After being outshot 66-29 in two games over the weekend, the Spartans will need to find ways to get more shots on goal and head coach Rick Comley says his upperclassmen need to play a bigger role in this effort. Though the freshmen players gained experience with the rigors of college hockey during the weekend Icebreaker Tournament, Comley is counting on his veterans to contribute every game.

“I need the returning guys to be able to be productive and factors each night,” Comley said during his Tuesday press conference.

“Offensively they have to be involved and they weren’t very much on the weekend.”

While the freshmen chipped in with six points, the veterans, particularly seniors Tim Crowder, Nick Sucharski and Matt Schepke, only had a point for the weekend with Schepke getting a goal against Massachusetts last Friday.

The Spartans open a five-game home stand with a two-game series against UMass-Lowell on Thursday. It will mark the first time the Spartans have played the River Hawks since 2004. The two teams have split six previous contests.

Senior defenseman Brandon Gentile says the team will need to be more aggressive on the ice, finishing checks to create scoring chances and shots. But to get these chances, they’ll also need to communicate on the ice.

“That’s one of the biggest things is just communication on the ice. It just makes the game so much easier when you’re talking,” Gentile said.

Conboy Continues to Shine

With his first collegiate goal in Friday’s game, freshman forward Andrew Conboy continues to impress with his skill and presence during games.

“He got us back in the game on Saturday. He’s a physical presence when he’s on the ice,” Comley said.

Now with a few more games of experience, Conboy feels like he’s made a good transition into the faster pace of college hockey.

“I’ve played hockey my whole life and there’s a lot of different levels you have to jump to your whole career. I guess this was just another step I had to take, and I took it,” he said.

As a physical player, Conboy will heed Gentile’s advice about finishing checks and will do as much as possible to fill his role as a scorer and enforcer. At 6' 3" and 190 pounds, he might soon fill the role of physical scorer and fill the void left by the departure of Justin Abdelkader, but he also wants to do what he can to help the team every game.

“You feel pressure trying to chip in every night. (But) you can’t think about that so much, you just gotta think about what you’re going to do personally to help your team out,” he said.

Spartan Accolades

With a 63 save performance in the Ice Breaker Tournament, senior goaltender Jeff Lerg was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week. Comley isn’t surprised by Lerg’s early stellar play, saying that he’s even better than he was last year when he was a Hobey Baker candidate. He hopes the team’s win will break Lerg out of the early season slump he’s experienced the past few years.

“In the last couple years, his numbers have been so bad, his first couple starts that it’s taken him a long time to catch up. Now he’s off to a good start,” Comley said.