Spartans break winless streak against U-M, edge Wolverines 3-2

---

Tweet

Those who came to Yost Ice Arena Friday night hoping to witness an on-ice brawl or see some extra chippiness after the whistle didn’t get what they were wishing for.

Instead, they saw a clean, hard-fought hockey game.

The rivalry matchup went down to the final whistle, but No. 14 MSU was able to hold onto a late lead against No. 6 Michigan, winning 3-2 Friday night to hop back into a tie for first place in the CCHA with No. 1 Miami (Ohio).

The win snapped a six-game winless streak for the Spartans against the Wolverines and extended MSU’s current unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1). U-M has dropped their last three games at home.

“We are always judged on whether you play well against Michigan,” MSU head coach Rick Comley said. “Last year we didn’t, but now we have game one.”

The return of junior forward Corey Tropp to the scene of last year’s slashing incident on U-M’s Steve Kampfer was the main storyline entering the lone game between the two rivals at Yost Ice Arena this season.

Tropp was “booed” every time he touched the puck, but responded by netting a goal in the second period, which keeps him atop the nation in goals (9).

The only on-ice drama between Tropp and Kampfer came after the game had already ended. When Tropp and Kampfer approached each other to shank hands after the game, both players pulled their hands back.

It might be a little too soon to forget about last season’s incident, but Comley said he was impressed with the way Tropp handled himself.

“He was great,” Comley said of Tropp. “The crowd was on him. Too much was made of it, I think, of the risk and fear. But there was none of that.”

Entering Friday, the Spartans had the best power play in the conference, going 15-for-59 (25.4 percent) with the man-advantage. But MSU went 0-for-6 on the power play Friday.

The Spartans’ struggles on the power play were countered with staunch defensive play, holding the Wolverines to 19 shots on the night.

“We had twelve shots at the fifty-minute mark of the game at home,” U-M head coach Red Berenson said. “There’s no way that should happen.”

Junior forward Andrew Rowe gave the Spartans the lead at 7:48 in the first period after a miscommunication between U-M goaltender Bryan Hogan and Tristin Llewellyn. Hogan came out of the net to play the puck and it deflected off Llewellyn’s skate and went right to Rowe, who netted a sharp angle shot.

At 12:54 of the second period U-M’s freshman defenseman Lee Moffie notched the game at 1-1 with a shot that beat MSU goaltender Drew Palmisano between his legs.

Then Tropp showed why he leads the country in goals. He received a long pass from sophomore defenseman Matt Crandell, and went 1-on-1 with Kampfer. Tropp pulled the puck back and fired a quick wrist shot over Hogan’s shoulder.

“Getting that goal was really nice for him,” Comley said. “It was a great shot. God, he just ripped it. It was in and out before some people knew it was in.”

“It was a great shot,” Crandell said of Tropp’s goal. “I knew it went in right away. I was so excited to get down there. It was a big thing, especially for Tropp, to make sure he gets a good game and to get that goal. It was big.”

Crandell set up the Spartans’ third goal of the night at 18:55 of the third period, earning first-star honors. Crandell fed sophomore forward Daultan Leveille a perfect pass at the blueline, but Leveille received a slash by U-M defenseman Chad Langlais and wasn’t able to get a shot on net.

Luckily for Leveille, the puck stayed with him as he crashed into the net. The light went on, but the referees went upstairs to review the call. Sure enough, the puck was in the net before it came off the moorings.

U-M’s Carl Hagelin gave the Wolverines life at 12:07 of the third period by firing another shot through Palmisano’s legs.

The goal re-energized the crowd, and when junior defenseman Jeff Petry was whistled for a hooking penalty at with 47 seconds left, it appeared the Wolverines might be able to send the game to overtime.

But Palmisano and the Spartans’ defense held strong, keeping MSU’s unbeaten streak alive.

“We had a little swagger coming in,” Palmisano said. “We are getting off to a good start, and knowing we haven’t beaten (U-M) in six games, we really wanted to come out and prove ourselves to the league and let everyone know we are for real.”

The Spartans (8-2-1 overall, 5-1-1-0 CCHA) and Wolverines will meet again at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Munn Ice Arena.

“I don’t know if it was an ‘A’ game for either team,” Comley said. “But with the atmosphere and the buildup for the game, I thought our young kids did a good job.”

---