Nilson finished with two goals and two assists, leading the Spartans offensively with seven shots on goal. 

“I don't think I took many shots at all (last season),” Nilson said. “I just changed my mind. If you want to score, you got to shoot as much as you want. So that's why I shot seven.”

In NCAA hockey, an exhibition game is a preseason or early-season matchup that does not count toward regular-season standings, conference records or NCAA Tournament selection.

Nilson entered his sophomore season with three goals and eight assists in 37 games as a freshman. Tonight, he led an MSU second line that accounted for all four of the Spartans' goals before freshman forward Mason West shot an empty-net goal.

Sophomore forward Anthony Romani scored twice, while freshman forward Ethan Belchetz added two assists as the three forwards provided MSU's offensive spark. Romani opened the scoring with 11:01 remaining in the first period.

Nilson carried the puck into the offensive zone before finding Belchetz. Belchetz fired a shot off Boston College sophomore goaltender Louka Cloutier's pads, creating a rebound that Romani collected and put into the open net. Nilson doubled the lead less than four minutes later.

Freshman defenseman Tommy Bleyl found Nilson alone in the right circle, where he fired a shot over Cloutier's shoulder and off the crossbar before it landed in the net.

While MSU generated enough offense to build a two-goal lead, freshman goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen was tested throughout the opening period.

Boston College generated several odd-man rushes and high-danger chances around the crease, but Ravensbergen stopped all 11 shots he faced in his first collegiate period. The Eagles came out aggressively in the second period, putting MSU under pressure almost immediately.

Ravensbergen stopped a 2-on-1 less than a minute into the period and made another pad save on a 2-on-1 later in the frame as the Spartans struggled to clear the puck and repeatedly turned it over in their own zone.

MSU managed only four shots in the second period while Boston College registered 18.

The Eagles eventually broke through on the power play with 11:32 remaining in the period. Freshman forward Alex Pelletier redirected a shot through Ravensbergen's legs, with sophomore forward Oscar Hemming and sophomore defenseman Luka Radivojevic earning assists.

“I thought they were the better team tonight,” MSU head coach Adam Nightingale said. “I thought in the second period they kind of put us on our heels for sure, and I thought we got back to our game in the third.”

Ravensbergen's night ended after that goal, as MSU rotated goaltenders as part of the exhibition game. He finished with 16 saves on 17 shots.

Junior transfer Quentin Sigurdson entered the game and faced immediate pressure of his own. He made several important saves to keep MSU ahead before the Spartans restored their two-goal advantage.

With less than five minutes remaining in the second, Nilson created another scoring chance with a drop pass to Romani. Romani slipped the puck between freshman goaltender Leo Henriquez's glove and pad to make it 3-1. The Spartans entered the third period ahead by two despite being outplayed for much of the middle frame.

MSU responded with its strongest period of the night, when Nilson scored his second goal early in the third on a 2-on-1 with West. Nilson carried the puck into the zone and kept it himself, firing a shot off Henriquez's shoulder and into the net. Senior forward Tommi Männistö and junior forward Shane Vansaghi were credited with assists.

The goal gave Nilson his fourth point on the night and extended MSU's lead to 4-1.

Boston College answered with another power-play goal from Pelletier, his second of the game, with 14:29 remaining. Hemming and Radivojevic again assisted.

The Spartans, however, continued to control the physical play and spent much of the remainder of the period in the offensive zone.

West eventually sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 1:51 remaining, the first of his college career.

The physicality continued into the final minutes, with MSU's Belchetz and sophomore defenseman Sean Barnhill and Boston College's sophomore defenseman Kristian Kostadinski being ejected following a late scrum.

The biggest concern for the Spartans came on special teams.

MSU went 0-for-3 on the power play, while Boston College converted twice on five opportunities. The Spartans also struggled to clear the puck while shorthanded, allowing the Eagles to maintain possession and generate extended pressure.

“I thought we struggled to clear pucks on the penalty kill,” Nightingale said. “Bearing down a little heavier in our sticks, executing and clearing pucks — that's something we've got to work on.”

The goaltending helped make up for those struggles.

Ravensbergen and Sigurdson combined for 36 saves on 38 shots. Sigurdson stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced in the second half, while Boston College finished with a 38-31 advantage in shots.

“I thought I was able to read the play really well today,” Ravensbergen said. “I felt like I saw the puck pretty well.”

MSU got an early look at how its young roster could respond when facing pressure. The Spartans' top line produced; Nilson emerged as an offensive force, and the goaltending held up against a Boston College attack that consistently created chances.

Fans left Munn with a victory and plenty to build on heading into the regular season. Next week, MSU will begin the regular season with a home series against Northern Michigan.