"We’re in a position to do something big this year," junior defenseman Matt Basgall said. "We’ve got our eyes set this week on Ohio State, so we’ll turn the page quickly. Got eight big games coming up. It’s great to get the points but we’ve got to continue to go one step at a time."

Night one of the series featured an offensive explosion for the Spartans, who scored a lone goal in the first period before adding eight more across the second and third. It marked the first time in program history that MSU netted nine goals against Minnesota.

With a three point night for national leading scorer Howard and a two goal night for senior defenseman David Gucciardi, eight players on the Spartans had a multipoint night. Sophomore defenseman Maxim Štrbák had a four point night as well with four assists, the first of his career.

In the opening 10 minutes, MSU generated several strong scoring opportunities, but Minnesota goaltender Liam Souliere made crucial saves to deny an early Spartan attack.

The Spartans dominated puck battles with their aggressive forecheck and utilized poke checks in the neutral zone to maintain possession, outshooting Minnesota 13-6 in the first period.

One of MSU’s final shots of the first period found the back of the net. Following a faceoff win, Gucciardi passed to Basgall, who fired a one-timer past Souliere to give the Spartans a late first-period lead heading into the second.

The Gophers responded similarly to night one, with Jimmy Snuggerud scoring the equalizer at the six-minute mark of the second period, beating sophomore netminder Trey Augustine.

Junior forward Joey Larson fired a shot over Souliere’s shoulder, regaining the lead for MSU. Netminder Trey Augustine earned a secondary assist on the play, marking the second of his collegiate career. However, Minnesota forward Jimmy Snuggerud quickly responded with his second goal of the night, tying the game once again.

Yet again, the Spartans were on top of the puck and on a rebound opportunity in front of the net, senior forward Tanner Kelly was able to jump in front of Souliere and take the Spartan lead. And the Gophers had the answer on their dangerous power play when Luke Mittelstadt was able to get behind a sprawling Augustine and tie the game going into the final 20 minutes of game play.

Throughout the third period the Michigan State defense was able to stay on top of Minnesota breakouts through the neutral zone, breaking up passes to prevent opportunities, but both netminders were able to stand tall in their creases, leading into a sudden death overtime between the two teams, a complete contrast to night one.  

However, the five-minute overtime period wasn’t enough to settle the game, leaving it officially recorded as a tie. In the shootout, Howard and junior forward Daniel Russell each scored, securing the extra point for the Spartans. With the shootout win, MSU extended its lead in the Big Ten standings to a commanding five points.

"Our challenge coming into tonight was moving past what happened the night before and getting back to our game," head coach Adam Nightingale said. "I think it’s harder to handle success, you’ve got to put your nose down, you’ve got to be ready to work and remember who we need to be as a team."

MSU will head to Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m., aiming to strengthen its lead in the Big Ten standings and secure back-to-back regular season titles.