“I thought [Minnesota was] a lot better,” MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. “We got better as the game went on, I didn't mind our start. There's a couple big (penalty) kills there, late, not easy to do. Overall, I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win. Tough game. We can talk about being mentally tough and playing through it and I thought we did a good job of that, but the reality was a lot of emotion yesterday and trying to reset. I thought the guys did a good job.”

Minnesota forward Javon Moore scored the shootout-winning goal as the Gophers’ second shooter. Senior forward Daniel Russell was the only Spartan to convert in the shootout.

Minnesota outshot MSU just 35-34 in regulation and neither side scored on the power play, although the Spartans had three chances and the Gophers had two. Two of the Spartans’ goals came on rebounds, highlighting the gritty net-front attack the team has emphasized this season.

Freshman goaltender Melvin Strahl played all 65 minutes, finishing with a career-high 32 saves in his third appearance of the season.

“[Strahl] did a good job. It’s not easy, he hasn’t played in a long time,” Nightingale said. “He's a good goalie that happens to be behind a great goalie. He definitely gave us a chance. Got some good experience there in overtime and the shootout as well.” 

MSU finished the regular season 16-6-2 in the Big Ten (25-7-2 overall) with 51 points.

The Spartans secured a bye in the first week of the Big Ten tournament after clinching the regular-season title in the series opener. They are the No. 1 seed and will host the lowest remaining seed in the tournament on March 14.

“If you asked our guys, they’d want to play,” Nightingale said. “We practice a lot. We probably have over 100 practices. So our guys want to play. So if we hadn't won and we had to play Wednesday, we would have been excited about playing.”

Unlike the previous night, the finale was a narrow contest. Minnesota struck first and MSU went on to lead, but the score was tied at 3-3 entering the final intermission.

Third Period Details

Both sides played with defensive detail in the third period to keep the game knotted. Both teams blocked shots and passing lanes to prevent chances inside, although the Gophers finished with a 20-11 edge in blocks. Junior defenseman Maxim Štrbák cleared a puck to prevent an odd-man rush early in the period. 

“They were competitive at the puck, and we got to make sure we match that,” Nightingale said. “I thought we did. Again, it was a tight game.”

MSU continued its same style of offensive attack, looking for rebounds amid crowded nets. The Spartans spent the last couple minutes of regulation killing off a penalty. Minnesota’s leading goal scorer, forward Brodie Ziemer, missed the puck on a windup and other shots were off target. 

The Spartans returned to full strength with 18 seconds left in regulation and then headed into overtime. 

Overtime Hockey

MSU recorded the first three shots of overtime and the only three through the opening four minutes.

It looked like the Spartans had iced the game when a shot from Russell hit the back of the net, but senior center Charlie Stramel was assessed an interference penalty for a moment prior to Russell’s shot. 

The interference call forced the Spartans to play the rest of overtime shorthanded, focused on preventing a goal rather than attacking. 

Shootout 

Minnesota forward L.J. Mooney took the first shootout attempt and scored on Strahl, which was followed by a shootout goal from Russell. 

Moore also scored on Strahl, netting what would be the shootout-winning goal.

Ralph took an attempt for the Spartans but missed high and wide. The defenseman scored the shootout-winning goal last week in MSU’s 13-round shootout win over Ohio State. 

Strahl stopped Minnesota’s next shooter to give MSU a chance, but freshman forward Ryker Lee was stopped by goaltender Luca Di Pasquo.

Early Scoring

The Spartans fell behind 1-0 early. Minnesota took the lead just six minutes into the game. Ziemer scored on a rush, faking out three Spartans before burying the shot past Strahl’s shoulder. The Spartans responded four minutes later with the equalizer.

Sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi fired a quick shot at Di Pasquo, who stopped it with his glove but let the puck loose, allowing freshman forward Cayden Lindstrom to slot the rebound to tie the game 1-1.

The game remained knotted for much of the opening period. MSU held a 19-6 faceoff advantage over the Gophers, allowing for offensive generation. 

The Spartans took the lead with just 33 seconds left in the period, off another rebound chance. Ralph took a shot that was tipped by two other Spartans before junior forward Tommi Männistö netted the rebound for a 2-1 MSU lead. 

MSU added to its lead four minutes into the second period with a quick sequence from the first line. Stramel swiftly handed the puck off to freshman winger Martone who assisted Russell on a score from the slot. 

Gophers Come Back

Minnesota responded just two minutes later though. Forward Beckett Hendrickson scored on Strahl with a wrap around the net after center Erik Påhlsson won the faceoff for the Gophers, keeping it a one-goal game, 3-2.

The Gophers’ equalizer came 17:09 into the second period. MSU was in the attack zone but Minnesota’s defense was good on the check, allowing forward Mason Moe and Mooney to transition down the ice before Moe scored from the high slot.

Minnesota outshot MSU 16-12 in the second period and played well defensively, keeping the contest narrow. 

Along with Strahl between the pipes, MSU’s defensive lineup differed as junior defenseman Patrick Geary was scratched to manage health heading into tournament play. 

The shootout loss concludes a regular season that tested the Spartans in a variety of situations that could prove valuable in postseason play.

“We've had a lot of different games this year,” Nightingale said. “We've had tight games, games we've had leads, games we had to come back. That's what you want during the season, and playing in the Big Ten, that forces you to be ready for any situation. Looking forward to starting playoffs, it’s the best time of year.”