"It’s a special place for me," Nightingale said postgame. "I felt fortunate to get a chance to work here and I’ve always thought it might be a tougher job to get than what I am right now. To come back, see the young hockey players coming through, and know the impact it had on me — it’s a great feeling."

A fast-paced start

The game started with an early goal from USA at the 5:54 mark in the first period. Richard Gallant, a Harvard commit, scored on a shot that deflected off the back of MSU goalie Augustine, putting the group of amateurs ahead 1-0 on its first shot of the game. 

The Spartans quickly responded. Stramel netted a goal off a backdoor pass from Matt Basgall, tying the game 1-1. MSU continued to apply pressure and took the lead at 16:38 when Gavin O'Connell scored, assisted by Howard and Nicklas Andrews.

In the final minute of the first period, Mikey DeAngelo added another to give the Spartans a 3-1 lead. After 20 minutes, MSU outshot USA 15-4. Augustine stopped three of the four shots he saw. 

Howard shines 

Luca Di Pasquo replaced Augustine in the net to begin the second period, and the Spartans didn’t slow down. Just 4:50 into the period, Isaac Howard scored an unassisted goal.

After blocking a shot, Howard took the puck coast-to-coast and finished with a backhander to make it 4-1 MSU. 

The Spartans struck again at 5:37 when Patrick Geary scored, assisted by Maxim Štrbák and Karsen Dorwart to extend their lead to 5-1. 

USA responded with a goal from Jack Murtagh, unassisted at 7:17, bringing the score to 5-2. Despite the goal, MSU continued to dominate play and had a clear advantage in shots.

MSU put 34 shots on goal through two periods compared to just 14 for USA. 

Late in the period, Howard got involved in a physical altercation during a scrum in front of the net, throwing a few punches with Maceo Phillips. The fight added some intensity to the already-chippy game, but the Spartans held on to their 5-2 lead. 

Spartans close it out 

MSU continued its strong play in the third period. Tiernan Shoudy capitalized on a rebound to score, assisted by Basgall and Tanner Kelly.

Di Pasquo, who played the last two periods, turned aside all 15 shots he faced. MSU finished with a 40-19 advantage in shots. 

Nightingale was pleased with his team's performance, particularly with the atmosphere surrounding the game. The exhibition served as a fundraiser for University of Michigan hockey assistant coach Matt Deschamps and his family, with a portion of the ticket sales donated to help his wife Kelly, who is battling stage 3 breast cancer.

Nightingale expressed gratitude for the large crowd in attendance, many of whom had traveled to show support for both MSU and the cause. 

"It was great to see such a big crowd," Nightingale said. "I know it was getting close to being the largest crowd they’ve ever had here, so it’s awesome to see the support from everyone, especially for such an important cause. Our guys played hard and I think we got a lot out of the game."

Howard, who previously played for USA's development team, reflected on the experience of returning to the arena where he once competed. 

"It was fun to come back here, especially with a lot of guys who have played in this building before," Howard said. "It made the game even more fun and we were all excited to play." 

Looking ahead 

The Spartans will return to Munn Ice Arena next weekend for a Friday-Sunday series against Lindenwood before heading into a challenging December stretch, with road games against Wisconsin (Dec. 6-7) and Minnesota (Dec. 13-14) before holiday break. 

As the Spartans continue their strong start, they’ll look to build on this momentum heading into Big Ten matchups next month. But for now, they can celebrate the extension of their win streak to eight games, with a 6-2 win over a talented, young group of hockey players. 

"We're just taking every game with the same approach," Howard said. "I think we just want to win every game we play in and play the right way."