Three Spartans faced their former program as No. 3 Michigan State hockey welcomed the United States National Team Development Program Under-18s for an exhibition game on home ice, skating to a 4-2 win despite a lineup missing multiple regulars due to World Juniors and other absences.
"I liked our start," head coach Adam Nightingale said. "I thought for some of the guys, like a couple [defensemen] that were playing forward, I thought they did a good job for us. I liked our first 10 minutes; I thought we got a little light on our sticks. And I thought the rest of the game, our guys did a good job."
Freshman forward Austin Baker, a product of the USNTDP, banked a shot off goaltender Luke Carrithers’ pads 4:16 into the game to score his first goal in a Spartan jersey and give MSU a 1-0 lead. Sophomore forward Nathan Mackie assisted after winning a puck battle behind the net.
Freshman netminder Melvin Strahl held strong early, forcing wide shots and making four saves before forward AJ Garcia banked a goal in to even the game 1-1 at the 12:48 mark.
Shortly after, freshman forward Anthony Romani nearly responded from the left side of the net, but Carrithers made the stop. With one minute left in the period, the Spartans had another chance to take the lead, but Romani missed a pass from senior forward Charlie Stramel as he cut through the slot.
MSU controlled the puck for much of the first period, often sparked by physical play from sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph. The Spartans outshot their opponent 16-8, though the USNTDP held a 14-7 faceoff advantage entering intermission.
The Spartans took a 2-1 lead at the 4:32 mark when senior forward Daniel Russell connected with Romani in the neutral zone, and Romani carried the puck in alone, beating Carrithers.
After defenseman Tyler Martyniuk, an MSU commit, was sent to the box, the Spartans had a chance to extend their lead on the power play. Freshman forward Cayden Lindstrom buried a one-timer at 9:33, assisted by Romani and senior defenseman Matt Basgall.
The USNTDP generated several chances in the second period, mainly off the stick of Garcia, who missed an odd-man rush and later hit the post.
The Spartans killed off a late penalty to take a 3-1 lead into the final intermission. MSU outpaced the USNTDP 28-11 in shots and closed the gap in faceoffs, trailing 23-21.
Mackie had MSU’s first scoring opportunity in the final period at 1:50, but a side-pad save from Carrithers turned it away. MSU continued to pressure in the offensive zone, and Stramel added to the score at 4:55 with a goal from the front of the net — his strongest area.
Stramel has been consistent for the Spartans all season and entered the game after a five-point outing at the Great Lakes Invitational (4-1—5).
One minute after Stramel’s goal, a scrum broke out following a shot from forward Parker Trottier, resulting in four players, two from each team, being sent to the box for roughing.
The Spartans maintained possession and created several chances, including a hard shot from junior defenseman Patrick Geary that appeared to find the net but was ruled a shot off the pipe.
Strahl made a crucial save at 12:13 on a breakaway from defenseman Logan Lutner, followed by two roughing penalties that canceled out. MSU went to the power play after a slashing penalty but did not convert. The USNTDP did moments later.
After Geary was sent to the box for interference, Lutner capitalized with a one-timer straight out of the faceoff, making it 4-2 at 17:01.
The USNTDP pulled its goalie multiple times late, giving the Spartans chances at empty-net goals that did not connect. The USNTDP also generated a couple breakaways, but MSU played until the final horn, finishing checks and regaining possession.
"We asked them to not play the scoreboard, not play who we're playing, try to play with our standard," Nightingale said. "And I thought for the most part, we did that."
MSU outshot the USNTDP 35-17 and finished the night with a 31-28 faceoff advantage. Strahl made 15 saves for the win.
Freshman defenseman Matt Lahey made his first appearance after beginning the season sidelined with an injury. Lahey fired four shots and made key defensive plays, including stopping a fast break prior to Romani’s goal.
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"I thought he's done a heck of a job of having a great attitude and making sure he's still a part of the team and putting the work in," Nightingale said. "I thought he had a good game and he's obviously kind of track record of being a good player. We're going to need all the guys on our roster to be the team we want to be."
The Spartans will spend the next two weekends on the road as they resume conference play with a 14-4-0 overall record and a 5-3-0 mark in the Big Ten.
"We got to be ready to go," Nightingale said. "It's obviously a heck of a conference and looking to try to play our best hockey here in the second half."
MSU will face Ohio State on Jan. 9 in the first game of a two-game series. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST on Big Ten Plus.
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