Michigan State Hockey: Spartans Take Game One Against the Irish

Victory for Michigan State Hockey!

The Spartans (22-6-0) came into Thursday with a razor thin margin of error in the Big Ten. The conference standings are ridiculously close between the Wolverines and Spartans. After the bye week last weekend for the Spartans, the Wolverines got 5 of a possible 6 points against Penn State. Those results have all but taken the Nittany Lions out of contention for the conference title. The Spartans, meanwhile, have two more games than the Wolverines and following a 4-2 win against Notre Dame (6-21-4), are only down by a point. Michigan State hockey is currently in the driver seat to claim their third straight conference title. Let’s take a look at how the Spartans repositioned themselves in this conference race.

Early Struggles

Despite their record, it needs to be said that Notre Dame is not a bad team. If anything, the team just lacks consistency throughout games to seal the deal. The Irish came into East Lansing on Thursday night and gave the Spartans all that they had. The Irish jumped on the Spartan defense early to get in a few great chances. They were not able to get them past junior goaltender Trey Augustine, though.

The issues early on with the Spartan defense came off as a team that may have overestimated their opponent early, there were a number of odd man rushes generated as well as too many giveaways. That is not a recipe for success. As the game progressed though the defense was able to settle in and even generate chances. One of those chances included the opening goal by Maxim Strbak. Strbak was able to receive a great pass in the slot and converted to give the Spartans an early lead. The defense only improved from there as the blue line looked very good by the time the team reached the 3rd period.

Special Teams Clinic

Fans of special teams were in for a treat on Thursday night as the Spartans and Irish provided a number of opportunities throughout the evening. In total, there were ten penalties with each team receiving five. Out of those ten attempts, the Irish converted once and the Spartans converted twice. This included the game winner by Gavin O’Connell. O’Connell, who celebrated his birthday on Thursday night, had a goal called back earlier in the game after the goaltender’s mask came undone. He mentioned in the post game that the hockey gods, “usually find a way.” They did in his case.

One reason for the penalties was the fact that this was a very chippy game early on. The Irish showed a lot of fight and at times it looked like they were getting to the Spartans. There were plenty of after whistle scrums that resulted in roughing calls from players like Porter Martone. The responses were mostly generated from a heavy physical presence from the Irish. The physicality presented during the first game will likely carry over into game two on Friday night.

First Line Dominance Continues

It goes without saying that the Spartans have easily one of the best top lines in college hockey. Charlie Stramel, Daniel Russell, and Porter Martone have been electric this season. Not only did they leave a scoring touch on this game including 5 points (2-3-5), but they were able to shut down and provide defense as well. While not a stat that gets a ton of attention, both Stramel and Russell helped provide blocks, each getting one. Forwards who are willing to put their bodies out there to prevent these chances are important to have on your team. It fits with the “blue collar” mentality that coach Adam Nightingale has preached about since taking over the head coaching position.

When it mattered most, Nightingale took his timeout to send the first line onto the ice with 2:36 left and Notre Dame emptying their net. He trusts the forward trio with his Big Ten Title hopes on offense and defense. Martone proved that trust well-placed, with the empty netter at 1:19 left sealing the game.

Looking Ahead

The Spartans will be back at it on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena to take on the Fighting Irish for the second game. Puck drop is at 6:00 p.m. EST, and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Spartan hockey fans should make sure to also get to Munn early as the team will be honoring the 1986 Hockey National Championship Team at the game as well.

I will be covering the game so follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @ikerss98 for coverage throughout the weekend.