Defensive Woes: No. 3 Michigan State Falls to No. 13 Boston 6-2

No. 3 Michigan State hosted No. 13 Boston University on Friday night in what was expected to be one of the biggest tests of the young season.

Between the two teams, there were 35 total NHL Draft picks (Boston: 18, Michigan State: 17), including an NCAA-record nine first-round picks on the Spartans' roster. The matchup also set a record for the most NHL Draft picks ever to appear in a single college hockey game.

Both teams entered the contest with their leading scorers tied at seven goals and three assists. For Michigan State, that was sophomore Anthony Romani, while freshman Tynan Lawrence led the way for Boston.

Last season, the Spartans traveled to Boston and upset the then-No. 1 Terriers. This time, the stage was set for Boston to return the favor, and that's exactly what happened. The Terriers turned on the scoring and never let up.

Michigan State fell 6-2 despite leading in shots (35-24) and faceoffs (38-26). The Spartans knew this weekend would provide a significant test, and they'll have another opportunity to respond Saturday when the two teams meet again at 4:30 p.m. ET.

So, how did this game get so out of hand?

Let's recap each period.

The Spartans started the game looking like the hungrier team, but none of their early opportunities found the back of the net.

Then, the referees appeared to make a questionable delay-of-game call on Matt Lahey. Lahey was preparing to make contact with a Boston player near the net while the puck was loose in front. However, the Boston player stopped, resulting in Lahey making contact with the net. The officials determined that Lahey had intentionally knocked the net off its moorings to bail out the goaltender and sent him to the penalty box.

Boston made the Spartans pay. Tynan Lawrence scored his eighth goal of the season on the power play, giving the Terriers an early 1-0 lead.

The Spartans, who entered the game as the fifth-heaviest team in the country, were also showing off their physicality. Chase Reid delivered an early hit that sent a Boston player completely off his feet and into the boards, looking almost like a linebacker taking out an unsuspecting slot receiver.

Despite Michigan State doing a good job of holding down the forecheck, the Terriers continued to find the back of the net. Kamil Bednarik connected on a quick-draw one-timer that slipped past goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen to make it 2-0.

For the first time this season, the Spartans had surrendered the first two goals of a game. Boston doubled the number of goals Michigan State had allowed in a first period all season, leaving the Spartans trailing 2-0 after the opening 20 minutes.

Boston started the second period with some momentum for the first time, despite already holding a two-goal advantage.

However, Michigan State quickly responded with three consecutive 2-on-1 opportunities. Unfortunately, all three were turned away, and the Spartans remained scoreless.

The offense was lacking chemistry. It looked as though players couldn't always anticipate where their teammates would be, leading to some awkward-looking passes. That issue wasn't limited to the 2-on-1 opportunities, either. It was a recurring problem throughout the night.

Michigan State continued to apply an aggressive forecheck, but the passes to potential scoring opportunities weren't as precise as they needed to be.

Boston earned its second power-play opportunity around the midway point of the period, but the Spartans managed to kill it off. Unfortunately, less than a minute after returning to even strength, the Terriers fired a missile from the blue line that beat Ravensbergen high to make it 3-0.

That's when the floodgates opened.

Boston found a crack in Michigan State's defense and continued to exploit it. The Terriers added a fourth goal with another long-range shot that rifled into the back of the net.

Following the fourth goal, head coach Adam Nightingale made a change in net, pulling freshman Joshua Ravensbergen.

Although Ravensbergen surrendered four goals, much of the damage came from poor defensive play in front of him. Anyone questioning the freshman after this performance should remember that he wasn't exactly receiving much help from the players in front of him.

Michigan State continued throwing whatever it had left at Boston, but Terriers goaltender Mikhail Yegorov was right on cue, turning away opportunity after opportunity.

Four minutes into the third period, the Spartans finally earned their first power-play opportunity of the night, and they wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.

Anthony Romani collected the puck down low near the outside boards before delivering a behind-the-back, between-the-legs, no-look pass through the crease to an open Ryker Lee. Lee buried the opportunity for his third goal of the season.

Romani and Gavin O'Connell were credited with the assists as Michigan State cut the deficit to 4-1.

The Spartans entered the game with the fourth-best power play in the country, converting on 36% of their opportunities. They wasted no time improving that mark with their first chance Friday night. Unfortunately, the goal came too late to mean much beyond a confidence boost for the team.

Still, Michigan State wasn't showing any signs of quitting.

The Spartans continued applying pressure, with O'Connell and Lee once again finding themselves in the middle of the action. This time, O'Connell dished the puck to Lee, who then set up Cayden Lindstrom. Lindstrom fired a shot from the circle and found the back of the net, giving the Spartans another goal with just over 13 minutes remaining.

There was no quit from Michigan State.

However, the Terriers added another power-play goal with just over three minutes remaining, taking any remaining life out of the building. Boston then capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal, securing a 6-2 victory in the first game of the two-game series.

It simply wasn't the Spartans' night.

Michigan State was outscored 6-2 despite winning the battles in shots and faceoffs. The youngest team in the country will have to experience growing pains along the way, and Friday's loss was certainly an example of that.

With the season still in its early stages and this being a nonconference matchup, the Spartans can use this performance as a learning experience rather than allowing it to become a season-defining setback.

Fortunately, they won't have to wait long for another opportunity.

The two teams will meet again Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET at Munn Ice Arena, where Michigan State will look to even the series and show a different side of itself.