The No. 2 Michigan State Spartans kicked off its season hosting a Hockey East opponent, the New Hampshire Wildcats. Although the team was ready to be back on their home rink, the night was deja vu of last year’s NCAA tournament, as the Spartans lost 4-3 off a last-second Wildcat goal. 

"That's a super tough finish," Spartan Head Coach Adam Nightingale said. "I told the guys after the game. I mean, this is team sport. You win as a team; you lose as a team. And clearly, we got a lot to work on."

Despite a high shot count, Michigan State struggled to execute against a solid performance of 34 saves from New Hampshire senior goaltender Kyle Chauvette. Penalty minutes proved costly, as the Wildcats went 2-5 on the powerplay, forcing the youthful Spartans to execute at a quicker pace.

"We got a lot of new guys and understanding that it's super competitive every night," Nightingale said. "It's like a playoff game. And not that I thought our guys weren't competitive, but I think that's a great reminder to our guys, like this is hard. College hockey is hard, and there are no nights off."

The night started off a stark contrast to last Friday: quicker and more physical. Both teams saw shots and bodies knocked on the ice, with senior forward Charlie Stramel’s headgear needing fixing during a breather. 

It took a powerplay for the Spartans to get on the board. With the man advantage the green and white fired off four shots – all saved by Chauvette. 

Still on the powerplay, a pass from junior forward Gavin O’Connell gave freshman forward Anthony Romani an opening and he took it – striking from the right wing to mark the first Spartan goal of the season – and his first collegiate career goal. 

But the Wildcats wasted no time. 

New Hampshire had the upper hand after MSU freshman defenseman Sean Barnhill received two minutes for cross checking. It took the Wildcats just two shots to capitalize with senior forward Morgan Winters tipping the puck in to silence Spartan fans, and the game was knotted heading into the second period. 

The Wildcats made the goal horn blare early in the second stanza after winning the faceoff.  Just 24 seconds in, Winters found the net skating solo from the right wing, putting the puck above junior goalie Trey Augustine’s shoulder. 

Neither team took its foot off the gas with both netminders recording three saves in the first seven minutes. 

Posting up near the net, senior forward Charlie Stramel evened the score for Michigan State with a tip-in off a right wing assist from sophomore defenseman Owen West. 

The Spartans led the second in shots, 14-7, but each time it looked like they would pull ahead, Chauvette busted out a block or save. 

"I thought [Chauvette] had a good game," Nightingale said. "I don't think there was many second opportunities, right? And so, credit to him for control and rebounds, but also them in front of their net, right? I think you look at some of those flurries where we couldn't get a stick on, and obviously we got to be better in that area." 

The game remained tied 2-2 at the start of the third, but penalties controlled the momentum. 

Junior defenseman Patrick Geary received a five-minute major penalty for crosschecking nearly six minutes in, and the tides turned.    

Starting senior forward Cy Leclerc took advantage for the Wildcats, nearing the crease and firing off two shots before sinking a third into the net amidst the blur of bodies. Despite New Hampshire taking its first lead, 3-2, Augustine held it to just that one goal during the major penalty. 

It was the Spartans’ speed demon, junior Tommi Männistö who brought some momentum, racing down the ice and just a foot away from the net before getting tripped. 

Despite failure to convert on the powerplay, Michigan State stayed on the attack and Barnhill dished out an assist to Männistö, slicing down the left of the net for a quick goal to even the score, 3-3. 

As the clock wound down the Spartans fired off six shots, and with less than 15 seconds left, spectators were thinking about overtime – but the Wildcats weren’t. 

New Hampshire crowded the net until junior forward Marty Lavins forced the puck past Augustine and the Wildcats took a 4-3 lead with just over five seconds remaining. Michigan State took one final shot from the neutral zone, but it missed and the clock showed zeros. 

Michigan State outshot New Hampshire 37-26, and Augustine recorded 22 saves despite the loss. Nightingale said that Augustine put the team in a position to win, while still emphasizing hockey is a team sport. 

The Spartans begin the season 0-1 and look to rebound against New Hampshire, closing out the series Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET.