Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Michigan Tech (Great Lakes Invitational)
Fretter Notches OT Winner In GLI Semifinal
12/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 29, 2005
DETROIT - Senior Colton Fretter (Harrow, Ont.) scored the game-winning goal 13:59 into overtime and lifted the Michigan State ice hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Michigan Tech Thursday, Dec. 29 in the semifinals of the 41st Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich. The Spartans advance to the GLI title game for the third-straight year and the ninth time in the last 10 years.
The Spartans blistered out of the gate, outshooting Michigan Tech, 24-6, in the opening period. Michigan State needed all 24 of its first-period shots to beat Husky goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak as freshman forward Tim Crowder (Victoria, B.C.) notched his seventh goal of the season - on MSU's last shot of the period - to give the Green and White a 1-0 lead. Linemates Justin Abdelkader (Muskegon, Mich.) and David Booth (Washington, Mich.) picked up assists on the play.
Midway through the second period senior defenseman Corey Potter (Mason, Mich.) was whistled for his second checking-from-behind game misconduct in his last three games. The penalty put the Spartans at a two-man disadvantage for 1:33. Michigan State killed off the 5-on-3 advantage, but surrendered a power-play goal at 14:50 of the second period when Tyler Shelast re-directed a Lars Helminen shot past Spartan goaltender Dominic Vicari.
Michigan Tech nearly added a second goal during the major penalty, but Vicari stopped husky Chris Connor from point-blank range at the top of the crease. Connor collected his own rebound and snapped a second shot off the post.
The Spartans trailed 2-1 as Shelast scored his second goal of the evening with 2:41 remaining on the clock. Shelast got the puck off of the half-boards and skated to the slot where he fired a wrist shot over Vicari's right shoulder.
Michigan State had the last quality scoring chance of the second period when Chris Mueller (West Senaca, N.Y.) outfought a Husky defenseman in the corner and got a shot from the left face-off dot. Teslak stopped Mueller's shot, then another shot when Abdelkader tried to bang home the rebound.
Teslak made another great stop at the 9:20 mark of the third period when he flashed the left pad and smothered a shot by sophomore Jim McKenzie.
Abdelkader pulled the Spartans even at 10:04 of the third period when his wrist shot found its way through a screen and under the arm of Teslak. The goal was Abdelkader's fifth of the season, while Drew Miller (East Lansing, Mich.) and Fretter assisted on the play.
Michigan State outshot the Huskies, 48-28, through regulation, but the game remained tied at two goals each and the game went into to sudden death overtime.
Michigan Tech nearly scored early in overtime when Chris Conner lead a 2-on-1 break with freshman Derek Kitti, but Kitti's shot sailed just wide past an open left half of the net. The Spartans answered with a chance of their own when Fretter one-timed a Tyler Howells' feed, but Teslak answered the call for MTU with a terrific left-pad save.
In a game that featured spectacular goaltending on both ends of the ice, sophomore forward Chris Mueller made the defensive play of the night. Mueller dove over a fallen Vicari and swatted a loose puck away from the Michigan State goal line to preserve the 2-2 tie, setting the stage for Fretter's heroics.
Fretter's game-winner was the product of hard work below the goal line by his linemates. Mueller and Miller kept the puck alive in the corner and threw the puck to the front of the net. A Spartan shot drifted just wide, but Fretter collect the puck behind the net, walked out in front, and put a back-hand shot right under the crossbar.
Michigan State plays the winner of the Michigan/Colorado College semifinal matchup in the championship game Friday, Dec. 30 at 8:05 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
Spartan Notebook:
- Michigan State is making its 31st appearance this season in the 41st edition of the annual Great Lakes Invitational. The tournament is considered by many to be the most prestigious and competitive of the holiday tournaments.
- The Spartans fired 24 first period shots, a season high, in the opening period of Thursday night's contest vs. Michigan Tech. The last time MSU had more than 20 shots in a single period was Feb. 11, 2005, when it sent 21 shots on goal in the third period of a 6-5 overtime loss at Alaska Fairbanks. MSU ended regulation with 48 shots, a season-high, single-game total.
- Tim Crowder continues to pace all Michigan State freshmen with seven goals and nine points. Crowder also is the only first-year skater to play in every game this season for the Spartans.
- The second period goal by Michigan Tech's Tyler Shelast snapped junior goaltender Dominic Vicari's shutout streak at 107:38, stretching back to the third period of MSU's 4-2 loss at Bowling Green.
- Freshman forward Justin Abdelkader's third-period goal gives him five for the season and extends his goal-scoring streak to three games. With a first period assist, Abdelkader also collected his first career multiple-point game.
- Thursday night's 3-2 victory vs. Michigan Tech was the Spartan's eighth overtime contest of the season. MSU is 2-1-5 in overtime games this season, after having skated in just nine overtime games (3-2-4) all of last season, two of which took place in last year's Great Lakes Invitational.
- Michigan Tech goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak made a tournament record 57 saves. The previous tournament record was 46 saves by Colgate University's Geoff McMullen in 1970.
- Fretter's overtime winner marked the second-straight time he has collected the sudden-death winner in the GLI. Fretter scored the overtime tally in Michigan State's 2-1 win over Michigan in last year's championship game.
- The Spartans have won three-straight overtime games in the GLI. In addition to the win against Michigan last year, the Spartans also needed an extra session to defeat New Hampshire in the semifinals last year. Jim Slater's goal gave MSU a 4-3 victory.
- Shelast's second goal at 17:09 of the second period marked the first time the Spartans had trailed in 157:09, dating back to MSU's Dec. 3 game at Bowling Green where the Spartans lost 4-2.
- Fretter now leads the Spartans with two game-winning goals. Six additional MSU players have tallied one game-winner.
