Michigan State University
Ohio State
Spartan Hockey Drops Heartbreaker At Ohio State, 3-2
11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 15, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Junior forward Andrew Schembri scored a pair of third-period goals to lead Ohio State to a 3-2 victory over Michigan State Tuesday, Nov. 15. With the loss, the Spartans dropped to 5-4-2 overall and 2-3-2 in CCHA action. The Buckeyes, picked as the CCHA preseason favorite, improved their season record to 3-5-1 overall, including 2-4-1 in league play.
"Midweek games are difficult and you can see it has taken its toll on the team, but we have to continue to battle," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "I really like what I see in this team, but we need to start coming away with wins."
The Spartans carried a 2-1 advantage into the third period but failed to hold the lead as the team lost its third-straight game. Despite the loss, Michigan State goaltender Dominic Vicari (Clinton Township, Mich.) made 32 stops and earned Perani Cup third-star honors.
The Buckeyes controlled the pace early and struck first as sophomore forward Tom Fritsche redirected Nate Guenin's shot past Vicari for the 1-0 lead at 10:52 in the first period. The Spartans had scored the game's first goal in their previous five contests.
Michigan State's best scoring chance in the opening stanza came at 17:08 when sophomore forward Bryan Lerg (Livonia, Mich.) skated into the Ohio State zone on a partial breakaway. Lerg lost control of the puck, but junior Tyler Howells (Eden Prairie, Minn.) followed the play and fired a hard shot on Buckeye senior goaltender Dave Caruso, who made the stop to preserve the 1-0 lead. Ohio State's defense limited the Spartans to just five first-period shots, while OSU fired 11 attempts on Vicari.
Freshman Brandon Gentile (Clarkston, Mich.) nearly pulled MSU even when his shot at 1:47 of the second period found its way through a screen and eluded Caruso but clanged off the left post, across the crease and out of danger.
The Spartans got another opportunity at 7:36 of the second period when they were awarded the game's first power play when Buckeye Jason DeSantis was whistled for interference. OSU killed the penalty without allowing a Michigan State shot on goal; however, the Spartans went right back on the power play. This time MSU made the Buckeyes pay when freshman forward Justin Abdelkader (Muskegon, Mich.) finished off a beautiful passing play to even the game at 1-1. Chris Mueller (West Seneca, N.Y.) and Ethan Graham (Xenia, Ohio) assisted on the play.
Fourteen seconds later, the Spartans pushed the lead to 2-1 when sophomore forward Jim McKenzie (Woodbury, Minn.) netted his fifth goal of the season when he backhanded a Howells' pass over the shoulder of Caruso. Lerg also was credited with a helper on the play. Michigan State finished the period 1-for-4 with the man-advantage while outshooting the Buckeyes, 6-5.
The Buckeyes came out of the gate quickly in the third, firing three shots from point-blank range on the Spartan netminder in the first 1:34 of the period, drawing a checking-from-behind major penalty on Michigan State's Tim Crowder (Victoria, B.C.). OSU evened the score at two goals just 1:33 into the penalty as Schembri scored his third of the year. The play materialized when Buckeye defenseman Kyle Hood faked two shots, drawing Spartan defenders to their knees, before wristing the puck on net. Schembri pounced on the rebound, sliding the puck just across the line past a sprawling Vicari.
Ohio State continued to carry the play, converting on a three-on-two break capped by Schembri's second goal of the night on his team's 16th shot of the third period and 35th shot of the game. The Spartans caught a break when Ohio State's Chris Barton was called for hitting-from-behind but even with Vicari out of the net, MSU could not strike for the game-tying goal.
The Spartans return to action on Friday, Nov. 18 at home vs. Western Michigan at 7:00 p.m. The home-and-home series concludes Saturday, Nov. 19 at WMU's Lawson Ice Arena, with faceoff scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
MSU vs. OSU Post-game Notes
• Before Tom Fritsche's goal at 10:52 of the first period, the Spartans had scored first in each of their previous five contests. The last time MSU surrendered the first goal of the game came Oct. 29 in a 4-3 win over Cornell.
• Justin Abdelkader's second goal of the season gave Michigan State its first power-play goal in three games. The Spartans were 0-8 on the power play while being swept by Nebraska-Omaha last weekend.
• Sophomore forward Jim McKenzie extended his point streak by scoring his fourth goal in four games, with his second-period goal vs. Ohio State. The Woodbury, Minn., native is 4-1--5 during the four-game stretch.
• Michigan State's second-period goals by Justin Abdelkader and Jim McKenzie came just 0:14 apart, the fastest two Spartan goals since Feb. 11 of last season when David Booth and Bryan Lerg scored just 5 seconds apart in a 6-5 overtime loss at Alaska-Fairbanks.
• Ohio State held the Spartans to a season-low 16 shots on goal. The Green and White also allowed a season-high 35 shots Tuesday night. It marked just the second time this season that MSU has allowed an opponent 30-plus shots in a single game.
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