MSU was outplayed 3-0 by the Eagles by way of sloppy passes and poor stick handling, silencing Munn Ice Arena in MSU's home opener. 

"Early on it looked like we wanted to be too cutesy and that's not our game. There's a time and place," MSU head coach Adam Nightingale said postgame. "We are a blue collar hockey team and if we try to play white collar hockey, we're not that good of a team."

Last year's early-season matchup between the Eagles and Spartans in Chestnut Hill, MA saw MSU get outplayed and ultimately swept.

No. 4-ranked Michigan State started the season with a promising sweep over Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie with a 2-1 overtime victory and a dominant 5-1 landslide on night two.

MSU junior forward Isaac Howard was the main producer in the first series, accumulating five points on the weekend, three goals and two assists.

MSU came into the first period with a chip on its shoulder after last year's sweep and made sure not to let the Eagles get a hot start on the Spartans' home ice. 

Through the first, both teams were on level ice with one another, each notching eight shots on goal with nothing to show for it. Play was physical early, with both squads playing with aggression and using the boards to their advantage.

Trying to shake away some offseason rust, the Spartans' stick handling and passing were off. MSU failed to complete many passes up center ice. Puck battles in the corners on both sides were won by the Eagles.

"I think we just chucked some pucks around, especially in the neutral zone and it was a little bit of hot potato instead of picking your head up and drive into open ice or hang onto it," Nightingale said.

Though neither team was able to capitalize early, Boston College star forward Ryan Leonard had a breakaway chance up center ice but his shot rang off of the post and landed back in front of MSU goalie Trey Augustine, leaving both teams still scoreless entering the second period.

As soon as the second period began, the Eagles' talent and togetherness was on full display.

BC’s Will Vote capitalized on a loose puck early in the second period, as BC took a 1-0 lead with a rebound shot off the pad of Augustine.

Not long after, Vote took a clean pass from freshman forward James Hagens and slid the puck past Augustine for another goal. 

MSU junior forward Charlie Stramel had an opportunity after the first penalty of the game went against MSU, but was denied by BC's Jacob Fowler in the long run. Though the shorthanded breakaway shot was promising for MSU, it didn't come without an Eagle retaliation.

BC junior forward Oskar Jellvik capped off the period with a near-identical goal to the previous two to earn a 3-0 advantage.

"I think the message after the second period was, 'Wake up,'" Savage said. "We're playing in front of our home crowd for the first time in six months. It's embarrassing going into the third period down three nothing."

The final period saw the same kind of struggle the Spartans endured all night. Even on a power play with senior forward Red Savage and Stramel perched in front of the net ready to tap in any flying puck that came their way, the BC penalty kill unit overpowered MSU’s man advantage and shut it down.

MSU's first line duo of Daniel Russell and Howard from last weekend came close on a two-man breakaway down the ice, but Fowler remained the brick wall the Eagles were counting on to earn a shutout.

The Eagles and Spartans will battle it out one more time on Saturday, Oct.12 at 6 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena. The green and white will look for a series split and the red and gold will hunt for a repeat of last October.