Lethemon Saving His Best For Last With Career Year

By Eric Bach
For MSUSpartans.com

John Lethemon is enjoying his best season in goal for the Michigan State hockey program, and it's no coincidence that the team is also riding the success of its senior leader. The Spartans enter the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to host a first-round Big Ten Tournament series. It's a veteran-led team that is finally seeing the fruits of their labor.

"We kind of always expected this," Lethemon said. "This group has been together for so long, and we've been envisioning a season like this ever since we stepped foot on campus together."

Lethemon has certainly saved his best for last. This season, he's put up career-bests in goals against average (2.15, third best in the Big Ten), save percentage (.935, fifth best in the nation), and he has posted five shutouts, which leads the Big Ten. His 2.15 goals against average is an improvement of over a goal per game from last season.

Lethemon said this big change is a combination of both physical and mental factors.

"This (past) summer was the first one I've had in the four years I've been here that I was completely healthy," Lethemon said. "Being able to get a solid 4-5 months of training to build strength, endurance, become more powerful has definitely helped and I think translated onto the ice. Being able to move cross-crease, hold my feet more, being able to challenge shooters but also be able to push across the crease if I have to make a second save, I think that's helped me a lot.

"Also mentally, that's just been something I've been working on since my time here. We have a great sports psychiatrist, Dr. (Lonny) Rosen, that has really helped me think the game the right way and helped me understand that it doesn't really matter who you're playing against because at the end of the day, it's you versus the puck rather than you versus the other team."

Lethemon continued, "It doesn't matter if you're playing the best team in the country or the worst team in the country, my job is still the same. I think over the years, me realizing that more and more has helped me just go out and play and feel comfortable and confident in myself and my abilities."

Lethemon's strong relationship with goaltending Coach Joe Exter has helped his development as well. They have been working a lot on Lethemon's skills, and the changes have been apparent.

"Ever since the new coaching staff took over three years ago, Coach Exter and I work for 30-45 minutes before practice and in goalie sessions just pounding in fundamentals and good habits that are going to translate into a game," Lethemon, a native of Northville, Mich., said. "We've had a great relationship ever since I met him day one, three years ago. He's very honest and truthful with me, so he's going to tell me how it is, he's not going to sugar-coat things, and I wouldn't want it any other way. He's a very genuine person who truly wants the best for me and he tries to get the most out of me every single day."

Exter said that their strong bond of respect has furthered Lethemon's improvement and mental approach.

"Trust is the foundation of any relationship," Exter said. "When he's on the ice or when he leaves the rink, there is a total trust in him."

Exter also attributes some of Lethemon's improvement to the development of the players in front of him.

"The team is much better," he said. "But not only that, John's fundamentals are off the chart. He's controlling rebounds so much better, not having to make two, three saves every chance. His mental approach has just gotten stronger too. He's been able to play in a lot of games, he's been through a lot of ups and downs, learned from it, and gotten better from it. He's just a really great person."

Lethemon's teammates are not surprised at all about his breakout year. Senior defenseman Jared Rosburg said his work ethic sets him apart.

"Ever since I've met him, he's been an extremely hard worker," Rosburg said. "He's one of the first guys in and last guys out every single day, and he's very detail-oriented. When you stack day after day like that, the results kind of speak for themselves."

Senior forward Logan Lambdin is proud of the work Lethemon and the rest of the senior class has accomplished in their final season together.

"This is what we love to do," Lambdin said. "Just maturing throughout our four years, you kind of learn and see what it takes to be as good as we can. When we came in, the program was kind of at a low and we wanted to change that and get Spartan Hockey back where it needs to be."

Continuity with the senior class has been a key to success, according to Lethemon.

"All the things we've been through as a team on and off the ice the last three, four years, I mean, we've been in so much equity on the ice, in the weight room, people don't realize how much work we really do put in," Lethemon said. "We have a majority upperclassmen team, so we've been able to train together, work together, and now we're all just kind of putting it together here."

Lethemon has seen the entire team's mental morale significantly improve this year too.

"This isn't a fluke," Lethemon said. "From an outsider's perspective, maybe someone that hasn't really followed the team maybe thinks 'they're overachieving,' but in our opinion, this is right where we want to be, and this is where we expect to be, fighting for a Big Ten championship."

Michigan State vs. Wisconsin, Dec. 6, 2019

Michigan State vs. Wisconsin, Dec. 6, 2019

Players Mentioned

Logan Lambdin

John Lethemon

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