Berry on His Way Out of Limbo

The verdict is in, and forward Matt Berry has been welcomed back to the hockey team.

“Matt was not meeting certain obligations that we felt every player on our team needs to meet,” MSU men’s hockey head coach Tom Anastos said in his press conference last Tuesday.

Not meeting those obligations forced Anastos to sit the senior from Canton for the last six games. Berry has not dressed since the first game in the series against Minnesota on Dec. 5.

“I forced him to go reassess life as a Spartan hockey player and the commitments that are necessary to be a part of it,” Anastos said. “He has done that and he’s going to have to continue day by day to demonstrate to me that he can meet those obligations and do them in a productive way and we will give him an opportunity to try to work his way back in, if that’s possible.”

The move by Anastos is surprising given the offensive impact Berry has on the team. In 14 games, Berry has 13 points, which is good enough for second on the team behind captain Michael Ferrantino.

“Matt has certain skills that can lend to the game, but sometimes we tend to focus on those and maybe not other things,” Anastos said.

It seems that Anastos is looking at this weekend’s matchup against Ohio State to mark Berry’s return to the lineup.

“He knows exactly what is expected of him and he knows the consequences if he doesn’t meet those expectations,” Anastos said. “I think he’s in a better spot, but he has to prove it to me every day.”


Brian Bobal is the co-host of Behind the Mask for Impact Sports

Photo: Brian Bobal/Impact Sports