Sunday, March 5
South Bend, Ind.
6 pm
Michigan State University
18-17-2
4
at
2
Notre Dame
16-16-5
1
2
3
F
Michigan St.
1
1
2
4
Notre Dame
1
0
1
2
Photo by: Joseph Weiser/Big Ten Network
Spartans Off To Minneapolis After 4-2 Win in Game Three
3/5/2023 8:43:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
South Bend, Indiana.. – No. 20/20 Michigan State earned a 4-2 win over Notre Dame on Sunday in the deciding game of the best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinal series, sending the Spartans to the Big Ten semifinals against Minnesota next weekend.
Michigan State (18-17-2) got a pair of goals and an assist from senior Nicolas Müller and the go-ahead goal from Jeremy Davidson
The teams traded goals in the first period, with Notre Dame going up 1-0 before the game was five minutes old on a power play goal by Justin Janicke. MSU countered with a goal just past the halfway mark, when Müller put back a rebound off an Erik Middendorf shot.
MSU got the big second goal in the middle frame just after the media time out, as Muller won the faceoff, dove to swipe the puck, and got it onto the stick of Jeremy Davidson, who knocked it home from below the hash marks for his second goal of the weekend.
MSU took a 3-1 lead on a Tiernan Shoudy putback six minutes into the third period. As the end of the game drew closer, the Spartans had to hold off a pressing Irish offense, and a 6-on-4 power play goal with 3:23 to play when Hunter Strand scored at the right post. Nicolas Muller sealed the victory as the Irish continued to skate with Ryan Bischel on the bench in search of an equalizer – he potted his second of the game at 18:17 for the 4-2 final margin.
Dylan St. Cyr was positively masterful for Michigan State, playing what he described as the possibly the best in his career as he backstopped the Spartans to a victory where his collegiate career began at Compton Family Ice Arena. He turned away 37 Irish shots and MSU's defense blocked 22 as Notre Dame was trying to give their home fans a win in the final game at home this season. Bischel made 24 saves for Notre Dame, which blocked 20 shots.
Both Notre Dame goals came on the power play, where the Irish were 2-for-4. Notre Dame did not take a penalty in the game.
The Spartans will play Minnesota at 9 pm ET next Saturday at Mariucci Arena.
STATISTICS OF NOTE
First Period: The Irish got on the board first at 4:55, scoring on the man advantage. Justin Janicke had the puck in the left circle, got the D to commit as he held the puck an extra beat, and sent the puck netward. It beat a screened Dylan St. Cyr stick-side to open the game's scoring. MSU was undeterred, continuing to stay poised and aggressively forecheck. Shortly after the period's midpoint, MSU kept the puck in the zone along the right wall and Jeremy Davidson collected the puck and pushed it into the slot, where it was collected by Erik Middendorf. Middendorf took a stride into the right circle and put a shot on net, and the rebound came out to the hash marks – where a crashing Nicolas Muller was there for his eighth goal of the season. MSU put the Irish back on the power play with 3:08 to play in the period, but the Spartans killed it off – and got an impressive pair of back-to-back saves by Dylan St. Cyr in the final minute of the frame – to enter the intermission tied at one.
Second Period: Notre Dame carried play for a decent portion of the first seven minutes of the second period, buzzing in its offensive zone with a strong forecheck – but despite an 8-2 edge for ND in shots on net, the Spartans were still doing a good job of keeping the shots coming from the outside and allowing St. Cyr to see them all fairly clearly. The Spartans had started to regain the control of the game and had a faceoff in the right circle after the media time out – Müller won the faceoff, dove at the puck and swiped it to Davidson below the hash marks, and he scored his second of the weekend and ninth of the season to put the visitors ahead 2-1. The Spartans took that lead into the locker room, despite being outshot 13-8 in the frame.
Third Period: MSU killed off an early penalty to Muller at 3:44, with three saves and a pair of blocked shots, and right after the kill came down on a rush that forced Bischel to make three saves, two from Daniel Russell. On the ensuing faceoff, Shoudy won it, passed it back through his legs, and Mucha dished it over to Nienhius who ripped a shot from the high slot – and the rebound of his shot fell for Shoudy right in front, and the freshman buried it to give MSU a 3-1 lead. With time ticking away, the Irish were aggressive in their offensive zone and drew a penalty, as Michael Underwood was whistled for interference at 15:51. The Irish skated the final five minutes of Saturday's game with an extra attacker and had a similar plan for the Sunday finale in an effort to get back into it, and did just that at 16:37 while skating 6-on-4 – Solag Bakich's shot was saved by St. Cyr, but Hunter Strand was at the right post to poke home the rebound to pull within a goal. With 3:23 to play, the Irish kept Bischel on the bench as they pushed for the equalizer, but Muller came through with an empty net marker for the Spartans – his second goal of the night – for some insurance at 18:17.
Michigan State (18-17-2) got a pair of goals and an assist from senior Nicolas Müller and the go-ahead goal from Jeremy Davidson
The teams traded goals in the first period, with Notre Dame going up 1-0 before the game was five minutes old on a power play goal by Justin Janicke. MSU countered with a goal just past the halfway mark, when Müller put back a rebound off an Erik Middendorf shot.
MSU got the big second goal in the middle frame just after the media time out, as Muller won the faceoff, dove to swipe the puck, and got it onto the stick of Jeremy Davidson, who knocked it home from below the hash marks for his second goal of the weekend.
MSU took a 3-1 lead on a Tiernan Shoudy putback six minutes into the third period. As the end of the game drew closer, the Spartans had to hold off a pressing Irish offense, and a 6-on-4 power play goal with 3:23 to play when Hunter Strand scored at the right post. Nicolas Muller sealed the victory as the Irish continued to skate with Ryan Bischel on the bench in search of an equalizer – he potted his second of the game at 18:17 for the 4-2 final margin.
