After facing Western Michigan, Northern Michigan and Minnesota in the past three series, head coach Tom Anastos said the team’s confidence level continues to grow after seeing its play against strong opponents.

“We’re not the most talented team. We weren’t the most talented team on the ice here,” he said. “But we competed really hard, and when you compete hard, you give yourself a chance.”

With the second largest crowd of the season (5,270) at Munn Ice Arena Friday, the Spartans (8-5-1, 4-4-0 CCHA) put on its grittiest performance of the season.

Playing without junior defenseman Torey Krug and sophomore forward Greg Wolfe — who were disqualified against Northern Michigan for facemasking and fighting, respectively, and were forced to miss the game — senior goalkeeper Drew Palmisano made 40 saves and was crucial in picking up the win.

The next night, the Spartans battled back from being down 4-3 in the third period to tie the game on a brilliant individual effort from senior forward Daultan Leveille. After killing a penalty for the final 30 seconds of regulation and into overtime, the teams walked away with a 4-4 tie.

“Friday night, I was sitting in the stands, and I was jumping up and down when we scored — fist pumped pretty hard,” Krug said. “I seriously can’t remember a series that was that much fun to be a part of. The future is looking great for this rivalry, and I wish I could play in it longer.”

Despite facing one of the top scoring offenses in the WCHA, Palmisano and the Spartans slowed the Minnesota attack. After not seeing game action for nearly a month in favor of sophomore Will Yanakeff, Palmisano stopped 75 of 82 shots (.915) on the weekend.

“I saw the puck really well, and the defense did a good job at keeping the shots at the perimeter and eliminating their second and third opportunities,” Palmisano said. “When the defense does that, it definitely makes my job a lot easier.”