Michigan State University
Lake Superior State
Spartans Tame Lakers, 4-2
1/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 8, 2010
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State captured its national-best 15th victory of the season on Friday night with a 4-2 win over Lake Superior State at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans are 15-6-2 overall and remain in second place in CCHA play with a 10-3-2 mark, while LSSU is 12-8-3, 7-7-1-0 in conference action. MSU's win also snaps Lake Superior's eight-game unbeaten streak, which was tied for the longest in the country entering the game. MSU has won five straight.
Video Highlights Post-Game Audio: LSSU coach Jim Roque | MSU coach Rick | Torey | Andrew
Michigan State took an early advantage in the game. Simon Gysbers was whistled for interference at 3:12, and it took MSU all of seven seconds on the power play before getting on the board with its first tally of the night. Corey Tropp had the puck on the half wall on the left side and fed Sucharski in the slot, and the senior netted his fourth of the season.
The Spartans struck early again in the second period, but the visiting Lakers got on the board less than 90 seconds later to keep it a one-goal game. The Spartans scored at 2:08, thanks in large part to the hard work of Dustin Gazley. The winger stickhandled around the defenseman and drew a penalty, fought to keep the puck on the delayed call, and eventually slid the puck to Andrew Rowe on the left side, who had half an open net into which he deposited his ninth goal of the season.
Lake Superior's tally came at 3:34, when Scrymgeour one-timed a pass from Domenic Monardo to beat Drew Palmisano for the senior's fourth of the year.
Both teams had scoring chances over the balance of the period, but MSU was the one which buried one to take a 3-1 lead into the dressing room after two periods. With Palmisano on the bench in favor of an extra attacker after a Lake State defenseman hauled down Jeff Petry for a delayed penalty, Torey Krug worked the puck in front of the net, and classmate Derek Grant put in the rebound at 17:11, his eighth goal.
The early goal in the third came from the Lakers, as Scrymgeour netted his second of the night, putting the puck past the glove hand of a screened Palmisano.
The Lakers had back-to-back man advantages in the third but the Spartan kill - which has exterminated 12 consecutive power play chances against over the last three games - kept the Lakers from knotting the score. The Spartans had a man advantage of their own for the final two minutes of regulation, and potted an empty-net tally with 35 seconds on the clock (from Rowe) for the final 4-2 margin. Drew Palmisano earned the game's first star with a 31-save performance, while his counterpart, Brian Mahoney-Wilson, made 28 for the visiting Lakers.
The Spartans will look for a sweep on Saturday when the teams wrap up the two-game series at Munn Arena in a 5 p.m. puck drop.
