Spartans and Wolverines Skate to 2-2 Tie
DETROIT – Michigan State and Michigan played to a 2-2 tie in the third-place game of the Great Lakes Invitational on Monday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena. MSU goaltender Drew DeRidder made a career high 45 saves while Patrick Khodorenko and Wojciech Stachowiak scored for the Spartans.
The Spartans (6-10-2) struck first and led after two periods, but Michigan scored what proved to be the final goal 1:15 into the third. Neither team was able to produce in the five-minute overtime.
"They've been hard-fought games," MSU head coach Danton Cole said of the GLI. "It was competitive hockey I thought our guys battled really hard today."
Stachowiak got his third goal of the tournament to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead while on the power play with 5:15 to go in the first period. Stachowiak went to the net from the left circle, got a perfect pass from Sam Saliba and ripped it past U-M goaltender Hayden Lavigne.
Michigan (6-7-6) got on the board with 2:43 to play as Luke Morgan slipped a rebound past DeRidder to make it 1-1.
A pair of Michigan penalties in the final two minutes of the first period gave the Spartans a prime chance to reclaim the lead and they did just that. Just 19 seconds after the Spartans' advantage increased to 5-on-3, Cody Milan backhanded the puck through the crease to Khodorenko for a one-timer it into a nearly open net.
The physical first period resulted in a total of four power plays and a combined 16 penalties.
The theme carried over to the second period as the Spartans had four power plays in the middle stanza, but were unable to extend their lead. A major penalty to Jerad Rosburg with 3:39 to play in the period, and then another Spartan penalty shortly thereafter gave U-M a 5-on-3 advantage for the final 1:53 of the period.
The Spartans were able to neutralize the Michigan 5-on-3 advantage for the remainder of the second period with the help of four blocked shots and a pair of saves from DeRidder. The Spartans nearly killed the entire major penalty, but Nick Pastujov slipped a rebound into the net with seven seconds remaining on the power play at the 1:15 mark of the third period to make it 2-2.
"I don't think we had a bad read that entire penalty kill until right at the very end," Cole said. "It's a tough situation, that's a long time and the guys did a great job."
DeRidder turned away the remaining nine Wolverine shots in the period, while Lavigne stopped all six MSU shots in the period.
"There are positives from today and we'll learn something," Cole said.
MSU is now 1-0-2 against U-M this season.
Michigan State is back in action this weekend at home as the Spartans host No. 7 Ohio State on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (8 p.m.) at Munn.
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