MSU Hockey Downs Quinnipiac
1/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 5, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State ran its home unbeaten streak to school record-tying 29 games, topping Quinnipiac 3-1 at Munn Ice Arena tonight. The Spartans (15-4-2 overall, 10-3-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association), who are now 26-0-3 at Munn Ice Arena since Oct. 20, 2000, scored three unanswered goals after staking their opponent to an early 1-0 lead.
Junior wing Steve Jackson (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) picked up MSU's lone goal of the first period a little more than a minute after Ryan Morton put Quinnipiac (7-10-1, 5-4-1 MAAC) on the board. Jackson carried the puck out from a scrum behind the net and fired a shallow-angle shot that eluded Quinnipiac goaltender Jamie Holden 5:51 into the game.
The score looked like it would remain tied at one after 40 minutes but junior forward Brian Maloney (Bassano, Alta.) scored his ninth goal of the season just 1:15 before regulation on a rocket from the far faceoff circle.
"I think it was the transition that originated (the play)," said Maloney. "The puck came to (Adam Hall) and he saw me going down the wall and chipped it over to me and I was able to pick it up. The goalie dropping down a lot so I just tried just to put it upstairs on him and it went over his shoulder."
Junior defenseman John-Michael Liles (Zionsville, Ind.) added an insurance goal for the Spartans 1:17 into the third period, extending his goal streak to four games in the progress. He beat Holden, who made 37 saves on the night, high with a blast from the slot for his team-high 10th goal of the year. The two-goal cushion was more than enough for MSU goaltender Matt Migliaccio (Wyandotte, Mich.), who made 11 saves in his first start of the year.
"(Migliaccio) played pretty well," said MSU head coach Ron Mason. "He's going to have to play in some games to get better. I've seen a lot of improvement in practice and it's nice to see him get a win."
The Spartans return to CCHA play next weeked as they face Western Michigan in a home-and-home series next Friday and Saturday (Jan. 11-12). The two teams square off at Munn Ice Arena on Friday at 7:05 p.m. before wrapping up the two-game set in Kalamazoo at the same time the following night.
