Coming off two consecutive losses to Minnesota the weekend prior, the Spartans didn’t want to relive that defeat, so they did something about it.

They took the ice for the third period, netted three goals and won.

MSU found itself in a similar situation on Saturday, facing a 2-0 deficit heading into the third period.

The Spartans once again scored multiple goals in the third, except this time Niagara refused to give up another late-rally loss.

The Purple Eagles pulled ahead 3-2, but sophomore forward Brent Darnell tied the game back up at 3-3.

“Coming in my sophomore year, I wanted to contribute more to the team offensively,” Darnell said. “I had a pretty gritty goal there at the end and I want to keep that up, especially with CCHA play starting next weekend.”

Darnell assisted freshman forward Matt DeBlouw’s goal, MSU’s second of Saturday night, and had 10 shots during the series.

Junior forward Greg Wolfe said the team’s ability to rally showed a lot of character and resiliency from the young roster.

“I think that was a big thing for us, a big step in the right direction,” Wolfe said. “Obviously, we would’ve liked to get two wins out of the weekend but it’s a stepping stone.”

On Saturday, the two teams played to a scoreless overtime, ending the tail end of the series in a tie.

Nonconference play doesn’t include shootouts in records, but MSU and Niagara played the shootout — essentially a practice run — which MSU ended up winning 1-0 off another Darnell goal.

Coming off the weekend and two third-period rallies, head coach Tom Anastos said he liked the way his team came back to fight for the games.

“We got more experience; I hope to get better every week,” Anastos said.