Dylan St. Cyr was positively masterful for Michigan State, playing what he described as the possibly the best in his career as he backstopped the Spartans to a victory where his collegiate career began at Compton Family Ice Arena. He turned away 37 Irish shots and MSU's defense blocked 22 as Notre Dame was trying to give their home fans a win in the final game at home this season. Bischel made 24 saves for Notre Dame, which blocked 20 shots.
Both Notre Dame goals came on the power play, where the Irish were 2-for-4. Notre Dame did not take a penalty in the game.
The Spartans will play Minnesota at 9 pm ET next Saturday at Mariucci Arena.
STATISTICS OF NOTE
- MSU earned its first postseason series win since 2013, when the Spartans won a best-of-three series at Alaska (2-1 OT, 1-4, 4-3) before falling to Miami in the quarterfinal series (3-0, 1-4, 1-4).
- MSU is now 4-2-1 against the Irish this season.
- MSU's 18 wins is the most since the Spartans had 19 in 2011-12 (19), and the Spartans cannot finish under .500.
- MSU's 18 wins under Adam Nightingale is the third-most for a first-year head coach at MSU, (Rick Comley 23, Tom Anastos 19).
- Twenty of the last 22 games between these teams have been settled by two goals or less, and eight have been one-goal games (five have been ties).
- MSU blocked 38 shots in the last two games of the series, which is the highest number for the Spartans in any two-game series all year. MSU blocked 22 in Sunday's game, which is the most since 23 in a November win vs. Wisconsin. In the three games, the Spartans blocked 47 shots.
- MSU's nine penalties (18 PIM) in the three-game series is its lowest since MSU and Minnesota both skated through two penalty-free games in December at Munn Ice Arena.
- Nicolas Muller scored his eighth goal of the season in the first period to tie the game at 1-1, and had an impressive assist on the second goal for MSU before potting an empty netter. He had two assists in the Saturday game.
- Jeremy Davidson gave MSU the second-period lead with his ninth goal of the season.
- Three Spartan players (Jagger Joshua, Karsen Dorwart, and Cole Krygier) have double-digit goals – first time for MSU since the Patrick Khodorenko-Taro Hirose-Mitchell Lewandowski line in 2018-19.
First Period: The Irish got on the board first at 4:55, scoring on the man advantage. Justin Janicke had the puck in the left circle, got the D to commit as he held the puck an extra beat, and sent the puck netward. It beat a screened Dylan St. Cyr stick-side to open the game's scoring. MSU was undeterred, continuing to stay poised and aggressively forecheck. Shortly after the period's midpoint, MSU kept the puck in the zone along the right wall and Jeremy Davidson collected the puck and pushed it into the slot, where it was collected by Erik Middendorf. Middendorf took a stride into the right circle and put a shot on net, and the rebound came out to the hash marks – where a crashing Nicolas Muller was there for his eighth goal of the season. MSU put the Irish back on the power play with 3:08 to play in the period, but the Spartans killed it off – and got an impressive pair of back-to-back saves by Dylan St. Cyr in the final minute of the frame – to enter the intermission tied at one.
This sequence in the final minute of the first by Dylan St. Cyr ... oh my. pic.twitter.com/z8y8bma0Yu
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 5, 2023
Second Period: Notre Dame carried play for a decent portion of the first seven minutes of the second period, buzzing in its offensive zone with a strong forecheck – but despite an 8-2 edge for ND in shots on net, the Spartans were still doing a good job of keeping the shots coming from the outside and allowing St. Cyr to see them all fairly clearly. The Spartans had started to regain the control of the game and had a faceoff in the right circle after the media time out – Müller won the faceoff, dove at the puck and swiped it to Davidson below the hash marks, and he scored his second of the weekend and ninth of the season to put the visitors ahead 2-1. The Spartans took that lead into the locker room, despite being outshot 13-8 in the frame.
MSU takes its first lead of the night on this play right off the faceoff. What an assist by Müller. pic.twitter.com/UFyaZgBhKF
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 6, 2023
Third Period: MSU killed off an early penalty to Muller at 3:44, with three saves and a pair of blocked shots, and right after the kill came down on a rush that forced Bischel to make three saves, two from Daniel Russell. On the ensuing faceoff, Shoudy won it, passed it back through his legs, and Mucha dished it over to Nienhius who ripped a shot from the high slot – and the rebound of his shot fell for Shoudy right in front, and the freshman buried it to give MSU a 3-1 lead. With time ticking away, the Irish were aggressive in their offensive zone and drew a penalty, as Michael Underwood was whistled for interference at 15:51. The Irish skated the final five minutes of Saturday's game with an extra attacker and had a similar plan for the Sunday finale in an effort to get back into it, and did just that at 16:37 while skating 6-on-4 – Solag Bakich's shot was saved by St. Cyr, but Hunter Strand was at the right post to poke home the rebound to pull within a goal. With 3:23 to play, the Irish kept Bischel on the bench as they pushed for the equalizer, but Muller came through with an empty net marker for the Spartans – his second goal of the night – for some insurance at 18:17.
"Go to the net." they say, "Good things will happen." they say.
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 6, 2023
Things like a 3-1 lead. Attaboy, Tiernan Shoudy. pic.twitter.com/HsJZbvLBps
Team Stats
MSU
UND
Shots
28
39
PPG
0
2
SHG
0
0
Penalties
4
0
Penalty Mins
8
0
Faceoffs Won
36
36
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
3
Goals
2
Sh
4
A
1
+/-
3
Goals
1
Sh
3
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
2
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
4
A
0
Players Mentioned
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