Michigan State University Athletics
Tropp's Hat Trick Propels Spartans to Road Win
10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 16, 2009
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State got a hat trick from junior Corey Tropp and a pair of assists from freshman Derek Grant in a big 5-3 road victory at Maine on Friday evening. The Spartans are 3-0 on the season and will tangle with the Black Bears again on Saturday in Orono.
"I thought tonight was a great hockey game, and it was a great atmosphere," noted head coach Rick Comley. "I thought we weathered an early storm, and itt's good to get this road win. "
The game started with a pair of quick tallies. The homestanding Black Bears got on the board first at 3:56, while skating on the power play. Defenseman Jeff Dimmen took the shot from just above the left circle, and it was tipped in front by David deKastrozza for the early advantage. Michigan State battled right back to tie the game a minute and a half later, when Tropp batted a puck out of midair and past Maine netminder Scott Darling. Derek Grant was credited with the assist.
The B lack Bears retook the lead with a fluky goal midway through the period. Robby Dee took a slapshot that went over the goal cage and crashed off the glass, but ricocheted back out in front and into the back of the net.
Michigan State again tied the score, netting a power-play tally at the 16 minute mark. With Joey Diamond in the box on a slashing call, the Spartans moved the puck well out on the perimeter, and Matt Crandell unleashed a heavy shot from the left point that Tim Buttery managed to deflect in front for his first goal of the season.
With Maine gathering some momentum with sustained pressure in its offensive zone followed by an MSU penalty, Tropp broke up that positive energy with a shorthanded goal at 15:12. Tropp picked up a loose puck at the blueline and went into the offensive zone flanked by a defender. He held the puck long enough to get Darling to commit, then roofed the puck over his left shoulder for his second tally of the night. Tropp's third of the game came just over three minutes later, redirecting a shot at the left post into the back of the net.
The excitement was brought back into the building for the home fans when Gustav Nyquist netted an extra-man tally with under 15 seconds remaining in the period to send the teams to the dressing rooms with a 4-3 score in favor of MSU.
Penalties doomed the offensive flow for MSU for most of the early half of the final frame, but kept Maine off the board in its four man-advantage chances in the period. MSU finally had a man advantage of its own, but it took until just seconds after the power play expired when Daultan Leveille fed Jeff Petry, who carried it into the offensive zone and wristed a laser past Darling for his first of the season.
The building all but emptied after that goal, but Maine pulled Darling for the final 1:37 of the frame in an effort to put another goal on the scoreboard. The Spartans kept them off the board, and held on for their third win of the season.
NOTES: Tropp's hat trick was the first for MSU since Justin Abdelkader's against Bowling Green on Feb. 29, 2008, a 6-3 victory ... Derek Grant had his third straight multiple-point game, finishing with three assists ...
