South Bend, Ind. - It wasn't easy, but the Spartan hockey team scratched out its sixth straight victory with a 2-1 decision over Notre Dame on Friday night at the Joyce Center.
Sophomore goaltender Matt Migliaccio was superb for MSU (14-9-1 overall, 10-6-0 CCHA), turning away 40 shots, including 19 in a hectic third period.
The Fighting Irish (9-12-4, 7-9-1) hounded the Spartans in the third, keeping the puck in the MSU zone for most of the frame. They had several chances to tie the game, but every chance was thwarted by a Migliaccio save, a block by a Spartan defenseman or a bad bounce of the puck.
Notre Dame pulled goaltender Morgan Cey in favor of an extra attacker with 1:18 remaining, but MSU freshman left wing David Booth and senior defenseman Brad Fast both cleared the puck out of the MSU zone at crucial times to preserve the win.
Sophomore right wing Mike Lalonde and sophomore left wing Kevin Estrada both scored power-play goals to provide the Spartans' offense.
The teams play again at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the Joyce Center.
Although the first period was scoreless, the Spartans suffered a big loss in the first 20 minutes. Sophomore center Jim Slater, MSU's leading scorer, was hurt with 34.8 seconds left in the period and missed the rest of the game with a rib injury. He went for X-rays at a nearby hospital, but the official report lists him as questionable for Saturday with bruised ribs.
Slater was injured after missing a breakaway that was sprung by a pass from Booth. Slater rang a wrist shot off the left post, then threw away his gloves and stick and crumpled to the ice along the sideboards.
Before the injury, sophomore center Ash Goldie had two good chances to score, but Cey saved the first one and Goldie hit the side of the net on the second. Cey made 23 saves Friday.
Notre Dame's best chance was an offensive-zone breakaway by leading-scorer Rob Globke. Migliaccio tried unsuccessfully to poke-check Globke, but he managed to disrupt the shooter's rhythm enough to force a bad shot.
Lalonde got the first goal of the game, netting a wrist shot from the right circle at 9:04 of the second. The goal was his ninth of the year.
Estrada then continued his hot streak with his third goal in as many games at 15:42. At first, he fanned a one-timer to Cey's left, but he collected his own miss behind the net. Then, instead of going around the net - as Cey seemed to expect - Estrada brought the puck back to the short-side and slid a wraparound shot under the goalie.
Estrada, who had just one goal in the first 17 games of the year, now has four tallies.
The Irish came out flying early in the third period, and they finally were rewarded with a power-play goal by left wing John Wroblewski at 8:33. Migliaccio was flat on his back after making a save, so when the puck squirted out into the crease, he had no chance to stop Wroblewski from jamming it home.
The goal snapped Migliaccio's shutout streak at 160 minutes, 38 seconds.
But he got his revenge, making a save with his mask on a Globke wrist shot in the final minute. It was Notre Dame's best chance to tie the score.
The Spartans went 2-for-5 on the power play Friday, while Notre Dame was 1-for-4.
Personnel: The only major change in MSU's lineup was the promotion of Estrada to the third line and the demotion of freshman center Nenad Gajic to the fourth line.
But after Slater's injury, Gajic centered the first line most of the time.
Freshman right wing Chad Hontvet is MSU's lone extra skater in South Bend this weekend. He will play Saturday if Slater is out.
