Michigan State University
Ohio State
Spartans Beat OSU, 5-2
1/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 22, 2010
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MSU Head Coach Rick Nick | Derek OSU Head Coach John Markell
East Lansing, Mich. - Derek Grant and Nick Sucharski each had a goal and an assist and Drew Palmisano made 31 saves to help Michigan State to a 5-2 victory over Ohio State on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena. Taylor Stefishen had both Buckeye tallies, and Cal Heeter made 22 saves for OSU in the crease. No. 10/11 MSU improves to 16-7-4 overall, and 11-4-4-1 in conference play. Ohio State is now 9-13-1, 7-9-1-1 in the CCHA.
The teams traded power-play goals in the opening five minutes of the opening frame. Ohio State struck first, when Stefishen out back a rebound off a Sergio Somma shot at 2:11; Michigan State got it back at 4:17 when Nick Sucharski tipped a Jeff Petry blast from the top of the slot.
The teams then muddled through a penalty-plagued period, with four more power-play chances between the teams. The Spartans took a lead into the locker room, however, when Derek Grant tipped Sucharski's shot from the slot with just 52 seconds remaining in the period.
The second period saw the Spartans tack on three more power play chances, and they finally connected on the third opportunity with just over a minute and a half remaining in the stanza. Torey Krug initiated the play from the left point, sending a shot netward that was blocked in front, Grant got a stick on it, but it was Sucharski who got a good backhand handle on it and flipped it back out into the high slot for Krug. He wheeled around to his right, stickhandled around a defenseman into the right circle, then wristed a shot from the right dot for his third goal of the season.
The Buckeyes solved Palmisano again early in the third period, as his shot from the right circle beat Palmisano glove-side for the sophomore's second goal of the night. The Spartans, however, broke open the game withjust over five minutes remaining, scoring goals less than two minutes apart to turn a slim 3-2 advantage into their eventual 5-2 margin of victory. Trevor Nill scored at 14:01, taking advantage of an OSU turnover and putting a shot on net; Heeter stopped the puck, but it dribbled out of his glove and through his five-hole and into the back of the net. At 15:44, Anthony Hayes and Zach Golembiewski carried the play into the offensive zone, and Golembiewski finished off a nice pass from his linemate with a top-shelf snipe for his second goal of the season.
The teams meet again on Saturday in a 5 p.m. contest, a game that will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
NOTES: Michigan State snapped a three-game winless streak (0-1-2) ... The Spartans, with 16 wins, are tied for the most in the country with Ferris State and Minnesota-Duluth, both Friday night losers ... Ferris State's loss put the Spartans in second place in the CCHA by four points ... Former BCHL linemates Taylor Stefishen (OSU) and Derek Grant (MSU) combined for three goals and two assists in the contest ... Drew Palmisano made 31 saves, his fourth straight game with 30+ saves ... MSU allowed the first goal of the game to its opponent for the first time in six games ...
