With 1:39 left on the power play, the Big Red capitalized with 10 seconds remaining, as Sullivan Mack scored to upset the Spartans 4-3.

"A tough finish to a great season," head coach Adam Nightingale said. "Only one team gets to finish with a win, not us this year. I told the guys I couldn't be more proud of our group. They've done everything we asked them to do. This is a little bit the reality of a single elimination."

Both teams entered the game coming off tournament championships: MSU with back-to-back regular season and tournament titles, and Cornell with back-to-back tournament titles. MSU was fresh off a double-overtime win over Ohio State, while Cornell carried momentum from a dominant 3-1 victory over Clarkson.

Cornell earned its NCAA tournament spot by winning the ECAC Tournament, while MSU was a lock for the tournament and had its sights set on claiming the No. 1 overall seed in Toledo, benefiting from the city’s proximity to Michigan.

MSU came into the first period focused on playing its style of hockey, and they executed. The Spartans made smart passes, generated offensive chances, and their defense stepped up, with senior David Gucciardi blocking back-to-back shots to keep Cornell off the board.

MSU opened the scoring, but the goal wouldn’t have happened without the assist from junior Joey Larson. Larson skated past Cornell netminder Ian Shane and slid the puck to sophomore Gavin O’Connell, who fired it into the net, igniting the Green and White crowd.

The Big Red quickly answered when top scorer Ryan Walsh beat sophomore netminder Trey Augustine with a wrist shot to the glove side. As MSU had done all season, they responded quickly.

On the power play, the Spartans’ special teams capitalized. Junior Charlie Stramel made an incredible pass behind him to junior Daniel Russell, who scored. The goal was Russell’s first since late January against Ohio State.

MSU’s intensity continued in the second period, with Larson and Stramel making their presence known, disrupting Cornell in the defensive zone and creating opportunities in the offensive zone. While Stramel didn’t register a shot, his impact was evident.

The Spartan defense was also impressive, holding Cornell to just four shots on goal in the second period and not allowing a shot until the 12-minute mark. When Cornell did generate offense, it counted — Charlie Major scored to tie the game on just their second shot.

MSU responded again. With Shane out of his net to play the puck, junior Karsen Dorwart raced down the red line, took the puck from Shane, and slid it into the net to give the Spartans a lead heading into the third period.

The Big Red entered the final period fighting to keep their season alive. They created offense and dominated possession for almost two minutes, peppering Augustine with shots from the slot and trying to capitalize on the Spartans’ fatigued defense.

Cornell came out strong in the final period and Walsh capitalized on a rebound, scoring his second goal of the night to tie the game. MSU struggled with turnovers and the faceoff battles were not in their favor. Things worsened when defensive leader Matt Basgall was penalized for tripping.

With 10 seconds left, the Big Red pounced on a loose puck behind Augustine to take the lead. They never looked back, upsetting the Spartans 4-3 and ending their historic 2024-2025 season.