As dominant as MSU was in its 5-0 shutout of Lake Superior State on Thursday night, the top-ranked Spartans looked even better in Friday‘s series finale.
The Spartans (2-0-1 overall, 2-0-1 CCHA) peppered the Lake Superior net with 46 shots and rarely allowed the Lakers to mount an offensive attack in a 6-1 win at Munn Ice Arena.
Senior left wing Joe Goodenow led the Spartans with two goals and an assist as the Spartans outshot Lake Superior (0-2-0, 0-2-0) 46-19 for the game.
Freshman center Lee Falardeau added a goal and two assists and junior defenseman Brad Fast and junior right wing Steve Jackson tacked on a goal and an assist each.
Falardeau put MSU up 1-0 at 3:46 of the first period with his first goal of the season. With both teams changing lines, senior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson carried the puck into the Laker zone and fed Falardeau, who streaked by the lone Laker defenseman and placed a wrist shot under Laker goaltender Terry Denike‘s right arm.
MSU doubled its lead less than three minutes later when Fast found Jackson all alone cutting in front of the crease. Jackson tipped the puck into a wide-open net for the third goal of his career.
But sloppy play, punctuated by senior defenseman Jon Insana‘s turnover at the MSU blue line, led to Lake Superior‘s first goal at Munn since March 12, 1999.
As MSU scrambled to get back into position after the turnover, Laker defenseman Jeff Mushaluk ripped a slap shot that deflected off a skate and over junior goaltender Ryan Miller‘s left shoulder.
Miller, who has five career shutouts against Lake Superior, made 18 saves for the win.
His most challenging stop came at the 12:20 mark of the second period when Laker left wing Andrew Contois skated unimpeded through the left circle. But Miller cut down the angle and gobbled up Contois‘ wrist shot with relative ease.
The Spartans blew the game open with a three-goal outburst early in the second period.
Goodenow tallied at 3:00 of the period with a slap shot from the top of the left circle and junior left wing Brian Maloney kept the crowd of 6,656 buzzing with his first goal of the season 54 seconds later.
Maloney‘s tally chased Denike from the game, but new Laker netminder Scott Murray didn‘t fare much better. On an MSU power play, Fast blasted a 55-foot slap shot between Murray‘s legs to give MSU a 5-1 lead 5:40 into the second period.
The Spartan power play finished 1-for-3 on Friday and is a scorching 5-for-15 this season.
Goodenow, who also scored Thursday night, notched MSU‘s sixth goal after Falardeau spotted him alone in the slot and Goodenow one-timed a shot over Murray‘s glove.
Goodenow only scored four goals last season, but this year, he leads MSU with three goals in as many games.
MSU‘s next game is Oct. 20 against Ferris State at Munn.
