A come-from-behind shootout win in night one against the Gophers with a junior forward Daniel Russell goal was able to fuel MSU into night two. The Spartans made a campaign for a comeback Saturday night, scoring four unanswered goals in the final frame for a 5-3 win, taking five of six points and an upset victory.  

"A good lesson for our guys is you’ve just got to stay with it," head coach Adam Nightingale said. "The second period I actually liked us and we ended up behind by a couple, and I think you saw the results of that in the third when we were able to wear them down and get to our game."

With the statement victory, the Spartans fought to their first victory in the Gophers' arena for the first time since Feb. 2020. Even though the win may be "business as usual," the significance of the first one in Mariucci in four years shows that this MSU group is different than most, junior forward Isaac Howard said postgame. 

Four-goal third period powers the MSU win

The first period on night two remained scoreless for both the Gophers and Spartans, but both teams were quick to jump going into the second period, with a quick first goal from Howard. But the one-goal lead wouldn’t last long, as star forward Brodie Ziemer equalized for Minnesota.

The Gophers lit the lamp two more times in the second period, giving them a dangerous two-goal lead heading into the final period, when the Spartans turned things around. 

The third-period magic began with Howard, who scored to put MSU within one. The Spartans didn't stop as sophomore defenseman Maxim Štrbák put his first goal of the season on the score sheet after junior forward Karsen Dorwart fed the puck to the blueline for Štrbák to rip home. 

"Before the game, I told (Štrbák) he’d get one tonight," Howard said. "It was just a matter of time, he’s had so many looks and to see that go in at such a big time was awesome."

With a running clock, MSU tallied on a game-winning goal from junior forward Charlie Stramel, who took a pass from the goal line from senior forward Red Savage and snuck the puck past Liam Souliere. This fourth goal from Stramel wasn't their final. 

In a last-ditch effort from the Gophers, Souliere skated to the bench and Savage took the opportunity to snipe the puck down the ice to ensure MSU's second upset victory over a No. 1 ranked team this season. 

With the winter break upon them, the Spartans will head to a hiatus in the schedule until playing at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids to take on the Northern Michigan Wildcats for their first matchup at the 58th annual Great Lakes Invitational on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.