Can Michigan State repeat as the national champion?
Probably not, but the Spartans at least have that chance. They are the first defending national champions in three years to qualify for the NCAA field. Junior goalie Jeff Lerg is one of 10 Hobey Baker finalists. “You don’t win with just a goaltender,” MSU coach Rick Comley said on Sunday’s TV selection show. His team is a third seed. 5 How low-scoring will tournament games be? Last season teams averaged 2.7 goals between them per game, the second-lowest total since 1968. (The record is 2.2 gpg in 2004.) This tournament seems to be filled with talented goalies. Besides Lerg, two others are also Hobey Baker finalists: Jean-Philippe Lamoureux of North Dakota and Kevin Regan of New Hampshire. Richard Bachman of Colorado College and Alex Kangas of the Gophers are two of the nation’s top freshmen in the nets. 6 Which two teams are most likely to play an overtime game? The Gophers and Boston College, of course, who meet in the first round at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Worcester, Mass., in the Nort
