By Eric Fish
The State News
Detroit - Junior forward Colton Fretter scored 9:24 into overtime to give the Spartans a 2-1 win over intrastate rival Michigan as MSU captured the Great Lakes Invitational tournament championship for the first time since 2000.
"I think there are three goals when you start a season at Michigan State," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "To win the GLI, to win the CCHA and then to win the NCAA championship, and you can't downplay winning any of them.
"Nothing replaces winning, and if you're not going to enjoy it, you better find something else to do."
After coming off a 4-3 overtime win against New Hampshire on Wednesday to earn a spot in the GLI title game, the Spartans (10-9-1 overall, 5-7-0 CCHA) found themselves in familiar territory Thursday as regulation again ended in a tie.
Senior captain Jim Slater got the scoring going midway through the first period on the power play when he took a pass from sophomore forward Drew Miller along the boards, then walked it toward the net and fired a shot that beat U-M goaltender Noah Ruden.
The lead stood until 1:11 into the third period when U-M forward Brandon Kaleniecki capitalized off of an MSU turnover behind the net, jamming it past MSU sophomore goaltender Dominic Vicari to even the score.
The Wolverines (14-5-1, 11-1-0) were unable to capitalize on two late third-period power plays and the two teams readied for sudden-death overtime. The game was iced in overtime when Miller forced a turnover behind the U-M goal, then passed to an oncoming Fretter, who slammed the puck home.
"It came back to me, and I just threw it into the net," Fretter said. "Obviously, it's a great feeling - I don't think I've ever scored a bigger goal than that."
It took nearly twice as long for Fretter to net the winner - team-leading 12th goal -than it did for Slater the night before, but the deal was sealed and the Spartans poured onto the ice in celebration.
Slater was named Most Valuable Player in the GLI for his three-point tournament performance, as well as the lone Spartan named to the all-tournament team. "To finally bring it back to Michigan State is a great feeling," Slater said of winning the GLI.
With the win, the Spartans were able to improve their season record against Michigan to 1-2, but lost freshman defenseman Jeff Dunne for 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury.
"We've worked very, very hard this year and haven't had a lot to show for it," Comley said. "This team has not quit on itself and you need winning to be a catalyst to more winning."
New Hampshipre defeated Michigan Tech earlier Thursday for third place in the tournament. The Spartans will return to action when they travel to Miami (Ohio) to meet the Redhawks for a weekend series January 7-8.
