Michigan State University
Michigan
Spartans, Gophers Skate To 4-4 Tie
11/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 25, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Jim Slater (Lapeer, Mich.) had a goal and an assist and Brad Fast added a pair of assists as Michigan State skated to a 4-4 tie with top-ranked Minnesota in front of 6,871 fans at a boisterous Munn Ice Arena Sunday afternoon. The Spartans (9-2-2 overall, 7-2-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association ran their home unbeaten streak to 27 (24-0-3) with the tie while the Golden Gophers (11-0-2, 5-0-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) remain undefeated on the season.
"Two really good teams and two really good hockey programs played each other today," Michigan State head coach Ron Mason said. "It ended up in a 4-4 tie, which was, with the way the game went, probably fairly accurate."
Slater scored a power-play goal seven minutes into the game to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead for 25 seconds before Minnesota evened the score on a goal from Brett MacKinnon. Minnesota closed the first period with a 2-1 lead after Grant Potulny scored a power-play goal with 15 second left in the period. The Golden Gophers notched took a 3-1 advantage about five minutes into the second on another power-play goal, this one by Erik Wendell.
"I thought there were too many special teams-type situations in this game, four-on-fours, two-man down-type situations," added Mason about the game which featured a combined 55 penalty minutes and 14 power-plays. "Technically, I think that should have favored Minnesota."
Senior Joe Goodenow (Toronto, Ont.) cut the Minnesota lead in half with the Spartans' second power-play goal of the game 7:38 into the second period. The MSU penalty-killing unit owned the rest of the period, sucessfully vanquishing a five-minute Gopher power play.
Senior captain Adam Hall (Kalamazoo, Mich.) tied the game up just one minute into the third with a power-play goal. Slater started the play, carrying the puck into the offensive zone and walking past Minnesota defenseman Keith Ballard. Golden Gopher netminder Adam Hauser stopped Slater's backhand shot. The rebound caromed to Goodenow, who fanned, but Hall was there to bang the puck home for his seventh goal of the season at 1:14.
"Jim did a great job beating the guy one-on-one and getting the puck to the net," Hall said. "Joe always does a great job driving hard to the net and it just seemed to find my stick. We were lucky on that play."
Junior Brian Maloney (Bassano, Alta.) gave the Spartans a 4-3 lead with his fifth goal of the year 7:05 into the third. Mike Lalonde (Chetwynd, B.C.) was stoned by Hauser on a wraparound attempt, but the Gopher goalie failed to control the rebound and Maloney swatted into the goal.
Minnesota's Barry Tallackson's goal with 2:09 left in regulation sent the game into overtime. He was set up by John Pohl and beat MSU goaltender Ryan Miller on a one-timer from the slot.
The Gophers outshot the Spartans 38-24. Hauser made 20 saves on the night, while Miller, the defending Hobey Baker Award winner, stopped 34 shots.
"They throw a lot of pucks at the net," Mason said. "They had a little more jump to begin with. I thought we improved as the game went along and I knew we would."
The Spartans return to CCHA action Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, when the team travels to Alaska Fairbanks for a two-game weekend series.
