Spartans Fall to Northeastern, 6-2

Sunday, December 18

East Lansing, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan State University

4-9-1

Northeastern

6-7-4

Team	1	2	3	F
Northeastern	1	2	3	6
Michigan State	0	2	0	2

12/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

Dec. 18, 2016

Box Score

EAST LANSING - The Michigan State hockey team dropped its last home game of the calendar year on Sunday afternoon at Munn Ice Arena, falling to Northeastern, 6-2. The Spartans came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, but the Huskies scored four unanswered goals to pull away, led by Zach Aston-Reese's hat trick.

"I thought we started sluggish but climbed back and couldn't make key plays when we had opportunities," MSU head coach Tom Anastos said. "We tied the game and then they score 10 seconds later and that hurt us; we didn't overcome it."

Trailing 1-0 on a goal by Aston-Reese 3:29 into the first, the Spartans nearly tied the game a minute later when Taro Hirose and Mason Appleton found themselves with a 2-on-0. The two players put together a perfect chance, but Northeastern goaltender Ryan Ruck got a pad on Hirose's shot to deny the Spartans' shot to tie the game.

The Spartans (4-9-1) had a handful of scoring chances early in the second, but instead of netting the tying goal, the Huskies used the power play to push their lead to 2-0 with 7:50 to play in the period as Aston-Reese scored on a snap shot from the left circle.

The Spartans eventually broke through, getting a goal of their own on the power play, making it 2-1 and prompting an eventful end of the second period.

Appleton took the puck from Hirose at the right point and blasted a shot toward the net where it found its way through a screen and past Ruck with 5:58 to play in the period.

The goal sparked the Spartans as they tied the game just over two minutes later with Appleton and Hirose setting up linemate Patrick Khodorenko.

Hirose took the puck down low behind the net and dished a no-look, backhand pass right on the tape of Khodorenko, who one-timed the puck upstairs from the right of the crease with 3:56 to play in the period.

Unfortunately for MSU, the tie lasted just 10 seconds as Brendan Collier finished off an odd-man rush for the Huskies, reclaiming the lead for Northeastern, 3-2.

Special teams allowed Northeastern (6-7-4) to score the all-important next goal as Adam Gaudette swept a rebound in off a scramble while on the power-play to give the Huskies a 4-2 lead, 6:02 into the third period.

"I liked how after being sluggish in the first period - we were kind of fighting ourselves a little bit - we climbed into the game," Anastos said. "We're starting to play better and feel better, we tie it and then we had some pretty big mistakes that resulted in goals."

Aston-Reese extended the Northeastern lead to 5-2 with 8:12 to go as he completed the hat trick with his second power-play goal of the game.

Patrick Schule capped the scoring at 18:40.

The Spartans finished the game with a 26-21 edge in shots on goal.

The Spartans will return to action on Dec. 29 when they meet Western Michigan at 7 p.m. in the 52nd annual Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena.