Perhaps most importantly for Michigan State, junior forward Josh Nodler finally seemed to find a bit of confidence. He knocked in a pass from junior forward Erik Middendorf at the front of the net, scoring his first goal since Dec. 30, 2021, against Michigan Tech.

“He works real hard,” Michigan State Head Coach Danton Cole said. “Good to see him get something. Hopefully it carries over to tomorrow.”

Freshman defenseman David Gucciardi and Middendorf scored MSU's other two goals, pushing the Spartans out to a 3-1 lead. Although some soft defense and a few mistakes popped up throughout the first couple of periods, Michigan State was clearly the better team.

However, Penn State made it clear that they would not gift Michigan State the victory. Just 50 seconds into the final period, fifth-year defenseman Adam Pilewicz raced down the ice and sniped a shot past Charleson, slicing MSU's lead to just one.

The early goal seemed to deflate any sort of confidence Michigan State had built in the previous 40 minutes, and the momentum shifted completely towards Penn State. The Nittany Lions turned up the heat offensively, tilting the ice almost entirely towards the Spartans' defensive zone.

It did not take Penn State long to find the game-tying goal. Less than three minutes after Pilewicz's goal, freshman forward Jesse Tucker slung an ill-advised pass across the front of the net. It was intercepted by senior defenseman Paul DeNaples, who ripped the puck past Charleson.

The score was 3-3 with over 16 minutes left in the game. After controlling two-thirds of the game, it took just a few minutes for Penn State to throw Michigan State against the ropes.

Penn State secured the game-winner with just under five minutes left in the period, finally converting on one of Michigan State's three third-period penalties. With 19 seconds left, the Nittany Lions iced the game with an empty-netter.“

“We gave them that game,” Middendorf said. “We could've easily not turned those pucks over and done what we know what to do.”

Inconsistency and self-inflicted errors have been common themes for Michigan State this season, especially in the midst of the current losing streak. Both were evident in Friday's third-period collapse to Penn State.

Friday night's loss extended Michigan State's losing streak to 13 games. It also locked MSU into the 7th seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament. The Spartans one last shot to end the season on a high note, as Saturday night's rematch against the Nittany Lions is the last game of the year.

“It's a huge game going into the playoffs,” Middendorf said. “We need this one for our morale, our pride, our fans, the Munnsters, everything.”

Saturday night's matchup is both senior and alumni night, which means that a collection of former Spartans will be in attendance to help send off the current senior class. The puck is set to drop at 6 p.m.