Last season the Michigan State Spartans hockey team began their season with a sweep of Lake Superior State at Munn Ice Arena, with newly dedicated ice to Ron Mason, a legend who touched both programs. The 2024-25 season has begun with the same result, albeit LSSU made things much more interesting this season, as the Spartans visited them in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.
Results
Friday: MSU win 2-1 (OT)
Saturday: MSU win 5-1
Analysis
I think the first thing I want people to start with is to not be worried over the Friday night result. Yes, Lake Superior State, an overmatched opponent in talent, pushed the game to 3-on-3 overtime.
For the Pairwise Rankings (the NCAA tournament selection and seeding tool for NCAA hockey), this will count as just two-thirds of a win for the Spartans. However, here's some perspective from last season: MSU was granted a No. 1-seed in the national tournament even though the Spartans dropped a game in regulation at Air Force during week two of last season in regulation. That's a full loss in Pairwise against a similar profile opponent to Lake Superior State. That loss included pulling Trey Augustine and much more to be concerned about compared to the contest Friday night.
Friday saw the Spartans dig themselves some holes, including nine minutes of penalties in the second period - including a five-minute call to Patrick Geary - balanced with not being rewarded for dominating play like when they outshot the Lakers 25-5 in the third period and were held without a goal.
Last season, discipline was an issue at times for the Spartans, so keeping an eye on that is important. However, through 40 minutes - being outshot 21-13 by the Lakers - the Spartans had a 1-1 game leading to their usual best period, and ran into a hot goaltender who forced overtime. The fitness difference from strength and conditioning coach Will Morlock will once again be an asset and that is what I took most from game one of the series.
Saturday saw the Lakers hold the game at 0-0 after twenty minutes, but the Spartans were in control much earlier, and they broke through with two goals 70 seconds into the middle frame. Isaac Howard scored his second goal of the weekend (first goal both nights) and Daniel Russell did as well (OT winner and 2nd of the goals Saturday). Russell and Howard were playing without their usual center, Karsen Dorwart, who was out with a minor injury and expected back next week; he was replaced with sophomore transfer Charlie Stramel, who provides a much bigger frame but less chemistry and playmaking than Dorwart has with the pair.
The Spartans stayed on the gas adding a second goal from Howard before the end of the second period. By the way, Russell and Howard are assisting each other on these goals so they can stay dead even on points.
The third period did see the Lakers get one back on a slot scramble where a puck barely squeaked through the pads of Trey Augustine, however, the Spartans answered, this time with the first non-first line goal of the season, as Joey Larson got into the mix on a great shot coming down the wing after a zone entry chip pass from Red Savage. Graduate transfer defensemen Nicklas Andrews added an empty net goal for his first as a Spartan to bring us to the 5-1 final.
Next Up
Next the Spartans receive a return trip from the second-ranked Boston College Eagles, to whom the Spartans lost a pair of games last season (6-4, 5-1) in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles did not play this weekend.
