Heartbreak for Spartans hockey as Badgers snatch victory in overtime, completing a brutal weekend sweep.
Michigan State Spartan fans just couldn’t catch a break yesterday. After watching the football team have its first conference win ripped away in heartbreaking fashion, fans turned their attention from the grass to the ice, settling in for Michigan State vs. Wisconsin hockey — hoping for something better.
They didn’t get it.
Wisconsin had already taken game one of the two-game series on Friday night with a 5–4 win over the No. 1 Spartans. So everyone knew game two was going to be more of the same: elite hockey, two heavyweight teams punching back and forth, and little room for error.
Michigan State came into Saturday night looking to split the series and avoid being swept at home. But as hot as the Spartans were entering the weekend, Wisconsin had a couple buckets of cold water ready.
The Badgers stunned MSU again, this time with a 2–1 overtime win, leaving East Lansing with a sweep and sending Spartan fans into the night with another gut punch.
If you were still too heartbroken from the football game, too numb from Friday’s hockey loss, or too busy picking out a Christmas tree to tune in, here’s how we got here.
1st Period
Both teams opened with tight, disciplined defense — a stark contrast from Friday’s shootout. Chances came early, with Wisconsin getting the first power play of the night, but neither team could capitalize.
Eight minutes in, Spartans goalie Trey Augustine made a spectacular spread-eagle stop on a Badgers breakaway, a moment that set the tone for his night. The chippiness ramped up quickly, with scrums breaking out after several whistles as both teams showed just how much they don’t like each other.
Michigan State nearly took the lead late in the period, but a Badgers defenseman swatted a slowly trickling puck off the goal line — and replay confirmed it never fully crossed.
After 21 combined shots and plenty of pushing and shoving, the period ended 0–0 thanks almost entirely to stellar goaltending.
2nd Period
The second period opened with Wisconsin ringing a shot off the post — a sign of the pressure they were about to apply.
The Badgers started targeting Augustine’s glove side again, the same spot they scored four times on Friday. Halfway through the game, the score remained 0–0, but the tension made it feel like a goal was coming.
Wisconsin finally broke through on a power play, keeping a bouncing puck in the zone and ripping one past Augustine with under 10 minutes left in the period. In a game with elite goaltending on both sides, the first goal felt enormous.
Both teams traded quality chances for the remainder of the period, but nothing else found the net. Wisconsin carried a 1–0 lead into the third.
3rd Period
Despite leading the shot battle 24–15, the Spartans entered the final period trailing 1–0.
Wisconsin continued generating dangerous scoring opportunities, but Augustine stayed sharp, keeping MSU alive. The Spartans played increasingly desperate — and ended up in the penalty box more than they’d like — but managed to survive multiple Badgers surges.
Time kept evaporating, and Michigan State still couldn’t break through.
With the net empty and 70 seconds remaining, MSU poured everything they had at Wisconsin’s goalie. A delay-of-game penalty against the Badgers gave the Spartans a 6-on-4 advantage for the final minute.
And then — with 39.8 seconds left — Porter Martone found a loose puck popping out from behind the net and buried it to tie the game. Martone immediately pounded his chest, flashing the Spartan logo as Munn exploded.
Overtime was coming. Of course it was.
Overtime
Michigan State had not one but two golden breakaway opportunities early in OT. Both were turned aside.
You can’t say the Spartans didn’t have their chances — they absolutely did — but Wisconsin’s defense and goaltending didn’t break.
After a defensive-zone faceoff, Wisconsin gained possession, transitioned cleanly, and slipped one past Augustine to steal the win and complete the sweep.
The Badgers left East Lansing with two road victories over the No. 1 team in the country.
Overview
The Spartans aren’t going anywhere this season — they’re still elite, still dangerous, and still absolutely a national contender. But this sweep stings. No way around it.
Michigan State will look to regroup quickly as they return to action this week for a home series against Colgate, with games on Wednesday and Friday.