Nebraska-Omaha postgame

For the first time this season, the No. 17 MSU hockey team went to a shootout.

But the result wasn’t as pretty as the Spartans would have hoped, as MSU lost 2-1 to No. 10 Nebraska-Omaha in a four round shootout to earn one point on the night after playing to a 3-3 tie through regulation and overtime.

The Spartans weren’t too down on themselves tonight, especially with how sloppy they played in the second period.

MSU played shorthanded for 9-of-20 minutes in the second period, and weren’t able to generate any offense in that stretch.

After noticing senior forward Nick Sucharksi had only one goal so far this season, I predicted he would have a big game tonight. Sure enough, Sucharski scored the game-tying goal at 8:05 of the third period.

But MSU head coach Rick Comley wasn’t too pleased with the first line. He actually liked the Spartans’ third line better.

After being sent back to juniors midway through last season, sophomore forward Mike Merrifield had a great game on the third line, recording a goal and an assist for the Spartans. He looked really good last night, too.

Afterall, they are still atop the CCHA standings.

Questions:
Will the Mavericks bounce back and play better tonight?
Nebraska-Omaha looked like a much better team tonight. They were quicker on the puck and played more physical. But because the Spartans spent nine minutes of the second period on the penalty kill, it was tough for MSU to get anything going. The two soft goals allowed by Palmisano really deflated the Spartans, as well.

How will Palmisano respond from his shutout last night?
This was definitely a game Palmisano would like to forget. The second and third goals he allowed were extremely soft and were the deciding factor in the game. Palmisano also was beat badly twice in the shootout, allowing a goal five-hole and getting beat to his stick side.

Can the Spartans power play stay hot?
Not so much. The Spartans went 1-for-3 tonight on the power play, after going 2-for-4 last night. The power play goal was a bang-bang textbook play, but the Spartans weren’t able to generate many quality chances in their other two attempts. It seemed like the Mavericks were putting much more pressure on the man with the puck when they were on the penalty kill. The Spartans weren’t able to cycle it quick enough to deal with the pressure.