Spartans Ice Series With 5-3 Win Over PSU

Saturday, November 11

4 PM

Michigan State University

8-3-1, 3-0-1

Penn State

5-3-3, 0-1-3

Team	1	2	3	F
Penn St.	2	1	0	3
Michigan St.	1	2	2	5

11/11/2023 8:09:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. – No 11 Michigan State finished off a home series against No 17/16 Penn State with a 5-3 victory. Gavin O'Connell had two goals, while Artyom Levshunov and Tanner Kelly each had a goal and an assist. In the victory.

MSU improved to 8-3-1, 3-0-1 in Big Ten play, taking four out of a possible six points from the Nittany Lions. PSU is now 5-3-3, 0-1-3 in the Big Ten.

A wild opening four minutes saw three goals and a penalty – MSU went up just 30 seconds into the game on a Tanner Kelly goal, but took a tripping call 20 seconds later. Penn State scored twice in 19 seconds to take a 2-1 lead at 3:20, and then later in the period killed off a five-minute major penalty and held the one-geal lead at the first intermission.

MSU came far more cohesive in the second period,and tied the game at 2-2 on a goal chipped home in front by Nicolas Müller. The teams traded goals in the final three minutes of the frame – O'Connell gave his team a temporary 3-2 lead before Dylan Lugris tucked home his fifth of the year at 18:41. That sent the teams into the intermission deadlocked at 3-3.

O'Connell's second – on the power play – gave MSU a 4-3 lead before the third period was five minute old, and the while the Nittany Lions put 14 shots on the board in the final period in hopes of an equalizer, Levshunov iced it with an empty-netter in the final minute of play.

MSU was 2-for-3 on the power play, while Penn State was 0-for-2 and 0-for-4 over the two-game series.

Trey Augustine made 34 saves, and Penn State goalie Liam Souliere had 23.

MSU completes its four-game homestand next weekend when it hosts Wisconsin in a two-game set on Friday and Saturday.

STATISTICS OF NOTE

Gavin O'Connell scored two goals – one on the power play – for his third multiple-goal effort in the last four games. He now leads MSU with eight goals.
Tanner Kelly gave MSU the early 1-0 lead with his second goal in three games and added an assist for his first multiple-point game of the season.
Artyom Levshunov picked up an assist on the Müller goal in addition to an empty-net tally and now has points in four straight games.
Nicolas Müller scored his first goal in Big Ten play.
Isaac Howard and Karsen Dorwart each had assists on O'Connell's power-play goal. Dorwart now has a point in 11 straight games, and Howard in 10.
Junior Red Savage had two assists, his team-best sixth multiple-point game of the season. With 14 points on the year, he has matched his point total from his sophomore season at Miami.
Trey Augustine made 34 saves and had 71 over the two-game series with Penn State.
MSU has scored three or more goals in 11 of 12 games this year and four or more in 10 of 12.
The Spartans are now 5-2-2 over Penn State in the last nine games.

First Period: There was a period worth of action in the first four minutes of the frame. MSU took a 1-0 lead just 30 seconds in, as Tanner Kelly streaked up the right side and sniped one blocker-side on Liam Souliere. The Nittany Lions failed to convert on an early power play chance but had enough momentum from the man advantage to punch in a pair of goals 19 seconds apart (3:01 and 3:20) to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Freshman Aiden Fink jumped on a loose puck in the slot for the first score, and Christian Berger's bomb from the left point through traffic accounted for the second. Penn State killed off a major penalty in the back half of the frame, with just one goalie save and three blocked shots. The visitors held a 17-7 edge in shots on goal in the period.

Second Period: Nicolas Müller tied the game up at the midpoint of the second. Nienhuis initiated the play from the high slot, getting it over to Artyom Levshunov at the top of the right circle. Levshunov put it on net, and after an initial save by Souliere, the puck was free at the top of the crease, and Müller was there to pop it home. MSU went up 3-2 on a Gavin O'Connell score at 17:58, as he redirected a rebound off a Red Savage shot to score his team-best seventh goal of the season. The lead was short-lived, as Dylan Lugris tucked home a loose puck at the left post to tie the game at 3-3. MSU outshot Penn State 11-6 in the period.

Nicolas Müller chips one home from a scrum in front, and we're tied at 2-2! pic.twitter.com/bQStAv7FZ3
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) November 11, 2023

Third Period: MSU had its second power play chance of the game early in the third, and converted with a second goal on the night by O'Connell. Dorwart got the play going from the left circle, dishing to Isaac Howard in the top of the slot. His blast was saved by Souliere, but the puck was loose in the crease for O'Connell to have a free look at the left post. Penn State generated 14 third-period shots, but could not get an equalizer. The Nittany Lions took a penalty at 18:44 to put them a man down for the final stretch, but did manage to get Souliere off for an extra skater in an effort to get an equalizer. Levshunov scored into an empty net from in front of the Spartan bench to ice the game with a 5-3 final.

Make that ✌️ for Gavin O'Connell! He gives the Spartans back the lead with this strike on the power play. pic.twitter.com/w0MoRQHbEX
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) November 11, 2023