Celebrations followed Big Ten title clinching, but a hard-fought shootout loss signals shift to playoff intensity and championship aspirations.
Thursday night was for the sparkling juice showers and fireworks as the Spartans set the record straight: Michigan State owns the Big Ten in hockey.
For the third consecutive year, the Michigan State Spartans are officially the Big Ten regular-season champions. The context of that accomplishment makes it even more remarkable. When head coach Adam Nightingale took over at Michigan State, the program was in the middle of a dark stretch—something like Thor in Avengers: Endgame. The Spartans had endured ten straight losing seasons and hadn’t won a conference title in 21 years.
Then, in just four years, the Spartans officially clinched their third Big Ten title in a row under Nightingale.
Even after the celebration in Minnesota following a dominant 7–1 road victory to secure the title, the Spartans and Golden Gophers still had one more game to play before both teams went their separate ways and began preparing for the Big Ten Tournament.
Michigan State gave standout goaltender Trey Augustine the night off, turning instead to Melvin Strahl between the pipes. Strahl played well, but ultimately couldn’t do enough to secure the Spartans’ final victory of the regular season. Minnesota stole the game in a shootout and solidified itself as the sixth-place team in the seven-team Big Ten.
Saturday’s matchup between the Spartans and Gophers was about as close as you could get—the exact opposite of Thursday’s blowout.
Minnesota struck first when Brodie Ziemer was able to beat Strahl for a 1–0 lead. But the first period was far from over, as the Spartans quickly answered with two goals of their own.
Cayden Lindstrom got Michigan State going with his second goal of the series and third goal of the season.
Shane Vansaghi drove the puck over the blue line and rifled a shot from the top of the circle. The puck rocketed toward the goalie with such force that he initially managed to corral it. But as it bounced and danced in the air, Lindstrom was there to knock it home and tie the game 1–1.
Then, with just over 30 seconds remaining in the first period, the Spartans kept the pressure on.
Tiernan Shoudy and Griffin Jurecki both had chances to push the puck into the back of the net, but it somehow refused to go in. As the puck dribbled out to Tommi Mannisto, he stepped in for a wrister just a few feet from the goalie. His stick appeared to slightly lift, barely making contact with the puck. The result was a changeup that trickled through the defenders and the goaltender. In slow motion, it slid across the goal line, giving the Spartans a 2–1 lead heading into the intermission.
In the second period, Daniel Russell extended the lead.
Michigan State’s top line looked primed for the postseason as Michael Martone and Joey Stramel played keep-away in a triangle formation right in front of the net. Martone eventually sent the extra pass across the crease, where Russell was sitting alone on the weak-side doorstep. He simply flipped the puck into the open net for a 3–1 Spartans advantage.
But the sneaky Gophers refused to go away.
Minnesota responded with two goals in the second period, tying the game at 3–3 and shifting momentum heading into the final frame.
The third period turned into a defensive deadlock, with both teams trading chances but neither able to find the go-ahead goal. Overtime followed the same script, sending the game to a shootout.
In the shootout, it was Minnesota that finally solved Strahl for the game-winning goal.
The Spartans may have taken the loss, but it had no impact on the standings.
The back-to-back-to-back Big Ten champions now turn their attention fully to postseason play. Michigan State will look to capture the Big Ten Tournament title and ultimately chase a Frozen Four championship—something the program hasn’t achieved since 2007.
Minnesota, meanwhile, finished in sixth place and will face the No. 3-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions in the opening round.
The Spartans, who earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, will await the winner of the matchup between the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers and No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes. While the rest of the Big Ten begins tournament play on Wednesday, March 11, Michigan State will not take the ice until Saturday, March 14.
Now, the real season begins.
It’s playoff time in East Lansing.