Michigan State University
Michigan (QF)
Spartans Eliminated from CCHA Tournament
3/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
March 13, 2010
East Lansing, Mich. - Despite battling back from a 2-0 deficit with a pair of goals from junior Andrew Rowe and one from senior Nick Sucharski, the Michigan State hockey team was eliminated from the CCHA Tournament on Saturday evening with a 5-3 loss to Michigan at Munn Ice Arena. Michigan advances to the CCHA Championship weekend at Joe Louis Arena.
Post-Game Audio: Rick | Andrew | Torey | Red Berenson
Michigan put up a pair of goals just seconds apart midway through the opening frame to chase Palmisano from the net. The first was a Matt Rust shot from the right point on the power play tipped off Palmisano's glove and into the net at 8:25, then just 21 seconds later, David Wohlberg backhanded the puck out of the right corner onto the stick of Treais at the hashmarks, and he buried it past Palmisano's glove-hand. Senior Bobby Jarosz entered the game for the Spartans with an eye on shutting the door.
The Spartans returned the favor, potting power-play markers 36 seconds apart with about three minutes left in the period. Junior alternate captain Andrew Rowe, who had his five-game goal-scoring streak against Michigan snapped on Friday, held the puck in the left circle and looked to pass, and his attempt across the goalmouth banked in off junior Shawn Hunwick's pads and into the back of the net. Rowe beat Hunwick at the left post just 36 seconds later; he corralled his own rebound at the right post, wrapped around, and stuffed it past the leg pad of Hunwick to knot the game at two.
Michigan State got a big boost with a goal with less than a second remaining in the opening period. With the clock reading 0:00.7, Nick Sucharski took a feed from Chris Forfar and beat Hunwick to send the Spartans to the dressing room with a 3-2 lead.
Michigan struck early in the second, getting on the board with a power play marker at 3:54. Ben Winnett carried the puck around a defender to just above the right hash, and shot through a screen to beat Jarosz over his blocker hand.
The third period opened with Michigan getting on the board again with an early marker. With the puck stuck down at the left goalpost, several players kept poking at it, and Chris Brown's whack popped the puck just up and over the skate of Jarosz, who had the post protected. That goal would stand as the game-winner, and Wohlberg sealed the win with an empty-netter with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Jarosz made 33 saves in his 51 minutes of work, while Hunwick finished his night with 18 saves.
Michigan State's season is likely completed, as it is out of a NCAA spot as of the current NCAA Pairwise Rankings. The Spartans have compiled a 19-16-6 overall record, and finished in second place in the CCHA standings.
