"I told our guys it's not easy to sweep on the road," coach Adam Nightingale said. "For our guys to hang in there on the road and get the job done, that's one we can keep in our back pocket."

The Green and White took a quick lead, capitalizing with their first shot just 89 seconds in. 

Senior defenseman Travis Shoudy took the puck through the neutral zone, sending it to freshman forward Anthony Romani on the right wing. Romani hit freshman forward Ryker Lee, cutting down the left side, who sunk the shot to put Sparty up 1-0. 

Despite the score, MSU’s offense struggled to execute against a sharper Notre Dame performance. 

The Irish saw some of their better scoring opportunities almost twelve minutes in, after a shot from defenseman Henry Nelson was saved by junior netminder Trey Augustine, but fell loose, leading to a second chance from forward Will Belle, also snuffed. 

"Our execution breaking the puck out in the first was pretty sloppy," Nightingale said. "When you're playing against a skillful team, they're gonna put you on your heels. But that's what we have Trey [Augustine] for. He made some saves for us, and the guys found a way to get it done."

Just over seven minutes in the game grew chippy and Notre Dame’s defenseman Paul Fischer — and only goal scorer from the previous night — was sent to the box for two minutes. 

The Spartans saw shot opportunities, and Lee ripped a loud one, trying to bank it over goaltender Nicholas Kempf. However, the Irish pressured, earning two shorthanded breakaways that did not fall, and MSU’s man-advantage team did not convert.

"I think our execution wasn't great, but part of being a good power play is managing frustration, right?" Nightingale said. "It's not always going to go your way. Yes, we want to score. Yes, we want to win them, but if it doesn't, we've got to be able to respond."

Augustine stopped several scoring chances near the end of the first, including a one-on-one shot from forward Sutter Muzzatti, blocked in the final five seconds of the period. MSU led 1-0 entering intermission. 

About four minutes in to the second period, senior forward Charlie Stramel and freshman forward Porter Martone banged on the wall before hopping over for a line change. 

Just moments later Stramel found Martone slicing down the middle and Martone buried the shot with ease to increase MSU’s advantage, 2-0. 

The Spartan defense held fast, killing off a penalty that started just a minute after their score. However, a two-goal lead is the worst lead in hockey. 

Halfway through the period, Nilson was sent to the box for high-sticking, and the Irish converted on the power play — just as they had the night before.

Irish forward Evan Werner carried the puck out of the back of the attack zone and fired a shot on net, where forward Danny Nelson was waiting for the tap-in, putting the Irish on the board at 2–1.

Despite sparks from MSU after a timeout late in the second, the score held until the start of the final frame, and Augustine maintained the edge through the third, performing crucial saves. 

Nearly seven minutes in, it appeared MSU had extended its lead on a crowded play in front of the net, where junior forward Tommi Männistö knocked the puck in after an initial shot from sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph. The crowd and players began to celebrate, but Notre Dame challenged the call, and the referees ruled no goal.

Despite the call, the moment embodied the type of attack Nightingale is looking for out of the players. 

"You see all these highlight-reel goals," Nightingale said after MSU’s first game of the season. "But the reality is, the majority of them are probably ugly goals, right? And you've got to pay a price to get there."

As the third period went on, MSU began to look more like itself, generating scoring chances even if none connected. Despite a missed shot from Stramel, chants of "Go Green" and "Go White" rang out — noticeably loud on away ice — with nearly six minutes left in the game.

With three minutes left Augustine made back-to-back saves off shots from Notre Dame’s first line. Down 2-1 the Irish opted for an extra skater, and they paid the price. 

After a faceoff win, Männistö finally got his goal, skating along the wall and past a defender to bury the empty netter and provide insurance for MSU. 

Augustine held until the last seconds, when Fischer fired off a final shot from the blue line, and Augustine performed a glove save to solidify the 3-1 win. The net minder finished the night with 28 saves.

"I definitely think that first period, that's not who we are," Nightingale said. "We were up one nothing, but we definitely have a lot to keep working on, and our group understands that, right? It's not about the scoreboard, it's about trying to get better, and we'll do that this week."

The Spartans will return home to host No. 7 Wisconsin on Friday, Nov. 21, at 8:30 p.m. EST and Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. EST. The games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.