Sports: Rick Comley

The 2010-11 Spartan icers were a youthful group, with only two returning seniors skating alongside 14 underclassmen. Several key players had opted to join the professional ranks early. The result was a season of youthful inconsistency, as the team failed to muster a single series sweep until the final weekend, when the Spartans swept Bowling Green. The regular season’s winning finale added a positive note to Coach Rick Comley’s final stint as a college hockey coach.

In January Comley had announced his retirement at the end of this season, his ninth as head coach at MSU and 38th overall. He previously coached at Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan. An icon in college hockey, Comley is one of only five coaches to win more than 700 games—along with his mentor Ron Mason, who retired as MSU athletics director. Comley is one of only two coaches to win national championships at more than one school. His NCAA titles came in 1991 with Northern Michigan and in 2007 with MSU. He also coached at his alma mater Lake Superior State. “I think it’s a good time for a change,” Comley explains. “It’s been a great ride for me the whole 38 years, and I’m really thrilled I had an opportunity at a great place like MSU, and I knew when I came here it wasn’t going to be a 20-year situation, and nine’s pretty good.”

This year’s icers performed a bit in roller coaster fashion, showing excellence at times as well as a proneness to make mistakes. On the plus side, they beat archrival Michigan twice, both times with excellent goal-tending from rising freshman goalie Will Yanakeff. In the second win against the Wolverines, played at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, MSU won 2-1 while performing like a championship team. But MSU suffered 14 losses, including two shutouts in Ann Arbor. Especially painful was a 5-0 debacle in the “Big Chill in the Big House,” which set the world ice hockey attendance record of 113,411 at Michigan Stadium. The Spartans actually outshot the Wolverines 34-29, but the only statistic that matters is goals scored.

Other examples of inconsistency were the series against Ohio State, where MSU lost on Friday and won 4-0 on Saturday. MSU beat Miami (OH) scoring seven goals on Friday, but lost 4-0 on Saturday. The Spartans were swept at Western Michigan and Notre Dame, and lost a home series to Northern Michigan.

Through the ups and downs, many icers stepped up their play. Sophomore forward Derek Grant led MSU in points with 32 (24-8), followed by junior Brett Perlini (29, 17-12), sophomore Torey Krug (26, 11-15), senior Dustin Gazley (25, 10-15) junior Daultan Leveille (18, 8-10) sophomore Dean Chelios (13, 7-6) and freshman Jake Chelios (11-7-4). Yanakeff emerged as someone who could rotate at goal with junior Drew Palmisano. All except for Gazley are expected to return. At season’s end, former All-American Spartan Forward Anson Carter, a Hobey Baker finalist who went on to an 11-year career in the National Hockey League, was honored with the 2011 Distinguished Spartan Award.

Reflecting on his career, Comley refers to himself as a “college guy” but is quick to point out that it is a way to honor all the hockey programs that he coached. “I’m really proud to have been at MSU the past nine years,” he explains. “I have great memories. It was a big, big part of my career. But when I say that, I’m saying I have great respect for all three schools I’ve been at.”

What might the future hold for Comley? “I don’t have any complaints or regrets,” he says. “It will be six months in Florida, six months in Marquette. Now if any opportunity comes along . . . ”