Krug ascends to Spartan hockey captaincy after strong first year 

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EAST LANSING - For the first time program history, a sophomore will captain the Michigan State hockey team. Torey Krug, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound defenseman from Livonia, has been elected by his teammates as the Spartans' 2010-11 captain. Senior forward Dustin Gazley and junior forward Trevor Nill will serve as alternate captains. Both Gazley and Nill are from Novi. The only other time in which a sophomore was a captain was in 1984-85, when defenseman Don McSween was a tri-captain along with seniors Kelly Miller and Dan McFall. Krug is the first sophomore to serve as solo captain. "Torey has established himself as a leader in our locker room and it's a testament to him that his teammates voted him to be their captain,'' MSU coach Rick Comley said in a statement released by the MSU athletic communications department. "We saw those leadership qualities in him when we recruited him.'' Krug had excellent freshman season. He had three goals and 18 assists for 21 points in 38 games and made the CCHA All-Rookie Team. The feisty, energetic Krug led MSU in penalty minutes with 67. "Growing up in Livonia, I always felt that pulling on green and white sweater would be an honor in itself. I'm really excited about this opportunity,'' Krug said in a statement. "It's an unbelievable group of guys in our locker room - one of the closest teams I've ever been on in my life.'' In 38 games last season, Gazley had nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points - all career highs. Nill had two goals and nine points in 26 games in 2009-10. "Dustin Gazley and Trevor Nill are two hard-working players ...'' Comley said. "It's their conduct, effort and initiative that have established them as leaders among their teammates.'' The Spartans, coming off a second-place finish in the CCHA and records of 14-8-6 (CCHA) and 19-13-6 (overall), open the season Oct. 14-15 with a nonconference home series against Maine. Before the opener, MSU plays an exhibition game against Western Ontario at 7 p.m. Oct.8 at Munn Arena. More