Minneapolis, Minn. – No. 2/3 Michigan State put together a four-goal rally in the second half of the third period to come from behind and post a 5-3 win over No. 1/1 Minnesota on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Isaac Howard had a pair of goals, Maxim Streak had the game-tying goal and an assist, and Charlie Stramel had the eventual game-winner with 6:01 to play in the frame. Red Savage assisted on Stramel’s game-winner and added an empty net tally for the final 5-3 score.
MSU trailed 2-1 after two periods after going up 1-0 on Howard’s first of the night at 8:07 of the second period, a power play tally. The Gophers score the next three goals – two in the second period, and then what looked like could be a backbreaker by Brody Lamb at 3:21 of the third to take a 3-1 lead.
Starting at 11:08 in the third, MSU got a second from Howard, goals less than a minute apart from Štrbák (13:06) and Stramel (13:59) to turn the two-goal deficit into a lead, deflating the enthusiastic crowd assembled at 3M Arena at Mariucci for a matchup of the top teams in the Big Ten. Savage sent the puck 180 feet into an empty net at 19:25, with the Gopher goalie on the bench in favor of an extra skater.
The Minnesota goals came from Brodie Ziemer and Aaron Huglen in the second period, and Brody Lamb to lead off the third. Goalie Liam Souliere made 25 saves for the home team.
Trey Augustine made 24 saves in earning his 11th win of the season. MSU captures five of a possible six points at Minnesota and eight of a possible 12 in the four games over the last two weeks on the road at Wisconsin and in Minneapolis.
The Spartans (13-2-1, 6-1-1 B1G) are now idle until the Great Lakes Invitational on Dec. 29-30 in Grand Rapids. Michigan State will take on Northern Michigan in the opening game on the 29th at 7 pm.
STATISTICS OF NOTE
- MSU improves to 7-0 on Saturdays this season.
- MSU is now 19-69-10 all-time in Minneapolis against the Gophers, with its last victory coming on Feb. 8, 2020.
- The Spartans blocked a season high 17 shots in Friday’s series opener and had seven in the first period on Saturday en route to a game total of 10.
- Isaac Howard’s had his second career two-goal game, and first since the season opener at Lake Superior State on Oct. 5. His two goals pushed his season total to nine, which is his single-season career best.
- Maxim Štrbák had the game-tying goal and an assist on Howard’s third-period tally. It was his first goal of the season and pushed his season scoring line to 1-8-9.
- Red Savage also finished with a goal and an assist. His heads-up redirection of his own rebound to Charlie Stramel for MSU’s fourth goal stood as the game-winner, and he also had an empty net goal, his fifth of the season.
- For Stramel, it was his fifth goal and 12th point of the season. His 5-7-12 scoring line is career bests in all three categories, surpassing his sophomore year totals in all three and matching his freshman season totals.
- Karsen Dorwart had a pair of assists, his seventh and eighth helpers of the season.
- Both Matt Basgall and Daniel Russell had an assist. Russell was a team-best +3, and Basgall shared the team lead in blocked shots (2).
PERIOD RECAPS
First Period: Both teams came out and were flying – through the opening 20 minutes the crowd was treated to end-to-end action. MSU did a nice job of disrupting the flow of the talented Gopher forwards, blocking seven Minnesota shots before the game was 10 minutes old, to set an early tone. Liam Souliere, the graduate transfer from Penn State, had to be on his game – as did Augustine – as both goaltenders were called on to turn away dangerous chances. Minnesota had to block five MSU attempts to keep it a scoreless game headed into the intermission.
Second Period: The teams traded goals midway through the period. The Gophers carried over 1:18 of power play time from the opening frame, but could only get one shot off with the man advantage. Sam Rinzel was whistled for Minnesota’s first penalty at 7:34, putting MSU on the power play for the first time in the game. At 8:07, Karsen Dorwart dished the puck up to Matt Basgall above the left circle, and he sent it into the right circle for Isaac Howard – Howard one-timed a laser past Souliere for a 1-0 lead. The Gophers countered just over 90 seconds later on Brodie Ziemer’s third goal of the weekend, giving the home team equal footing on the scoreboard. The game was un-tied at 15:53, when John Middlestadt raced up the right side and dished to Aaron Huglen at the hashmarks, who took a stride and lifted the puck over Augustine’s shoulder for the home team’s first lead of the game. Minnesota outshot the Spartans 10-5 in the period.
Third Period: Minnesota got a third power play chance early in the third frame after a hooking call. At 3:21, the Gophers scored their third straight goal – it originated as a Matthew Wood shot from the right circle that was saved by Augustine, but the rebound fell to the ice and Brody Lamb poked it home, his 12th of the season. MSU kept at it, and kept moving their feet and playing strong defense, limiting the Gophers to just six shots in the final 20 minutes. Just after the midpoint of the period, the floodgates opened; MSU scored three times in a three-minute span, turning the two-goal deficit into a 4-3 lead. The flurry started with a patient wrister by Howard (11:08), followed by a blast from the right point by Strbak (13:06) and a clean shot at the top of the crease by Charlie Stramel (13:59). Now scrambling for the final six minutes, the Gophers had a hard time getting Souliere to the bench in favor of an extra skater – but couldn’t get him off until there was just 71 seconds remaining in favor of an extra skater. The defense held up in front of Augustine, and Red Savage was able to settle a loose puck and send it nearly the length of the ice for an empty net goal with 35 seconds left in regulation.
