Ice Hockey

Jan. 24, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan State dropped the season finale against Michigan by a 5-3 score on Saturday evening at Yost Ice Arena. The Spartans got goals from three different players and an outstanding 46-save performance from freshman netminder Drew Palmisano as they fought back from 3-0 and 4-2 deficits in the game. The Spartans dropped all five regular-season meetings to their archrivals. The Wolverines again jumped early, putting a goal on the board just 36 seconds into the contest. Andrew Rowe had opened the game with a good scoring chance for the Spartans, but Hogan came up with the pad save. The home team rushed to the opposite end, and Rust eluded a defender, carried the puck into the left circle, and beat Palmisano glove-side.

Travis Turnbull pushed the Michigan lead to 2-0 at 8:20, when he finished a cross-slot pass from Steve Kampfer on a rush and beat Palmisano over his glove hand. Brandon Burlon gave Michigan a 3-0 lead going into the locker room when his shot got through traffic on the power play at 19:29.

Michigan State fought back into the game with a pair of goals 15 seconds apart in the first three minutes to turn a 3-0 deficit into a one-goal game. Both tallies came when the teams were skating four-on-four; Matt Schepke's came at 2:22 when he got around two defenders, skated into the left circle, and shot it past the glove hand of Hogan. Off the ensuing faceoff, the Spartans got the puck deep in the zone, and Andrew Rowe also solved Hogan glove side for his fifth of the season. The Spartans were much better in the period, but could not gain an equalizer and went into the locker room trailing by just a goal.

The third period opened with the teams trading goals just over a minute apart. Carl Hagelin was credited with a goal that went off an MSU defender in front just 12 seconds into the frame, but the Spartans answered quickly, as Adam Henderson's wrister from the slot made its way past Hogan to again put the visitors within a goal.

The game got increasingly physical and feisty as the time wore down, and it helped lead to a Michigan goal at 8:32. After Aaron Palushaj slid into Palmisano from behind and took the goalie out of the play, Chris Summers had a wide-open net into which he deposited his fourth goal of the season. The play was reviewed, but the officials allowed the goal to stand and MSU went back to work to fight back from the two-goal deficit. That did nothing but increase the level of physicality, leading to penalties in the final minutes and a pair of game disqualifications for MSU's Corey Tropp.

NOTES: MSU surrendered goals to Michigan early in each contest in this series, allowing Matt Rust a opening goal at 5:10 on Friday and just 36 seconds into the game on Saturday ... Michigan registered 11 shots on net (and scored twice) before MSU had its first shot, a Corey Tropp shot through traffic at 10:10 of the first ... Adam Henderson scored his first collegiate goal at 1:13 of the third period. He is the second freshman this weekend to pot his first collegiate tally, as Tim Buttery got his on Friday night against the Wolverines ... Drew Palmisano made a career-high 46 saves. His previous high had been 33 in a 3-1 loss at Nebraska-Omaha ... Four of Palmisano's five starts this season have come in road tilts ...

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