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MSU hockey ties Ohio State 1-1, wins shootout on senior night

March 13, 2016

Following an 11 goal barrage Friday night, MSU hockey (10-22-4, 6-12-2) and Ohio State University (13-17-4, 8-8-4-1) combined for two goals in Saturday’s contest officially tying 1-1 after three periods of regulation and overtime on MSU senior night in front of a crowd of 6,092.  However, the Spartans didn’t send its senior class out without a gift as MSU won the shootout, 1-0.

“It was a different kind of game in that regard,” MSU head hockey coach Tom Anastos said. “We didn’t take advantage of some really good opportunities I thought we had.

“Obviously both teams had to kind of refocus and play stronger defensively than we did last night, it was just harder to find ways to get pucks behind them.”

Just like the night before MSU jumped to a 1-0 lead, this time off the stick of junior forward Thomas Ebbing. Ebbing found a redirected centering pass and sent the puck passed Ohio State goalie Christian Frey with nearly four minutes gone in the first period.

“I liked our compete level,” Anastos said of his team’s effort. “I like seeing the guys come together.”

MSU appeared to boost the lead to 2-0 off a rip from the top of the left circle from freshman defenseman Zach Osburn, but the goal was waved off following review with referees citing goaltender interference.

Ohio State tied the game with 7:09 remaining in the first when an errant bounce off the boards and was misread by MSU goalie Jake Hildebrand. The puck ended up on Ohio State forward Mason Jobst’s stick, who wasted no time guiding the puck home.

For the follow up act of Friday night’s second period, Saturday’s second period paled in comparison. Friday night saw a flurry of six goals between the two teams during the second period, but Saturday it saw 17 shots — none of which found the net. MSU accounted for 13 of those shots.

The third period saw much of the same with 19 shots between the two teams, but neither could crack the opposing goaltender. Hildebrand stopped 28 shots during the night while Frey finished the game stopping 29 of 30 Spartan shots.

Overtime didn’t provide much excitement either and neither team was able to light the lamp.

During the shootout, junior forward Joe Cox scored the only goal on backhand to forehand deke beating Frey along the ice. Hildebrand blanked all three Buckeyes shooters to secure the shootout win.

“It’s been an awesome ride, to go out like that, I think it was a sold out crowd the place was rocking and that senior night celebration after, it was really special to cap off these four years — the best four years of my life.” Hildebrand said of his career and his final save at Munn.

MSU will face the Buckeyes again Thursday in Minneapolis at 7:30 p.m. central standard time in the Big Ten Tournament. 

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