Senior forward Zak McClellan chases the puck while junior defenseman Brandon Gentile and two Lake Superior players follow behind during the third period Saturday night at Taffy Abel Arena. The Spartans swept the Lakers in two games, winning 3-2 and 5-2.
Sault Ste. Marie — Riding a four-game winless streak, a weekend series against Lake Superior was just what the doctor ordered for the MSU hockey team.
The Spartans, undefeated in 10 straight games against the Lakers going in, did what they came to do: pick up a series sweep, 3-2 on Friday and 5-2 on Saturday, at Taffy Abel Arena.
Saturday the Spartans turned up the heat in the third period and, with the help of some timely scoring, never looked back.
“We’ve been getting outshot, and we haven’t had many shots in the third period,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said. “For a team that works so hard, the third period should be our best period.”
MSU (10-3-2 overall, 6-2-1 CCHA) took a 1-0 lead into the second period on a goal by sophomore defenseman Michael Ratchuk.
From there, the goals came fast and furious as the two teams scored four goals in 8:01 through the middle part of the period.
Rick Schofield tied the game up for the Lakers (2-11-1, 0-8-0) at 7:01, but MSU responded exactly three minutes later as junior forward Tim Crowder scored his first goal since Nov. 10, and second of the season, to give MSU a 2-1 lead.
The Spartans hope that the goal, a little shot from the slot that went under the goaltender, will lead to the flood gates opening for Crowder.
“That’s big,” Comley said. “And you don’t care how you score.”
After watching his linemate struggle, junior forward Tim Kennedy was relieved to see Crowder light the lamp.
“Once he breaks out of his slump, watch out,” Kennedy said.
But that lead would stand for 35 seconds as Nathan Perkovich scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season to tie the game.
Despite giving up the lead, the Spartans would fight back and take control of the contest as Kennedy knocked in his 12th goal of the season off a scramble in the crease.
“I just saw the puck laying there and I took a whack at it and it just crossed the line” Kennedy said. “I don’t even think it hit the back of the net.”
From there, things settled down and MSU settled into a groove.
“We never gave up the lead for long and that was very important,” Comley said. “Their second goal and our third goal were crazy goals.”
The Spartans, who have struggled in the third period for much of the season, came out and took care of business this time around.
MSU came into the game with a minus-7 goal differential in third periods, but put away the Lakers with two goals – both by senior captain Bryan Lerg.
“The third period was probably the best third period of the year for us,” Comley said.
The Spartans allowed five shots in the third period while peppering Lake Superior goaltender Pat Inglis with 19. MSU had 41 shots on the game.
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Now MSU looks ahead to a tough home-and-home series with Ferris State. The Bulldogs are coming off a sweep of their own over Western Michigan.
Last season, MSU and Ferris State met four times. The Spartans went 2-1-1 against the Bulldogs.
