Michigan State University
Rensselaer Tech
Hockey Ties Rensselaer, 2-2.
1/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 21, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State and Rensselaer entered Friday night's non-conference hockey game both ranked in the top 10 and ithin one spot of each other in three major NCAA statistical categories.
It's little surprise, then, that the two evenly matched teams skated to a 2-2 tie in the first of a two-game series. They will meet again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.
"We were up against a good team with a good goaltender," said head coach Ron Mason, whose team is now 16-7-1 (12-5-0 CCHA). "We played our game pretty well, but the pucks aren't going in for us lately the way they were earlier."
The Spartans had the best chance of the overtime, with senior center and the nation's second leading scorer Shawn Horcoff in alone on a breakaway. Horcoff tried to shoot five-hole, but couldn't beat Rensselaer goaltender Joel Laing, who leads the nation in save percentage.
"I picked my head up and had a good look," Horcoff said. "I wanted to go to my backhand, but the ice was so bad in overtime that I didn't want to make a move. I tried to go five hole and he made a big save."
"You have two of the top players in the nation, Laing and Horcoff, and one is going to come out on top," RPI coach Dan Fridgen said. "I think that is what this game is all about."
"You can't ask for anything more than Shawn Horcoff on a breakaway in overtime," Mason said. "Unfortunately for us their goalie stood his ground and made a big save."
Michigan State seemed poised to take over the game in the first period, when the Spartans held an 18-6 shot advantage. Rensselaer was whistled for a five-minute major penalty at the 9:05 mark of the first, giving and MSU scored its first goal on the ensuing power play.
Troy Ferguson buried a rebound of an Andrew Hutchinson shot at the 10:52 mark to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans built a 2-0 lead when junior forward Rustyn Dolyny picked up the puck after Damon Whitten won a faceoff, took a shot and followed it with a goal on the rebound.
Rensselaer got perhaps the defining goal of the game, however, with just two seconds remaining in the period. Danny Eberly deflected a shot from the point past junior goaltender Joe Blackburn to cut the deficit to 2-1.
"I was screened on it," Blackburn said. "I tried to come out a little bit, but it deflected in off the guy to my left."
Just 2:42 into the second period, Matt Murley got the equalizer for the Engineers. The goaltenders kept things scoreless from that point on, despite terrific pressure by RPI in the second period (13-6 shot advantage) and by the Spartans in the third and overtime (12-6 shot advantage).
"They anticipate a lot of offense," Blackburn said. "It's a style we're not really used to. They take chances and rely on their goaltender a lot. (After the tying goal) I thought the next five or six minutes would have a big impact on the game and I knew I had to bear down."
Saturday night's game faces off at 7:05 p.m. Standing-room tickets ($7) are available at the door.
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