Martone Shines for MSU Hockey in Victory at Ohio State
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One of Michigan State's star players delivered during his return to the team's lineup.
Freshman forward Porter Martone scored two goals and dished out two more assists for a four-point performance on Friday night, as second-ranked MSU cruised past Ohio State in Columbus, 6-2. This is Martone's first four-point game as a Spartan and eighth multi-point contest already. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect hadn't played for Michigan State since Dec. 6, due to winter break and his representing Canada during the IIHF World Junior Championships.
The highlight of the game came during the first period. MSU scored three goals during a mere 23-second span. Friday's Big Ten clash went from a scoreless tie to a commanding 3-0 Michigan State advantage before it felt like one could process all the information from the Spartans' first goal, which was upheld after a lengthy review.
MSU will look for the sweep of the Buckeyes on Saturday night (5 p.m. ET, B1G+). This win boosts the Spartans to 15-4-0 on the season; they are also now 6-3-0 during conference play, putting them third in the standings with 18 points. Ohio State dropped to 6-12-1 and 2-7-0, respectively. The Buckeyes are sixth in the conference, with six points.
More on Friday's Game
The crazy sequence during the first period began with a goal from Anthony Romani. OSU challenged for a missed high-stick, but the goal was upheld at 13:23 in the period. Just seven seconds later, Martone found himself by himself in the center of the ice off the faceoff, and Charlie Stramel found him from the boards by the blue line. Martone converted the opportunity for his first of two goals and first of four points.
Only 16 seconds after that, it was Stramel who made it 3-0. It was a mini-2-on-1 chance, as Martone helped shade the Buckeye defenseman away from Stramel, who then went glove side. That was all Michigan State ended up needing, but the Spartans were sure to add on more.
Martone made it 4-0, MSU, late in the first period. Michigan State had a power-play chance, and the freshman phenom deflected a shot by Matt Basgall from the blue line. Ohio State made the game a little more interesting by getting a goal back in the second period and then another during a power play in the third.
But MSU goalie Trey Augustine still presented problems for the Buckeyes. Augustine saved 30 of the 32 shots on net he faced, good for a save percentage of .938.
The Spartans then padded their lead late. Stramel scored a second goal of his night during a 5-on-3 advantage for MSU, making it 5-2. Ryker Lee used some more slick moves to find the back of the net a few minutes later, settling things for good at 6-2.
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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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