Michigan State hockey: What to make of series split with Wisconsin

The winning streak has come to an end. No. 1 ranked Michigan State hockey came into this weekend matchup against the Badgers on a nine-game winning streak that ended in the first game of the weekend.

Fortunately, though, the Spartans were able to fight back with some late game heroics from Isaac Howard to come away with an overtime winner in Game 2. This is Big Ten hockey, on any night any team in this conference can be dominant. This past weekend was a good reminder of that.

Let’s take a look through the Spartans performance in Madison.

Game 1 overview

The Spartans were brought back down to earth in the first game of this series. After riding one of the highest highs that this program has had in many years, the Spartans suffered their second loss of the season. The loss was a 4-0 victory for the Badgers. It is interesting to note that in the two games that the Spartans have lost this season, they have been shutout. This was not for lack of trying by the offense though. For the majority of the game it was a 1-0 game after Tyson Dyck snuck the puck under Augustine’s pad. That goal with five minutes to go in the first was all the scoring until the third period.

Though the score would say that the defensive performance left a lot to be desired, the defense did have some bright spots. The biggest being the shot blocking. The Spartans went through and blocked close to 15 shots in the game. Those numbers help a lot because they allow Augustine to maintain his positioning and takes away pressure. The defense broke down a bit though in the third and the Badgers were able to get three goals by Augustine. Trey played well through two periods only allowing a difficult five-hole in the first. Augustine’s performance in the third was not up to his usual standard. He allowed one even strength and a powerplay goal in the third which extended the lead to 3-0 late. The final goal was an empty netter by Quinn Finley. That fourth goal officially made this game the biggest loss all season for the Spartans.

The offense had a very rough night. Both teams got off 26 shots, but it seemed as though the Spartans were incapable of finishing chances. The most frustrating example of this would be when Daniel Russell hit the crossbar in the second. If that had gone in it would have tied the game at 1-1. That might have been the spark that the Spartans needed to change the story of the game.

Game 2 overview

After suffering a shutout loss, the Spartans needed a response. The need was to get back to the gritty kind of hockey that the team plays. The team struggled out of the gate in this game, but were able to claw back and get a 3-2 win in overtime. The first period was played tight until Owen Lindmark was able to sneak a shot past Augustine to make it 1-0 on the powerplay. That was followed up early in the second by Christian Fitzgerald who shot the puck out of midair to make it 2-0 Badgers.

Michigan State hockey came on very strong though to finish out this game. Not long after the Badgers made it 2-0, Matt Basgall made a great stop on the blue line to keep the play onside. He then fed it back to Karsen Dorwart and the puck ended up right in front of Charlie Stramel who beat Scarfone to make it 2-1. That goal was on the powerplay against a Badger penalty kill which is one of the worst in all of college hockey. The second goal resulted off of a great deke by Joey Larson early in the third. Larson came across and made the move and Scarfone bit hard to help Larson get his fifth goal of the season. That tied the game up and it would stay that way through the third.

The Spartans have not spent much time in overtime this season. The only other time this season that they have been in overtime was against Lake Superior State. It took a good portion of the overtime period to end the game but with about two minutes left in overtime the Spartans ended it. Isaac Howard started the play by fighting off a Badger while on the ice before he got a pass of to Charlie Stramel. He then passed it off to Matt Basgall who threaded a pass through the defenders to Howard who had a wide open net. That was the exact response that the Spartans needed to get back to their winning ways.

Overall thoughts

Both of these games showed a great deal about how this team operates. They are a very hard-nosed team that doesn’t give up easily. Even in the loss, the Spartans fought through the first two periods before it started to get away from them. I would almost argue though that the loss was necessary. This team has had a great start, but every once in a while you need that adversity to creep back in as a reminder.

Michigan State hockey has a target on its back, and it needs to carry that like a chip on its shoulders. It is not unlike what the Detroit Lions are currently doing. Both of these teams are very tough teams that nobody wants to play. They also both have incredible depth that means that the other team can’t get any reprieve. Even those teams lose sometimes though, they are better though because they always come back swinging. The Spartans did that in the second game of the series and will need to take that to Minneapolis next week when they face the Golden Gophers. The series against the Gophers next weekend holds huge implications on the top of the Big Ten standings. Hopefully Michigan State hockey can bottle the energy from the thrilling overtime victory and use it to light a fire for next week.

Check back later this week for a preview of the upcoming series with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.