lead the Spartans back to the Frozen Four?

The predicted ceiling for Michigan State is first in the CCHA, while their gutter is third.

Tommorrow the Michigan Tech Huskies will be featured as we hit day number 33 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.