Michigan State University
Maine
Spartans, Black Bears Skate to 4-4 Deadlock
10/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Oct. 14, 2010
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State officially opened the 2010-11 season on Thursday night at Munn Ice Arena, rallying from a 3-1 first-period deficit to tie No. 8/6 Maine, 4-4. Senior alternate captain Dustin Gazley had a goal and two assists, and Drew Palmisano made 37 saves in the season debut.
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Gazley got the Spartans on the board at 5:08 of the opening period, getting the first goal of the season for MSU. He fired a rocket from the left point on the power play that froze goalie Shawn Sirman and the puck floated over his stick-hand shoulder.
Drew Palmisano made a big save at the midpoint of the period, stopping a mini-breakaway by winger Spencer Abbot. However, the equalizer for the Black Bears came shortly thereafter, while Maine had its first man advantage of the evening. Centerman Robbie Dee was able to lift the rebound over the shoulder of Palmisano over the goalie's shoulder to knot the score at one at 11:21.
The Black Bears turned that tie ballgame into a 3-1 lead with a pair of goals just over two minutes apart. The second goal came when Mike Cornell put back a shot at the left post for his first career tally, and at 15:29, Joey Diamond scored his third of the season while skating on the man advantage.
The teams went end-to-end during the first 12 minutes of the second period, skating a much cleaner game without penalties. MSU cut into the lead at 8:23; MSU had sustained some pressure in its offensive zone, and Derek Grant did a nice job of battling for the puck and keeping it low. Daultan Leveille collected the puck at the half wall, wheeled out to the top of the right circle, and put a shot on net that was initially saved by Sirman, but trickled past him and into the left side of the net.
Kevin Walrod headed to the box on a tripping call (earned on a hard-work breakup of a Maine breakaway) to give Maine its first power play chance of the second period. After MSU did a nice job on blocking passing lanes for the opening minute of the man advantage, blueliner Josh Van Dyk slid a pass from right to left along the blueline to Abbott at the left point, and he fired an absolute laser that went through traffic and beat Palmisano glove-side for a 4-2 lead.
Theo Andersson was whistled for a five-minute major for hitting from behind when he put a hit on Torey Krug just inside the blue line of the Spartans' offensive zone it at 14:40; Adam Shemansky went to the box to serve out the five-minute major while the Spartans attempted to cut into the lead once again. Maine's PK was aggressive on the puck, killing off the first 2:30 of the penalty without allowing the Spartans to set up inside their offensive zone. The Spartans pulled within 4-3 with a Brett Perlini goal at 17:40 - Gazley brought the puck across the blue line at the right wall and put it on the stick of Perlini, who was trailing the play. Perlini took a stride into the right circle placed a slapshot which beat Sirmans.
The Spartans took a five-minute major, when Krug was whistled for boarding in the final minute of the second frame, putting the dangerous Maine power-play unit into effect.
Coming on for the third period, MSU was doing a great job of being aggressive on the kill, which created a shorthanded odd-man rush; Trevor Nill made a great pass to classmate Mike Merrifield, who buried his first of the season.
Three penalties were whistled in the final five-plus minutes: Diamond took a roughing penalty for Maine at 14:11, Jeff Dimmen for tripping at 17:33, and Anthony Hayes for interference with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation.
Opening the overtime session on the penalty kill, Torey Krug had two big blocked shots on the first shift, and Matt Crandell followed with one on the next to keep the Black Bears off the board.
The teams will face off at 7:35 on Friday night to wrap up the two-game series.
NOTES: MSU skates to a tie in its opening game of the season for the first time in the nine-year tenure of head coach Rick Comley. The Spartans are 3-5-1 all-time in openers under the team's current mentor ... MSU last tied its season opener in 2001-02, a 2-2 deadlock with archrival Michigan ... Maine's power play was tops in the country in 2009-10 (27.7%), and was 3-for-6 on the man advantage this evening. The Spartans went 2-for-7, and also had a shorthanded marker. In all, six of eight goals came in special-teams situations.
