Michigan State University
Northern Michigan
NMU Sweeps Spartans Out of Postseason
3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 7, 2009
Marquette, Mich. - Michigan State's hockey season came to an end on Saturday evening, as Northern Michigan completed a two-game sweep of the Spartans with a 8-2 victory. The loss closed the book on the storied career of MSU netminder Jeff Lerg, who fell four saves short of becoming just the second Division I goaltender in history to record 4,000 career saves. Dustin Gazley had both goals for the Spartans, who closed their season with a 10-23-5 overall record.
The first period was filled with end-to-end action - over the opening 10 minutes, there were few whistles as the teams traded scoring chances. The home team got on the board first when Blake Cosgrove put a slapshot on net from the right point. Gregor Hanson managed to tip the puck on the doorstep to get it past Jeff Lerg for the sophomore's 12th goal of the season at 11:46.
The Wildcats added to their lead at 17:03. Billy Smith, who had scored a shorthanded breakaway tally last night, had another breakaway chance when an MSU defender turned it over at the blue line. Lerg made a pad save on Smith's shot, but the rebound went out to the right side; a crashing Nick Sirota, who had a wide-open right side into which he deposited his sixth goal of the season.
The Spartans managed to cut the lead in half with a goal at 18:12. Andrew Rowe kept the puck in on the left wall, and moved it to Daultan Leveille in the left circle. Leveille found Gazley on the right side, and Gazley held the puck and moved laterally from right-to-left across the top of the crease. Brian Stewart committed and dove for the left post; Gazley calmly waited for him to commit and flipped a sharp-angle shot over a prone Stewart into the upper right corner of the net.
Northern pushed its lead back to a pair with a goal at 6:54 of the second, when Ben Lindemulder's rising slapshot from the right side of the high slot eluded Lerg. Ray Kaunisto added again to the home team's lead at 1248 of the period, when he rolled out of the right corner untouched and managed to beat Lerg short-side. Olver's slapshot from the high slot eluded traffic at 16:21 gave the home team a comfortable 5-1 lead.
The Wildcats refused to take their foot off the gas, taking advantage of MSU mistakes and putting a pair of goals on the board a minute apart early in the third period. Jared Brown scored the first one, poking a loose puck into the back of the net at the left post at 4:57. Phil Fox managed to tip a Lindemulder shot from the right point at the right post at 15:38, giving NMU seven different scorers and a commanding lead. A shorthanded breakaway by Mark Olver - on which Lerg saved the initial shot - turned into NMU's eighth goal when Sirota put the rebound back past Lerg.
Gazley's second goal of the night cut into the lead with just over three minutes remaining, when he stuffed the puck at the left post. A lengthy review followed, but the goal stood as the teams played out the final 3:06.
Lerg finished with 21 saves on the night, while Stewart made 20 for the Wildcats.
NOTES The Spartans allowed eight goals, surpassing their season high of seven allowed to Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 21 ... Jeff Lerg completed his collegiate career with 3,996 saves, second most all-time in the NCAA annals ... Dustin Gazley had his second two-goal game of the season ..
