Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State 4, Western Ontario 3
10/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 6, 2008
Michigan State Sophomore Forward Corey Tropp
On the exhibition being a good test... Definitely, in practice we've been playing each other for the past couple of months so it's a good test to play against another team and see how we are. We have to go back to work at practice and keep critiquing it.
On what the team still needs to work on ... I'd say everything. There is always room for improvement. It's only game one. Everything from power play to penalty kills, and breakouts and the back check.
On the second period ... I think we got in a little penalty trouble. Early on in the season you have to play smarter and limit penalties.
On his role in the upcoming season ... I'm just taking it game by game. Last year I got an opportunity and I want to keep that this year. I want to keep working everyday, and wherever he puts me, that's where I should be. You can only control hard work. I can't complain.
On the importance of coming out with a win ... It's definitely important. It's never fun losing the first game of the season. The big thing we stressed last year was being a third period team. Every season, to win a championship or big games, your best period has to be the third one.
On one freshman standing out from the rest ... I think they're all doing a good job. I wouldn't say there's just one. No need to single someone out because everyone plays a different role, but everyone is adapting really well. It's going to be fun to watch them progress and right now we have a good group of guys in the locker room
Michigan State Head Coach Rick Comley
Opening comments...
There were too many guys on the bench for me to have any idea what was going on. I can barely handle eighteen guys, let alone what seemed like forty. In the first period, we were fresh and we played pretty well. We got into penalty trouble in the second and then got really tired. Going into this year, the issues are whether or not we have players we can put out there in critical situations because of who we lost, can we win face-offs and can we kill penalties. Tonight, we got killed on face-offs. With the new icing rule, you're going to have more and more face-offs in your own zone. Also killing penalties was a major struggle. I thought our defensemen played well early and then struggled in the second half of the game. I liked Andrew Conboy, and he and Daultan Leveille are obviously good players. I thought our goaltenders were excellent, and obviously we are very talented in goal. A couple of lines I like and a couple I am very undecided about. A lot of guys got a chance to play tonight and that's what this game is supposed to be about. Obviously we will get tested a lot more next weekend but you have to start somewhere.
On the play of freshman goalie Drew Palmisano and junior goalie Bobby Jarosz...
I thought he [Drew Palmisano] was really, really good. He's very calm and his glove is tremendous. On the goals that they did score, he had no chance. And then you can't say enough about Bobby Jarosz. You go from being a two to a three, but he just goes about his business.
On Western Ontario...
We knew that they had a lot of Major-A kids, so it's a pretty good hockey team. They skate well and they got better as the game went on. That was their fourth or fifth game and that's a telling tale.
On the lessons learned from the game...
It won't be the last game like this. If you're going to infuse that many freshmen in your line-up, that many sophomores and take out the people we took out, that game wouldn't even have been close last year because we would have killed penalties and won face-offs. These guys have to develop. We've had one practice. It's obvious what you have to work on, and now we have two days where we can work on a few things before we head out east. I would rather they battle and get tested right now, and they will be better tomorrow because of today. Western Ontario was a very good opponent and they were no-nonsense out there, so it was good.
On the play of the freshmen...
You can tell that they've all been good players and they kind of all hang in the offensive zone. They are used to offense and that type of thing, but they will learn and they are coachable.
On the new four referee system...
I think it's great. To me, the referees are very much under control and not racing up and down the ice. There is great ice coverage and that's what you want. The penalties that were called were deserved. I think it's really good. Players always know that if somebody is 20 feet away, don't do something.
On line combinations...
Two lines I really like. You can tell that Mike Merrifield and Ben Warda have played a lot together because they have a great feel for each other. I'm really tempted to put Crowder in there because he is so good at getting to open spots, but then that leaves Schepke. Some people I might have to put in the line-up because I think they can block shots.
