Stramel's Hat Trick, OT Goal Leads MSU Past Penn State Outdoors
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It was Charlie Stramel's day during Michigan State's outdoor game at Penn State inside Beaver Stadium.
The announced attendance for Saturday's game was 74,575, and all those people got to see the second-ranked Spartans take down No. 5 PSU, 5-4, in overtime. Stramel led the way for MSU with a hat trick, including the game-winner in overtime.
This victory puts two more points in the Big Ten standings for the Spartans, as they now momentarily move into first place in the Big Ten with 35 (Michigan is one point behind and plays Ohio State later Saturday). Michigan State is now 21-5-0 on the season and 12-4-0 during conference play.
MSU will now shift its focus to its next blockbuster series against top-ranked Michigan. The first game is in Ann Arbor next Friday. Game two is the next day at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit for the annual "Duel in the D."
Game Recap
Goals came relatively easily during this game, which stretched over three hours. There were several stoppages throughout the contest to try to fix the ice. Earlier this week, Penn State's club hockey team also played inside Beaver Stadium, but the game was moved to the normal arena after only one period due to issues with the ice.
Michigan State seemed to control the first period of play pretty well. The Spartans outshot the Nittany Lions 17-10 through the game's first 20 minutes. Daniel Russell got MSU on the board first just 2:24 in, converting off a nice centering pass from Charlie Stramel.
Madness began to happen during the middle period, where five combined goals led to the game being a 3-3 tie entering the final period. Penn State got two goals from Aidan Fink and another from Gavin McKenna, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the next NHL Draft.
It seemed like PSU was going to end up taking a 3-2 lead into the final period, but Stramel scored his 15th goal of the season with just two seconds to go until the intermission to tie things back up. Stramel also scored earlier in the period, which had given Michigan State a 2-1 lead at the time.
Going into the final period, Penn State retook the lead about four minutes in, but this lead for the Nittany Lions was relatively short-lived. Roughly three minutes later, a shot from MSU captain Matt Basgall found its way through some traffic and into the net to tie the game back up at four. That score remained static for the final 13 minutes of the game or so, taking the game into overtime.
During the 3-on-3 overtime period, it was Stramel who came through again. He found some space right in front of the net and found a way to beat the goalie to the glove side. That gave him the hat trick, Michigan State the win, and a valuable extra point.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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