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Struggling to score, Spartans fall to Huskies in GLI, 4-1

December 29, 2007

Junior goaltender Jeff Lerg blocks an attempted goal made by Michigan Tech during the first period of the game against the Huskies in the 43rd Annual Great Lakes Invitational Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Despite Lerg’s block, the Spartans lost to the Huskies with a final score of 4-1. Hannah Engelson/The State News

Photo by Hannah Engelson | The State News

Detroit – It was not a very good day for Spartans sports.

For the first time in five years, MSU will not play in the final round of the Great Lakes Invitational.

The No. 5 Spartans lost to Michigan Tech 4-1 at the 43rd annual GLI on Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The loss comes after the team had a 20-day break since its Dec. 8 victory against Ferris State at Munn Ice Arena.

With great energy and a fast-paced tempo, both the Huskies and the Spartans played very physically with lots of checking and smashing into the boards.

Michigan Tech capitalized on the power play after both junior center Justin Abdelkader and junior forward Tim Crowder took two minute minors for charging and roughing, respectfully. Huskies’ assistant captain and leading scorer Tyler Shelast scored at 13:47 assisted by captain Jimmy Kerr and Geoff Kinrade.

However, the lead was short lived as MSU quickly responded with Tim Kennedy’s slapshot from the top left circle a few minutes later. The goal was assisted by Abdelkader and junior defenseman Brandon Gentile.

The intensity dwindled as fresh legs grew tired. The Spartans earned an early power play in the beginning of the second, but the Huskies’ solid diamond defense formation shut them down. Both teams crashed the net, kept their sticks on the ice and provided some crazy deflections off the boards. The Spartans peppered Huskies goaltender Rob Nolan with shots from the blue line, and for a minute it looked like MSU had some good scoring opportunities.

But the Spartans couldn’t put the puck in the net.

“It was a hard fought game. I think our kids worked hard,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said. “We hit four goal posts. We just couldn’t put it in.

“There wasn’t anything easy out there tonight, that’s for sure. They block shots well, and we know that … There’s no fault, no pointing fingers.”

MSU captain Bryan Lerg said the team needs to pick up its intensity for Saturday’s game against Providence.

“Obviously, we’ve got to play 60 minutes,” Lerg said. “And tonight we played 45 out of 60 … We’ve got to move on, and get ready for tomorrow. We’ve got to stay positive.”

It wasn’t until Michigan Tech center Peter Rouleau scored over Spartans goalie Jeff Lerg’s left shoulder, just under nine minutes in the second, that the game’s pace picked up. With a 2-1 lead, the teams headed into the locker room at the end of the second.

“We had some good bounces tonight,” Michigan Tech head coach Jamie Russell said. “We were strong defensively.”

Michigan Tech’s penalty killing unit blocked several shots on the power play after taking a few early penalties in the third. Spartans defenseman Michael Ratchuk hit the goal post – one of four MSU almost-goals to do so.

With about a minute to go, the Spartans pulled Jeff Lerg and not long after, Huskies’ Shelast scored an empty netter at 19:14. The goal was Shelast’s second of the evening.

Adding salt to the wound was yet another Michigan Tech goal scored by Jimmy Kerr with just 27 seconds left in the game.

“We have confidence that we can beat any team in the country in any building,” Russell said.

The Huskies will take on the Wolverines in the championship game 7:35 p.m. The Spartans will face Providence at 4:05 p.m.

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