Ann Arbor - It was just one of those days.
After scoring four goals in a wild first period, little went right for the MSU hockey team as No. 2 Michigan was able to score two unanswered goals in the second period and hang on for a 5-4 win on Saturday night at Yost Ice Arena.
For the second straight game, turnovers were a problem for the No. 14 Spartans.
"They're going to hurt you when you make mistakes," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "I think we made enough mistakes that it cost us."
Senior captain Jim Slater quieted the rowdy Yost crowd early, capitalizing on an odd-man rush just 30 seconds into the game.
Slater and junior forward David Booth rushed in on U-M goaltender Al Montoya, Slater looked to Booth, but took the shot himself and put it past Montoya to stun the crowd and put MSU ahead, 1-0.
Freshman forward Jim McKenzie and junior defenseman Corey Potter picked up the assists. It was Potter's first point since returning to the lineup.
"It was a quick goal," Slater said. "That's what we had to do, (to) come in here quick."
After U-M forward Brandon Kaleniecki tied the game, the Wolverines struck again, this time on the power play.
Kaleniecki's shot from the top of the circle bounced off the facemask of MSU sophomore goaltender Dominic Vicari and landed right on the stick of U-M forward Milan Gajic, who had nearly all day to put the puck into the goal.
After that, though, it became Miller Time for the Spartans.
Sophomore forward Drew Miller scored two consecutive first-period goals to give the lead back to MSU.
On the first, he took a pass from sophomore defenseman Chris Snavely and slipped it past Montoya. On the second, from a tight angle in the corner, Miller just threw it toward Montoya and it went off the goaltender and into the goal. The Spartans now held a 3-2 edge.
But after that goal, it quickly became the T.J. Hensick Show.
The U-M forward took the puck at his own goal line, went coast-to-coast, undressed MSU sophomore defenseman Tyler Howells and beat Vicari to tie the game.
MSU senior forward Ash Goldie gave MSU the lead with a power-play goal more than a minute later, but little did the Spartans know, it would be the last time they would beat Montoya on the night.
"(It was) racehorse hockey, which we're not really used to," Miller said of the first period. "It was a pretty good first period for our team."
Hensick picked up his second goal of the game little more than halfway through the second period to tie the game and then U-M captain Eric Nystrom gave the Wolverines the lead for good.
On a three-on-two, forward Jason Ryznar found Nystrom in the slot and his shot went over Vicari's shoulder and found its way under the crossbar before bouncing out of the goal. It was Nystrom's third goal of the year.
"We got our chances," Vicari said. "But they managed to take advantage of our turnovers."
Holding on tight to its lead, U-M almost gave MSU a gift with a little less than two minutes left when a miscue between U-M forward David Moss and Montoya almost allowed the Spartans to get the puck into the net, but the goalie recovered and the Wolverines held on and swept the series with a wild 5-4 win. U-M also won, 4-2, Thursday at Munn Ice Arena.
Vicari made 26 saves for MSU (5-6-1, 3-5-0 CCHA), while Montoya stopped 20 shots for U-M (9-2-1, 7-1-0).
"I think we played as well this weekend as we have against anybody all year," Comley said. "Except this is a better team."
The Spartans head back to the ice this weekend in the College Hockey Showcase, traveling to Wisconsin on Friday and Minnesota on Saturday.
