It was a matchup of the Big Ten’s best defensive team against the league’s best offensive team at a sold-out Joe Louis Arena Friday night. MSU hockey (10-11-2, 4-3-2 Big Ten) was coming off its first series sweep of the season, while No. 13 U-M (15-8, 7-2 Big Ten) was riding a seven-game winning streak into the rivalry game.
The Spartans’ defense won this battle of attrition as they halted the high-powered Wolverines in a 2-1 victory.
Sophomore forward Villiam Haag and junior forward Matt DeBlouw each scored their fifth goals of the season for MSU. Junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand built off of his Big Ten First Star of the week performance by making 29 saves against U-M.
The Wolverines entered the game averaging 6.8 goals per game over their last five victories, and still lead all Division I schools in that category. It took an inordinate amount of focus and teamwork to beat the Wolverines, starting with the man in net.
“I thought (Hildebrand) was real steady,” head coach Tom Anastos said. “He was really good in tight. I thought he handled everything. He looked very poised. I didn’t think we had to rely on any big spectacular saves, which he’s very capable of doing, but I thought his play was steady all night – sort of like our team.”
Hildebrand had nothing but praise for what his teammates were doing in front of him.
“We were in their face all night,” Hildebrand said. “(The defense) got a lot of sticks on pucks. I don’t know how many shots they blocked in the last couple minutes of the game – or throughout the entire game – everybody sacrificing their body. It was pretty special.”
One of the keys to the Spartans’ 19 blocked shots was their ability to slow down the Wolverines as they came through the neutral zone. When U-M had to dump the puck in instead of skating it in, it allowed MSU more time to set up in its own zone and find the right positioning.
“If you let them come through that area with a lot of speed, it really puts you on your heels,” Anastos said. “We tried to do some things to make it more difficult and be well-positioned, and force them to make really good plays and beat us. For the most part, I thought it was pretty effective.”
Timely penalty kills and a knack for possessing the puck capped off MSU’s defensive performance – one that it will try to mimic when they face the Wolverines again in Chicago this weekend.
Even though the Spartans scored less than three goals, they found a way to win a defensive battle against the best offense in the country and one of their biggest rivals.
The performance also allowed at least one Spartan to live out a childhood dream.
“Unexplainable right now,” DeBlouw said after scoring the game-winner Friday. “It was one of the greatest team victories that I’ve been a part of, especially with all the fans there in a packed Joe Louis. Growing up, you dream of having those opportunities and today was definitely one of those moments.”
