Michigan State University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
Hockey Earns 4-2 Victory Over Western Michigan
10/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 24, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State took a tough offensive start to the season and turned it around with a 4-2 victory over Western Michigan in a thrilling contest at Munn Ice Arena on Friday night (Oct. 24). An offensive effort from underclassmen, and confidence in goaltending were key factors in the Spartans' win.
"That was a very hard fought game," commented Comley. "Our lines have been depleted, but we battled and fought back. We had good goaltending and a win feels good. Any win right now is very important to us."
The first period went scoreless, but at 9:06 in the contest linesman Butch Friedman came out of the game after taking an accidental blow to the forehead from a Spartan stick. The remaining referee, Mark Wilkins, and linesman, John Philo, continued the first and second period with two-man officiating. Friedman came back in the third period and was welcomed with an applause from the 6,505 fans in attendance.
At 13:54 in the second period, Western Michigan started the scoring when senior captain Dana Lattery shot an unassisted goal between MSU goaltender Matt Migliaccio's pads.
After penalties from both sides for roughing at 14:51 in the second, four-on-three play gave the Spartans the open ice to score. A tip-off by junior Mike Lalonde from an A.J. Thelen slapshot tied the game at one.
The Broncos re-gained the lead when senior Jeff Campbell put a backhand shot past Migliaccio's glove at the 17:25 mark to take a 2-1 lead into the lockerroom after two periods.
At 9:37 of the third period, Thelen put the Spartans at even numbers with the Broncos when he took a pass between the circles from junior Ash Goldie and went glove-side with a slapshot on Bronco goaltender Scott Foster. Drawing an assist on the play was junior Steve Swistak, which earned him his first career point.
Goldie said his team's enthusiasm and hope throughout the entire game are what inspired his efforts in tonight's contest.
"During the entire game, we didn't get down at all," commented Goldie. "We went out hard and had chances to come back. It felt good to get a couple of bounces, and it's always good to get that zero off the scoresheet."
With less than six minutes left in the game, Goldie brought MSU's offense to life when he tapped a rebound past Foster, giving the Spartans the 3-2 lead. Assisting on Goldie's goal were Thelen and junior Brock Radunske.
 Freshman defenseman A.J. Thelen had a career-best four-point night (1 goal, 3 assists) in MSU's 4-2 win over Western Michigan.  | |
WMU pulled Foster in the remaining seconds, and with 13.7 seconds left in the game Lalonde capitalized on the empty net. Lalonde beat out Campbell on a rush for the Broncos' open net, and put a shot in to close out the Spartan victory at 4-2.
Thelen said it was rewarding to see his team battle back and fight for the win.
"Our whole team answered any questions that were asked of us tonight," remarked Thelen. "I really respect all the guys in that (locker) room."
Spartan netminder Matt Migliaccio stopped 26 shots in earning his second win of the season, while WMU goalie Scott Foster also finished with 26 saves.
Coach Comley said he is proud of his team, and anticipates concluding the series with another exhilarating contest tomorrow.
"This was the type of game we needed," said Comley. "They (the players) played well, and the fans were great. It makes everyone sleep a lot better tonight."
Michigan State travels to Western Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25 to conclude the home-and-home series with an 8:05 p.m. opening face-off.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)