EAST LANSING – The Michigan Wolverines came into town last night as the No. 1 team in the nation to take on the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans at Munn Ice Arena. The Munnsters called for a white-out, and the students were lined up 10 hours in advance for their only opportunity to see the Spartans play the Wolverines on home ice this year.
The game started off with dominance from Michigan State; great offensive pressure was applied to the Wolverines for the first few minutes of the game. After a flurry of shots, a battle for a loose puck behind the net led to a cross-checking penalty from sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi. The Spartans’ special teams did their job, however, killing the penalty with the help of junior goaltender Trey Augustine.
After the penalty kill did their job, the Spartans went for a line change that would hurt them. In the midst of the change, the Wolverines applied pressure to the Spartan defenders who were backtracking with the puck in their own zone. Sophomore forward Will Horcoff took the puck away, quickly passed it to sophomore center Michael Hage, who found freshman forward Malcom Spence for a slap shot that beat Augustine glove side to give the Wolverines a 1-0 advantage on a pretty 1-2-3.
Following the goal, MSU’s top line had an offensive surge leading to Ivankovic losing his stick. The Munnsters went into a frenzy realizing this, but the Spartans could not capitalize. After a flurry of shot attempts, the Wolverines are able to clear the puck out, and a frustrated freshman center Caden Lindstrom gets two minutes for tripping.
The Spartans’ special teams continue to dominate, not allowing a single shot during Michigan’s power play. As soon as the man advantage ended, Lindstrom had a breakaway opportunity as he exited the box but was unable to convert. The rebound was collected by senior forward Daniel Russell, but his shot attempt was easily deflected out of play.
Despite a clean start, things get chippy quickly as senior defenseman Tyler Duke gets involved with freshman forward Porter Martone after a whistle is blown. The incident was reviewed for a major penalty, but after the Big Ten officials looked it over, Duke was assessed with two minutes for elbowing.
The Spartans’ power play struggled to get a good look on the net, as the Wolverines continued to clog the middle and intercept passes well. Michigan was able to kill the penalty without any concern, and Duke rejoined his team without punishment.
The Wolverines dominated the remainder of the first period and slowly pulled away from the Spartans with a shot on goal. Augustine was forced to make four consecutive pad saves to keep the game a 1-0 contest, and the Spartans were able to bend but not break as the period came to a close.
To start the second period, the Spartans showed uncharacteristically sloppy passing. Freshman forward Anthony Romani found himself unmarked in the neutral zone, and a clean pass would create a breakaway opportunity. The Wolverine pressure, however, didn’t allow the Spartans to complete a clean pass in either zone, and the puck intended for Romani was out of reach, allowing freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic to easily make a play to clear it out of his zone.
Around halfway through the second period, senior center T.J. Hughes and senior forward Josh Eernisse found themselves on a 2-on-0 opportunity after a turnover by the Spartans. Augustine set up to be the hero, but freshman center Eric Nilson put on the cape and poked the puck free to stop a quality scoring opportunity for the Wolverines.
Shortly after, Hage finally punches one in on a tip-in from a deflected puck. Augustine quickly lifted his stick in the air, calling for a high stick, and as the replay was shown on the big screen, the arena was quick to agree with their goaltender. After a quick review by the officials, it was deemed a no-goal, and the contest remained a 1-0 advantage for the Wolverines.
Junior defenseman Patrick Geary was caught with a high stick moments later, but before the Spartans could touch the puck, the Wolverines created a 2 1 opportunity that was miraculously saved by Augustine. The Munnsters promptly chanted his name, but the Spartans would be a man down for the next two minutes.
The Spartans once again held strong, with junior forward Tommi Mannisto showing great effort in both of his shifts on special teams, helping Michigan State kill its third penalty of the night.
Augustine’s glove side was great all night, but Michigan finally was able to beat it late into the second period. Senior center Kienan Draper found freshman forward Aiden Park on a beautiful cross-ice pass, and Park fired a wrister past Augustine to create a 2-0 edge for the Wolverines.
Going into the third period, many of the same game trends continued. The Wolverines didn’t allow the Spartans to get comfortable, and Michigan State couldn’t generate any offense. When the Spartans finally broke through and got a clean pass to the slot, the Wolverines did a great job at marking their man and getting to the puck first.
With a few minutes remaining in the contest, frustration set in for Michigan State, and things started to get chippy. Mannisto was given a two-minute penalty for holding with four minutes to play. The Wolverines quickly capitalized on their fourth power play of the night, as junior forward Jayden Perron found Hughes, who got a wrister past Augustine to give Michigan a 3-0 lead.
The Spartans then sent Augustine to the bench for the extra skater, but Michigan was able to hold strong. Five separate Wolverines, including Ivankovic, took a shot on the empty net, but no one could convert. Michigan would go on to win the contest 3-0.
Captain Matt Basgall, after the game, said the Spartans have “yet to play a full 60, and we have an opportunity to do so tomorrow night.”
The Spartans travel to Ann Arbor for the second game of this weekend’s series, and puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.