Spartans dominate Penn State in a two-game series sweep, showcasing a flawless goaltender and an unstoppable offense to solidify their top national ranking.
The Spartans held serve this weekend, taking down the third-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions twice in two days to remain the nation’s top team.
Michigan State entered the weekend showdown at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing ranked No. 1 for nearly a month, while Penn State had steadily climbed from No. 6 to No. 3 over the past four weeks.
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SPARTY SWEEPS 💥
No. 1 @MSU_Hockey takes down No. 3 Penn State for the second night in a row.
If you missed it, check out my article on Game One. But here’s a quick recap: the opener was a defensive slugfest, tied 1–1 after regulation before the Spartans found the back of the net in overtime with two and a half minutes remaining. It was another classic between these two programs — their past three meetings all went to a shootout — and Friday’s game delivered the same edge-of-your-seat intensity.
But Game Two? That was a different story.
Michigan State remembered who they are — the best team in college hockey — and put on a clinic Saturday afternoon in front of a packed home crowd.
Game Two Recap
The Spartans struck early. Just two and a half minutes into the first period, Charlie Stramel buried his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Porter Martone and Matt Basgall. It was the perfect tone-setter.
Then, with under two minutes remaining in the first, Martone added a goal of his own — his fourth of the year — assisted by Stramel and Ryker Lee, giving MSU a 2–0 lead heading into intermission.
Penn State pushed back hard, but Trey Augustine was unbeatable, turning away all 12 first-period shots — including several high-danger chances.
Second Period: The Brick Wall Holds
The second frame featured seven total power plays, four of them for Penn State. Despite the barrage, Augustine stood tall again, stopping all 12 shots in the period — most of them while shorthanded.
MSU extended the lead to 3–0 when Colin Ralph scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Stramel and Daniel Russell. The Spartans carried that commanding advantage into the final period.
Third Period: Sealing the Sweep
Penn State’s hopes were all but gone entering the third, and the Spartans made sure they stayed that way.
With 4:20 remaining, Stramel added his second goal of the night (fifth of the season) on an empty net, assisted by Russell and Sean Barnhill. Just over a minute later, Anthony Romani added his third goal of the season — and second of the series — on a power play, assisted by Russell (his third helper of the game) and Basgall (his second).
The fifth goal was the exclamation point on a statement weekend.
Augustine was flawless, stopping all 36 shots for his latest shutout. The lone goal he allowed in the series was a fluke deflection off a skate — otherwise, he was impenetrable. As he goes, so go the Spartans, and right now, Michigan State looks unstoppable behind their star netminder.
With the sweep, the all-time series between Michigan State and Penn State is now tied 22–22–8 since 2012–13.
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GO GREEN!
What’s Next
The Spartans will look to stay hot against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who sit at 3–6–1 and are mired in a four-game losing streak.
No team is easy to overlook in college hockey, but this could be an opportunity for freshman backup Melvin Strahl to get a start and give Augustine a night off.
Michigan State will face Notre Dame in South Bend on Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m.
The Spartans will hold the No. 1 ranking for at least another week — and after a dominant sweep of a top-three opponent, it’s hard to argue they don’t deserve it.