“I give Notre Dame credit. I thought they were the better team,” MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. “I thought our power play did a good job, executed when needed to. The last half of the third we did a good job making them defend, and didn't give them much back half that period.”

With the win, the Spartans improved to 14-5-0 in the Big Ten (23-6-0 overall) with 42 points. MSU trails No. 2 Michigan by one point in the conference standings after its bye week. The Spartans will face the Irish again on Friday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

MSU will need to be sharper in the series finale against Notre Dame, although the close contest is valuable for building trust and continuing to improve as the playoffs quickly approach.

“Down the stretch every team is going to play us tight,” junior forward Gavin O’Connell said. “For us to be in those heavy games, one goal games, tight games, we learn a lot. We just got to lean on each other in the process and Spartan hockey. And ultimately, if we believe in that and we play our way, hopefully it goes our way.”

Junior defenseman Maxim Štrbák gave the Spartans a 1-0 lead from the slot in the third minute, but the lead was short lived. Notre Dame forward Dashel Oliver snuck a puck past Augustine’s right shoulder to even the score at 1-1 just two minutes later, for his first career collegiate goal. It was the first and only time Notre Dame scored on MSU without a man-advantage this season.

The game remained tied entering the first intermission, despite an Irish power play and multiple man advantages for the Spartans. Notre Dame goaltender Nicholas Kempf and Augustine kept their teams in the game, though Augustine faced more action, stopping shots amid the Irish’s 15–9 advantage in the opening period.

MSU capitalized on a power play just two minutes into the second period to regain the lead. Senior center Charlie Stramel buried a goal from the slot for his 19th of the season. He was assisted by linemates senior forward Daniel Russell and freshman forward Porter Martone, extending the line’s point streak to six games.

Just as the Spartans did, the Irish converted on the power play, though it required an official review. After a hooking penalty on MSU, forward Cole Knuble fired a hard shot that appeared to hit the post from near the goal line, and the puck bounced out as play continued. After a stoppage, the Irish challenged the initial call, and the referees ruled Knuble’s shot a goal, tying the game at 2–2.

Kempf held strong for the Irish until he exited the game with an injury. Senior center Tiernan Shoudy was pushed into Kempf while battling for position at the net, and Kempf remained down on the ice. He was later replaced by backup goaltender Luke Pearson.

“Good play by Lindy (freshman forward Cayden Lindstrom),” O’Connell said. “The power play was good, pretty much all night. He had an unreal play. It was kind of like a broken entry, and he saw me, made a good look, and then I was fortunate enough to just beat the goalie.”

While the Irish generated scoring chances throughout the second, the Spartans pushed back. 

Freshman forward Ryker Lee hustled back to challenge Knuble on a shorthanded breakaway, and Martone made a similar effort later in the period, diving to the ice to disrupt an Irish scoring chance. Augustine remained steadfast, allowing only the one power-play goal and stopping dangerous shots throughout the night with strong defensive support.

“He (Augustine) made some big time saves for us, and I thought we did a good job on some of those second effort plays in front of the net,” Nightingale said. “We weren't the better team and we asked a lot of him tonight, and we just can't make a habit of that.”

While the Spartans led entering the third, Notre Dame dominated the start. The Irish led the shot count 10-1 after seven minutes of play. When the Spartans started to generate offense Pearson stopped shots, or there were missed passes — until the Irish wore down. 

“That last 10 minutes, I thought we got on the forecheck and hung on to some pucks,” Nightingale said. “When you're playing a talented team that has skill, they're very good off the rush. You got to hang on to the puck… we did a better job of that. And obviously we got to try to do that again tomorrow.”

As the third period progressed, the Spartan’s defense tightened, generating more offensive opportunities. With 2:36 remaining, Notre Dame called a timeout, followed by an MSU timeout after the players returned to the ice. According to Nightingale, the timeout was used to sub in Stramel at the right faceoff circle, along with his linemates.

The Irish pulled their goaltender and generated some shots, but Augustine was solid. The defense paved the way for two empty-net shots by Martone, and he scored on the second.

Martone delivered a hard check in the neutral zone and skated past an Irish defender on his shoulder before scoring an empty-net goal, giving the Spartans a 4–2 insurance lead with 1:19 remaining. The Spartan’s defense then held firm to secure the win.