South Bend, Ind. - Like an old fisherman, the MSU hockey team will be talking about "the one that got away" for at least the next week.
The Spartans led Notre Dame 3-1 with less than five minutes separating them from a seven-game winning streak, but the Fighting Irish stormed back with two goals within 18 second to force a 3-3 tie Saturday night at the Joyce Center.
The tie, coupled with MSU's series-opening 2-1 win Friday, gave the Spartans a three-point weekend in South Bend. Pending the outcome of Saturday night's Western Michigan vs. Alaska-Fairbanks game, the Spartans will be either fourth or fifth in the CCHA standings come Sunday. MSU is 6-0-1 in its last seven games.
MSU sophomore goaltender Matt Migliaccio was brilliant most of the game Saturday, but he seemed to suffer a mental lapse during the Irish's game-tying barrage.
Center Yan Stastny struck first, cutting MSU's lead to 3-2 with a power-play goal with 4:05 to play. Right wing Cory McLean's shot hit Migliaccio and bounced into the crease where Stastny simply knocked it in.
Eighteen seconds later, center Tony Gill fired a seemingly harmless shot at Migliaccio. The goalie stopped it, but didn't realize the puck came to a rest in front of him. Irish right wing Tim Wallace had little trouble wristing it in from close-range, igniting the crowd of 2,763.
Both teams had stellar chances to break the tie in the final three minutes, but no one sealed the deal.
Irish center Aaron Gill, Tony's brother, had a breakaway with 2:43 remaining, but his shot hit the crossbar above Migliaccio.
MSU freshman left wing David Booth created a breakaway of his own by jumping past an Irish defender with 45 seconds left, but his shot was kept out of the net by a different Irish defenseman after it got past goalie Morgan Cey.
The Spartans outshot Notre Dame 5-1 in overtime, but the Irish had more shots overall, 43-37. Migliaccio made 40 saves for the second straight night. Cey stopped 34 shots.
Senior left wing Brian Maloney notched the only goal of the opening frame, giving him six on the season. During MSU's second power play, the puck wound up in a pileup in the Irish crease. Referee Brian Aaron never lost sight of it, and therefore, he never blew his whistle to end the play. The puck eventually slid to Maloney, who was stationed to Cey's left, and he roofed a shot to the far-side for a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore center Ash Goldie collected an assist on the play, extending his points streak to nine straight games. He has two goals and nine assists during the span.
Notre Dame evened the score 1-1 with a power-play tally 6:20 into the second. Defenseman Evan Nielsen and Aaron Gill had a 2-on-1 in the offensive zone, and Gill skated to the slot where Nielsen fed him with a pass. Gill's ensuing one-timer skidded past Migliaccio along the ice.
Less than five minutes later, senior defenseman John-Michael Liles reclaimed a one-goal lead for MSU. Cey tried to handle the puck behind the net, but MSU sophomore forward Brock Radunske took it from him and passed it out front. Liles was there to bury a shot past a diving Cey for his ninth goal of the season.
Radunske scored what seemed to be an insurance goal with 6:26 to play in the third when he capped off a 3-on-1 with a wrist shot that beat Cey short-side from the right circle. The goal was Radunske's sixth.
Sophomore center Jim Slater, who bruised his ribs in the first period Friday and missed the rest of the game, played on the first line Saturday. He was awarded a penalty shot late in the second period, but he hit the post.
For the most part, Saturday's game was a special teams affair. Aaron called nine penalties in the first period, which resulted in four Irish power plays and three MSU advantages.
Overall, MSU went 1-for-4 on the power play Saturday. The Irish were 2-for-8. MSU head coach Rick Comley said afterward that the game was poorly officiated. Freshman right wing Nenad Gajic took a slashing penalty moments before Stastny recorded Notre Dame's second goal.
The Spartans' next action is a series against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Munn Ice Arena.
Personnel: The Spartans used the exact same lineup as Friday night.
Injury update: Sophomore right wing Mike Lalonde was hurt after taking a slap shot off the knee in the first period. He played a few shifts after the incident, but the knee tightened up during intermission and he missed the rest of the game. He said afterward that the injury isn't serious.
