MSU junior defense Maxim Štrbák (8) tries to keep the puck away from OSU senior forward Davis Burnside (23) in the Munn Ice Arena on March 14, 2026. Ohio State defeated Michigan State 3-2 in overtime.
Michigan State hockey took Ohio State to overtime — just like their last meeting and their last contest in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament.
But this time the Spartans came up short. In a physical game that was tied entering each intermission, MSU fell 3-2 in sudden-death overtime.
"We couldn't get it done," MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. "We've been on the other side of that win in overtime. And unfortunately, tonight's not one of those nights."
Sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi and freshman forward Porter Martone scored Michigan State’s two goals. Martone now has 24 goals this season, tied for the second-most by an MSU player in a freshman season.
Junior goaltender Trey Augustine finished the game with 28 saves for a .933 save percentage. Ohio State goaltender Kristoffer Eberly finished with 36, as the Spartans outshot their opponent 38-31. MSU held a 16-14 block advantage, and the teams tied in faceoffs 36-36.
The loss ends the Spartans' chance to three-peat the Big Ten Tournament title. They were the No. 1 seed in the tournament and conclude Big Ten play with a record of 25-8-2. MSU will take a break from competition until NCAA regionals, which will be held March 27-29 at various sites.
The NCAA tournament bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 22 at 3 p.m. ET. MSU is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament due to its presence in the NPI rankings, based on its season performance.
The NCAA tournament selects 10 teams based on NPI rankings, outside of the six teams that win their conference tournament. MSU currently sits at No. 3 in the NPI rankings.
"This doesn't change how we feel about our team," Nightingale said. "We think we got a heck of a hockey team, and looking forward to the tournament."
No. 2-seeded Michigan will host Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament Championship.
Sudden-death OT
MSU took the first shots in overtime, two from freshman forward Anthony Romani. Augustine stopped two shots and Eberly stopped three.
Just past the two-minute mark, sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph hopped over the bench for a shift change and found himself guarding Buckeyes on a rush. Forward Félix Caron capitalized, scoring the game-winning goal for Ohio State.
The game was back-and-forth the entire night.
From the Start
The Spartans took a 1-0 lead just 1:56 into the game after junior forward Gavin O’Connell forced a turnover in the neutral zone. He broke the puck out and found Vansaghi on the left wing, who scored on a one timer, marking his fourth goal of the season.
Ohio State marked its first shot on goal almost four minutes in, and MSU continued to generate scoring chances. The Spartans were physical and blocked shots at the start of the period.
But Ohio State tied the game on a rush, 9:03 into the game. Forward Jake Karabela found forward Riley Thompson in the slot and he scored on Augustine’s left side.
The Spartans’ pace remained despite the tie. MSU held a shot, face-off and block advantage over the Buckeyes.
Tied in the Second
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The second period began with 4-on-4 play because of minor penalties carried over from the first. It took just five seconds for the Buckeyes to go on the power play when senior winger Daniel Russell was assessed a tripping penalty.
The penalty led to a 2-1 Ohio State lead, when Karabela scored on the power play just 1:33 into the period.
MSU’s shift after the goal was what it needed to be. Augustine performed saves and the Spartans were physical, but Ohio State marked more shots and started winning more face-offs.
When the Spartans generated shots, they were blocked by the Buckeyes or nailed the pipe, which happened three quick times.
MSU took to the power play past the halfway mark, but Ohio State’s penalty kill unit was aggressive, looking to score, too. Augustine recorded three saves during the Spartans’ man-advantage when forward Max Montes came at him with speed.
"I think that was good learning experience for our group," Nightingale said. "It's like, 'Hey, everyone, take a deep breath here.' And we got the next power play, went out and executed tight and gave ourselves a chance. And I thought [Eberly] made a couple really big time saves there."
The Spartans eventually evened the score with 3:33 left in the period, capitalizing on a power play after forward Adam Eisele was called for high-sticking away from the puck. Martone tied the game from the right faceoff circle after a quick passing sequence from Russell and freshman forward Ryker Lee.
MSU was forced to bring out its penalty kill unit with 25 seconds left in the period. Romani was called for a tripping penalty while fighting for possession.
The Buckeyes limited the Spartans during the second period, outshooting them 12-10 and winning four more face-offs.
Still Tied in the Third
Senior center Charlie Stramel was sent to the box a minute into the third period, forcing MSU to compete 3-on-5, before killing off both penalties.
Junior defenseman Patrick Geary went looking for a shorthanded goal, leading to a dangerous situation when the puck came back and Thompson was left alone, but Augustine stopped the shot.
Both sides saw transition chances, and Eberly stopped two big shots from O’Connell and freshman forward Cayden Lindstrom. Both teams were physical, fought for each possession, blocked shots and had strong goaltender performances.
With about five minutes left, the shot count was tied 6-6 and the face-offs were almost dead even too.
After a hard shot from Geary, junior forward Griffin Jurecki went after the rebound but was stopped by Eberly. Eberly prevented a swift shot from O’Connell along the left boards with 2:27 left in regulation, and another from Martone with a minute remaining.
MSU had more chances to win the third period than the Buckeyes, with a 13-8 shot advantage.
