It didn’t seem to matter who was in the net for the Spartans this weekend.
A day after senior goaltender Joe Blackburn shut out Yale 5-0, sophomore goaltender Ryan Miller made 36 saves in MSU’s 4-0 win over Yale Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena.
The shutout is the 12th of Miller’s young career, tying the school record set by Chad Alban in 1998. Yale outshot the Spartans both games, but could not crack the Spartans’ netminding duo.
Senior left wing Damon Whitten’s two goals allowed the top-ranked Spartans (16-1-4 overall, 9-1-3 CCHA) to finish an unbeaten non-conference schedule with the sweep of Yale (6-8-0).
The Spartans posted a 7-0-1 record versus non-CCHA foes, with the only blemish a 1-1 tie with Merrimack in the Johnson Nissan Classic on Oct. 14.
The last time MSU was unbeaten in non-conference play was the 1997-98 season when they went 6-0-0.
MSU will resume league play at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a road series at Lake Superior State, in Sault Ste. Marie.
Defenseman Andrew Hutchinson notched the game-winner early in the game, as he continued his torrid scoring pace 4:49 into the game.
The junior scored his third goal in four games as his point shot caromed off the stick of Bulldog defenseman Bryan Freeman and between the legs of Yale goaltender Dan Lombard.
He had not scored a goal this season until last week’s Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Yet he earned All-GLI honors by tallying in both games in Detroit and added an assist in MSU’s win over Yale Friday night.
Junior right wing Adam Hall doubled MSU’s lead with his team-leading 11th goal of the season 9:26 into the opening frame.
With MSU on the power play, a solid network of Spartan passing found Hall alone in front of the Yale net, and he had no problem tipping a Jeremy Jackson pass past Lombard for the tally.
Jackson, a freshman center, and sophomore defenseman John-Michael Liles assisted on the goal.
Neither team could get on the scoreboard in the second period, as only one penalty was called, keeping both squad’s power play units off the ice.
Miller had to be strong in the net because the Spartans gave up multiple odd-man rushes midway through the second. He stopped 14 shots in the period.
Whitten scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season in the third period, tipping two shots from sophomore defenseman Brad Fast by Lombard, the second during a power play.
MSU was 2-for-6 with a man-advantage in the game and 5-for-11 in the series.
Junior defenseman Jon Insana left the game late in the second period with a hyperextended right elbow and didn’t return. The seriousness of his injury has not been determined.
MSU head coach Ron Mason shook up his lines a little Saturday night, scratching junior center Joe Goodenow for the first time since he returned from an injury on Nov. 17.
Goodenow has no goals and one assist this season.
Mason moved center Troy Ferguson up to play center with Whitten and senior right wing Rustyn Dolyny in Goodenow’s spot on Saturday night. The sophomore responded, picking up his second and third points of the year with two assists Saturday night.
