“That was a really, really good response out of our group and that embodies what our seniors are about,” coach Adam Nightingale said. “They're a resilient group. Stuff’s not always going to go your way. They've always found a way to get up off the mat. Even within the game, we were down two different times, and there wasn't a panic. Obviously, some big time execution on the power play, but I thought we were much better tonight. Ohio State is a really good team this time of year. It's hard to win.”

Junior goaltender Trey Augustine and sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph clinched the shootout point for the team after 26 skaters attempted. Ralph scored the final goal for MSU and Augustine performed the winning save to follow. Augustine finished the night with 28 saves and 11 stops during the shootout.

Freshman forwards Anthony Romani and Porter Martone each scored game-tying goals.

After the game, six seniors were honored: defenseman Matt Basgall, winger Daniel Russell, center Tiernan Shoudy, center Charlie Stramel, goaltender Dolan Gilbert and defenseman Travis Shoudy. 

While the game was a tie, the Spartans reflected the identity they have built all season: a team that responds.

Shots did not fall and mistakes were made, but effort led to the result.

That effort has been modeled by the senior class, especially Basgall, Russell and Tiernan Shoudy.

They have played all 145 games under Nightingale, who has repeatedly called them “everyday guys.”

The Spartans moved to 16-6-1 in the Big Ten with 47 points and an overall record of 24-7-1. The tie secured one point and the shootout secured another. MSU now needs three points to win the Big Ten regular-season title outright and top No. 2 Michigan. It has two games remaining in the regular season and will face Minnesota on the road on March 5 and 6. 

Trailing in the Third

With 2:41 left in the second period, Ohio State forward Jake Rozzi scored in transition to give the Buckeyes a 3-2 lead.

Romani buried a wrist shot to tie the game at 3-3 on a power play. Sophomore defenseman Owen West assisted on the goal after his shot was stopped and rebounded.

The Spartans converted two of three power plays.

MSU controlled scoring chances in the third period, outshooting the Buckeyes 12-6. 

The Spartans generated several chances they often convert, but Ohio State goaltender Kristoffer Eberly was excellent throughout the night.

He finished with 34 saves. 

Despite transition chances for the Buckeyes, overtime hockey was needed.

Overtime

Each side fired just one shot on target in overtime.

Winger Davis Burnside took the first shot but missed wide, and Augustine later made a glove save against Burnside to keep the Spartans in the game.

With five seconds left, Romani tipped the puck and raced down the ice, trying to beat the clock and the goaltender. His shot was stopped, sending the game to the Spartans’ first shootout of the season.

Despite the miss, Romani has proven himself to be clutch throughout the season, scoring big-time goals against Michigan, Penn State and tonight. 

Shootout Hockey  

Russell took the Spartans’ first shootout attempt on his senior night.

“Danny (Russell) has been really good for us in that. He’s got a bit of ice water, and that's what it takes in those moments,” Nightingale said.

Russell deked Eberly and went top shelf to give MSU a 1-0 shootout lead.

After two missed attempts from each team, Burnside scored on Augustine to tie the shootout 1-1. Stramel followed a couple rounds later, scoring bar down with his backhand for a 2-1 lead before forward William Smith tied the shootout again.

Each goaltender faced seven shooters, and stopped all consecutive shots. Throughout the attempts, Ralph had his arm wrapped around his teammates, until it was his turn.

“About the fourth shooter, [Ralph] was staring me down,” Nightingale said. “He wanted out there. I told him after the game, the right side of my face had a sunburn from him staring me down. I think that's half the score in those moments — the moment doesn't eat it up. You could tell when he went down there he had a ton of confidence.” 

Ralph scored into the bottom right corner of the net, and Augustine performed a glove save to clinch the shootout point.

“I had two other chances to win the game,” Augustine said. “I’m just trying to do my job back there and especially when we go first, and I have the chance to end the game and get us a win. That’s huge for us and it's huge for me to be able to come up big in big situations.”

The Beginning

Unlike the series opener when the Spartans trailed 3-0, the finale was tied 2-2 after the first period.

MSU took a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game when freshman forward Ryker Lee scored from the left faceoff circle on the power play.

The Spartans continued to put pressure on Ohio State’s Eberly. 

Augustine helped maintain the edge, stopping shots in transition and killing off two power plays in the following 10 minutes. 

Ohio State eventually evened the score on an odd-man rush with a shot from forward Riley Thompson cutting through the slot.

Martone was caught deep after a hard check and Stramel was trailing after a shift change.

The Buckeyes took a 2-1 lead on another rush even with MSU initially having numbers. Forward Niall Crocker cut down the slot and went top shelf on Augustine. 

The deficit was smaller and they looked like themselves.

MSU did not convert on its next power play but continued to generate momentum with several shots, including one from Lee that hit the post and rebounded, which forced Eberly to respond.

The difference from the previous game was MSU’s response after giving up goals.

The shifts were better, Nightingale said, adding that the attitude on the bench regarding penalties and frustration was better, contributing to the team’s success. 

Martone tied the game at 2-2 off a pass from Stramel in the slot. He moved past a teammate and defender to beat Eberly on the right side.

Martone is now tied for third in goals scored by an MSU freshman with 22.

Tied in the Second

Augustine made early saves in the second period as MSU settled into its attack.

Eberly was tested with rebounds and the teams played nearly four minutes without a stop. MSU controlled possession.

After a stoppage, OSU center Ryan Gordon had a one-on-one chance with Augustine but missed wide. The Buckeyes began to generate more shots and led the shot count, but MSU’s effort kept it in the game.

Freshman defenseman Matt Lahey and junior defenseman Patrick Geary blocked shots in the slot to stop transitions. Lee sprinted after a loose puck in the attack zone and stayed on the forecheck after being beaten.

Ohio State eventually retook the lead in transition, but MSU responded. It earned two points, keeping itself in position to clinch the conference title.

The highs and lows of the game reflected what the team can expect as tournament hockey approaches.

“Finding different ways to win games and even just battling adversity in a game,” Augustine said. “I thought it was kind of huge for us to be able to come back twice and tie it up, get it to overtime, and obviously in the playoffs, it’s five-on-five. But I like where our game’s going. I think we’re a lot better tonight than on Friday. So, I think just kind of keep building and keep the momentum going here.”