Ann Arbor - Coming out of Saturday night’s showdown with No. 8 Michigan at Yost Ice Arena, fifth-ranked MSU is still where it wants to be - alone in first place in the CCHA.
Things could have been better for the Spartans - they took a 1-0 lead into the game’s final seven minutes - but they sounded more pleased than disappointed after the 1-1 tie with U-M kept them two points up on the Wolverines in the CCHA standings.
“It’s a great tie for Michigan State,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said. “We’ve had two ties now with the Wolverines and both games have been very hard-fought.”
MSU (17-5-3 overall, 12-4-2 CCHA) and U-M (13-7-5, 10-4-4) both have 10 league games left on the schedule and a nonconference rematch at Joe Louis Arena on Feb. 16. The archrivals skated to a 3-3 tie in their first meeting on Oct. 6.
MSU was outshot 43-21 by the Wolverines on Saturday, thanks in part to a first-period neck injury suffered by senior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson during a short-handed rush by U-M.
Hutchinson, the CCHA’s reigning Best Defensive Defenseman, left Yost wearing a neck brace and is listed as day-to-day with a neck strain.
Without him, U-M was able to storm the Spartan zone in a frantic attempt to recover from a 1-0 deficit. The Wolverines fired 16 shots on net in the final stanza, and dominated puck control so much early in the third that they sometimes looked like they were on a power play during 5-on-5 play.
“We got down to five defensemen and our guys got pretty tired because Michigan was forechecking really well tonight,” Mason said. “They forced a lot of turnovers in our end and I think we tried to protect a one-goal lead a little more than we should have.”
But junior goaltender Ryan Miller was the equalizer for the Spartans, tying his career-high by stopping 42 shots. Wolverine netminder Josh Blackburn made 20 saves.
MSU grabbed a 1-0 lead on a goal by freshman forward Mike Lalonde at 12:59 of the second period. Freshman center Ash Goldie gathered a loose puck in the right circle, wheeled and fired a shot toward the U-M net. Lalonde, lurking at the top of the crease, redirected Goldie’s shot high, stick-side past Blackburn for his sixth goal of the season.
“It was a pretty lucky bounce, but we’ll take it,” Lalonde said. “We’re in first place right now and we feel we’re the better team, but coming away from here with the tie is pretty decent.”
With Miller looking nearly unbeatable, it appeared Lalonde’s goal would stand up for MSU’s second straight 1-0 shutout at Yost. But the Wolverines capitalized on a failed clearing attempt and generated a goal by center Dwight Helminen with 6:37 to play.
Helminen took a feed from U-M defenseman Eric Werner and one-timed a shot off Miller’s shoulder for his eighth goal of the year.
“I was seeing two good options to my right and left,” Miller said. “Helminen was the more open one and I kind of read it, but he made a smart choice, shot-wise, to get it up quick.
“One goal’s always enough (to win), but with an environment like this and them getting chances, sometimes you need more. It was just that kind of game.”
Despite the late collapse, MSU headed back to East Lansing in high spirits.
“When you look at the shots, and they had sustained pressure there for a while, you’re OK with (the tie),” senior defenseman Jon Insana said. “You’re not happy with it, but it’s something you can accept.”
