Michigan State University
Northern Michigan
Spartans Win First Shootout of Season, Tie NMU, 2-2
10/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 24, 2008
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State didn't have to wait long to get its first taste of shootout action this season, winning on its first try in its first conference game of the year. The Spartans skated to a 2-2 tie with Northern Michigan, then watched Jeff Lerg stone Mark Olver to preserve the shutout victory. Andrew Rowe had both MSU goals, and Kurt Kivisto and Matt Schepke got shootout goals as the Spartans move to 2-2-1 on the season, 0-0-1 in CCHA play.
"I was excited - it had been about four years since I'd been involved in a shootout - since junior hockey," noted Lerg.
The teams traded scores 25 seconds apart midway through the opening frame. Northern struck first on a tally by Matt Butcher off assists from Ray Kaunisto and Greger Hanson; Rowe answered with his first goal of the night at 12:16, when he put back a rebound off a save by netminder Brian Stewart.
After a scoreless middle frame, Kaunisto broke open a 1-1 game with a goal at 11:46 of the third period. He intercepted a D-to-D pass in the neutral zone, and streaked up the left side of the slot. He deked and lifted the puck over the glove hand of Lerg for his second goal of the season.
The Spartans once again had a quick answer, netting an equalizer at 15:07. Matt Crandell kept the puck in at the far point and sent it netward. Dustin Gazely put a shot on net that was saved by Stewart, but a tantalizing rebound came out into the low slot. Gazely swiped at it as he was being taken down in front, but Rowe swept in and roofed the puck for his first career multi-goal game.
The game was tied after regulation, and both teams had two shots on net in the extra period. The game officially went into the books as a tie, the shootout awards a single point to the winner of the shootout in the league standings.
Kurt Kivisto was the first shooter for the Spartans, holding the puck to force Stewart to commit then smoothly sliding the puck past the prone netminder. Nick Sirota, a nemesis of the Spartans in past years, was stoned by Lerg. In the second round, Tim Buttery saw the puck slip off his stick for a miss. Hanson was the second shooter for NMU, and he beat Lerg .
With the shootout tied 1-1, Matt Schepke lined up for MSU; he beat Stewart low stick-side. Mark Olver was the final shooter for Northern, and needed a score to keep his team alive; Lerg made the pad save to give MSU the shootout point and a leg up in the two-game series.
The two teams meet again on Saturday night at Munn Arena. Gametime is 7:05 p.m., and the game will air live on Comcast, digital channel 900 in mid-Michigan.
NOTES: Michigan State and Northern Michigan went to overtime for the second straight game played at Munn Arena ... The Spartans were involved in a shootout for the first time since Oct. 14, 2001 in the Johnson Nissan Classic in Anchorage, Alaska; MSU beat Merrimack in the shootout, 2-0, after a 1-1 regulation tie ... Kurt Kivisto and Matt Schepke scored the shootout goals for Michigan State, and Jeff Lerg stopped two of three shots against ..., Michigan State's penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4, the fourth time in five games that it has not allowed a power-play goal. On the season, the Spartans have killed 28 of 30 chances (.933) ... The Spartans registered a season-best 37 shots, bettering its season high of 36 set in its last outing against UMass-Lowell ... Andrew Rowe had his first career two-goal game, and has three goals through the first five games of the season. Rowe had three goals in all of his freshman season ... Dustin Gazely's two assists tied his single-game career high, set in Nov. 2007 against Wisconsin in the College Hockey Showcase ... Jeff Lerg made 24 saves, giving him 3,070 total in his career. He trails Dave Versical for the all-time record by 38 saves ... Matt Crandell registered his first career point on Rowe's game-tying goal in the third period ...
