MARQUETTE - Even though the Spartans’ plane landed in this northern Michigan city late Thursday night, the top-ranked squad didn’t mentally arrive until the third period of Friday’s game.
Two periods of uninspired play resulted in a 3-2 loss to Northern Michigan on Friday night, spoiling MSU’s previously unbeaten (9-0-2) road record. But the Spartans redeemed themselves with a 2-1 win over the Wildcats on Saturday at the Berry Events Center.
The series split keeps MSU’s CCHA lead at three points over Michigan, as the Wolverines split a series at Nebraska-Omaha this weekend.
“Last night, we just skated in sand for a couple of periods,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said after Saturday’s win. “(Northern) pretty much owned the ice. Tonight we played with a lot better ice balance and that was the key.
“It was a gut-check win for us.”
MSU (22-3-4 overall, 15-3-3 CCHA) will host Alaska-Fairbanks at Munn Ice Arena this weekend.
Senior right wing John Nail scored MSU’s only two goals in Saturday’s victory, claiming the team lead in that category with 14.
“I still don’t think of myself as the leading goal-scorer,” said Nail, who also leads the CCHA with six game-winning goals. “I’m just a guy that’s working hard. (On Saturday there) were just two chances that I was at the right place at the right time and they just happened to go in.”
Nail’s linemates, senior left wing Sean Patchell and senior center Andrew Bogle, assisted on both of the goals.
MSU sophomore goaltender Ryan Miller was 12:43 away from his 17th career shutout Saturday, which would have broken the 70-year-old record he tied on Jan. 23. But Wildcat defenseman Sean Connolly scored his second power play goal in as many nights to cut Northern’s deficit to 2-1.
“The one they got was a nice deflection,” Miller said. “There was a guy on my left and a guy backdoor and I had to respect them both, so I didn’t play the deflection right away. But, oh well. We got out of a long road trip in the same spot we were before.”
Connolly also scored the game-winner Friday night, nullifying MSU’s comeback from a 2-0 deficit.
Junior right wing Adam Hall scored his 13th goal of the season 4:20 into the final frame after he out-raced a Wildcat defenseman to a slow-rolling puck in the Northern zone and blasted a slap shot past goaltender Dan Ragusett.
The Spartans tied the game 15 seconds later when junior center Joe Goodenow hushed the rowdy crowd with his first goal of the year. It was the fastest two-goal barrage by MSU all season.
Goodenow, who has missed 14 games this year with a shoulder injury, hadn’t scored since March 10 last season.
But Connolly ultimately proved to be Friday’s hero, snapping a streak of 37 MSU penalty kills with a power play goal with 10:16 to play.
Ragusett earned the win Friday with 26 saves, while goaltender Craig Kowalski took the loss for the Wildcats (12-9-7, 8-8-6) on Saturday.
Miller made 26 saves Friday and 19 Saturday. The loss on Friday, coupled with a 4-3 overtime defeat to U-M last Saturday, marked the first time the goaltender has lost consecutive games in his Spartan career.
MSU’s power play floundered again this weekend, going 0-for-7 in the series. The Spartans have scored four goals in their last 38 man-advantage chances.
James Jahnke can be reached at jahnkeja@msu.edu.
