The Spartans (7-15-3 overall, 4-11-2-2 CCHA) were only trailing 3-1 heading into the third period, but MSU head coach Rick Comley said the final frame of the game was when he saw his team fall apart.

“I thought we played pretty well for 40 minutes,” Comley said. “But Michigan is a really good team.”

U-M head coach Red Berenson said the Spartans played a better game than the score reflected and he expects the Spartans to play with more intensity tomorrow to try and end their losing streak to the Wolverines this season.

“We weren’t playing any better than they were,” Berenson said. “We’re glad we got the win, it was a big win, and still, as a coach, you feel like we’ve got to do a lot of things better because I know they’ll play better tomorrow night.”

MSU senior defenseman Kurt Kivisto said the turning point of the game came at 14:30 of the second period when the Spartans were mere millimeters from tying the score up.

There was a scrum in front of the net and the puck trickled behind U-M goaltender Bryan Hogan. MSU sophomore Dustin Gazley jumped to try and push the puck into the net, but he missed and the puck completely stopped with only half of it over the goal line.

Then moments later, U-M’s Carl Hagelin drove up the ice and put a sharp angle backhand shot past MSU senior goaltender Jeff Lerg.

“It was a big momentum boost for them,” Kivisto said. “It was a two goal swing, really. It could have been 2-2 and a half minute later it ends up in our net so now it’s 3-1.”

And when the Spartans allow three or more goals in a game, they are 0-8-0.

“We just don’t do enough to make it tough on other teams,” Lerg said. “Once we get down we have to have some resiliency and keep playing and keep fighting. It’s frustrating on my part when all of a sudden we get down three and all of a sudden the flood gates just open.”

MSU freshman defenseman Tim Buttery scored his first collegiate goal on a slap shot from the high slot to tie the score at one exactly one minute into the second period.

But the Wolverines scored three more goals before sophomore forward Dustin Gazley broke free on a breakaway late in the game. The puck was bouncing on Gazley and he fanned on his initial shot. But when U-M goaltender Bryan Hogan mishandled the puck, Gazley picked up the trash and beat Hogan to his glove side.

“There was a stick in the way so I just threw it at him as hard as I could and it somehow got through,” said Kivisto, who made the outlet pass to Gazley. “And he made a nice move for the goal.”

Less than 30 seconds later, the Wolverines regained the three goal lead on a goal by David Wohlberg. Then, at 16:49, Louie Caporusso – the nation’s leading goal scorer with 20 – scored his second goal of the night to put the game on ice.

Lerg doesn’t want to go his entire senior season without beating the Wolverines and said he hopes his team reflects on tonight’s game and brings more energy tomorrow when they head to Yost Ice Arena for the final regular season meeting between the schools.

“Everyone is pointing fingers instead of pointing their thumb at themselves,” Lerg said. “It’s frustrating. It’s our archrival and we haven’t made it a game yet. Hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow.”