Neil’s Notebook: Third-Period Goals Doom Spartans in GLI Semifinals
12/30/2019 10:27:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
DETROIT – With a 2-1 lead entering the third period, Michigan State found itself with a good opportunity to go up by two goals.
Just 19 seconds into the period, Michigan Tech took a penalty and the Spartans went on the power play.
But instead of going up 3-1, MSU suddenly found itself tied, 2-2, and it turned out to be the turning point in the first game of the Great Lakes Invitational on Monday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
Michigan Tech's Tommy Parrottino won a puck battle along the boards at the Huskies blue line and skated down the right side on a 2-on-1 break. His shot from the right circle fluttered past MSU goalie John Lethemon 64 seconds into the final period.
The Huskies broke the 2-2 tie on defenseman Eric Gotz's goal from the slot with 4:46 remaining and just four seconds after an MSU penalty expired.
Michigan Tech survived several good scoring chances by the Spartans in the final minutes and emerged with a 4-2 victory, sealed by an empty-net goal by Alex Smith with seven seconds left.
"Going into the third period with a 2-1 lead, you just can't give up a shorthanded goal like that,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "You have to give (Tech) credit. They made a nice play and had a good shot
"To get to the spot we were in, guys have to execute. And we didn't and it ended up hurting us in the end.''
Michigan State had several quality chances in the second period to boost its lead to 3-1, and a few even after Michigan Tech tied it. But missed deflections, shots wide or over the net and sharp goaltending by senior Matt Jurusik allowed Tech to stay in the game.
MSU forward Mitchell Lewandowski had two great chances on deflections in the final minutes – one from in front that was stopped by Jurusik. And the other came with 16 seconds left and Lewandowski standing to the right of the net and the net wide open. But the pass from the point went off his stick and caromed behind the goal.
Seconds later, Tech hit the empty net.
So, for the fifth straight year, Michigan State will play in the third-place game and Michigan Tech moves on to the championship game, also for the fifth year in a row.
The No. 18 Spartans (9-9-1 overall, 6-3-1 Big Ten) will face Ferris State (6-10-2, 4-6-2-0 WCHA) at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Michigan Tech (11-8-1, 8-6 WCHA) plays Michigan (7-10-2, 2-7-1-0 Big Ten) in the title game at 2:30 p.m. The Wolverines defeated Ferris State, 4-1, in Monday's second semifinal.
Michigan State's goals came early in the first and second periods. Sam Saliba scored on a power play at 2:21 of the opening period to give MSU a 1-0 lead. Freshman Josh Nodler found Saliba open low in the left circle and, from the right circle, his perfect pass was right on Saliba's stick and he fired it into the open left corner.
Logan Lambdin made it 2-1 on a nifty quick break-in from the blue line at 1:14 of the second period. He broke in alone, got in close, faked to his right, pulled the puck back to his forehand and slid it into the net between the left post and Jurusik's right pad.
"I thought we were pretty average in the first period. But we came out of it 1-1 and in a pretty good spot,'' said Saliba, playing in his last GLI. "We knew we could play better. And I thought we did that with a good second period.
"We got back to our structure and our systems. And got pucks behind them. And in the third period with a 2-1 lead, it was tough giving up that shorty. But hats off to them. They got a couple goals off special teams.''
Both teams went 1-for-5 on the power play. Tech's Trenton Bliss tied it on a power play with 1:45 left in the first period. And with the shorthanded goal early in the third period, the Huskies ended up winning the special teams battle.
"It goes back to the third period. We did a good job off the draw and drew a penalty, and with a 2-1 lead it was a good chance for us to press,'' Saliba said. "And even if you don't score, you get momentum off the power play and start going downhill on them.
"They come down and score and it's a huge momentum shift.''
Jurusik, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder from La Grange, Ill., who played two years at Wisconsin and another season in junior hockey before transferring to Michigan Tech, had a strong game. He made 27 saves, including 13 in the critical third period.
"He played well. You have to give him credit for that,'' said Lambdin, a senior also playing in his last GLI. "I don't think we tested him enough or got behind their guys to get more opportunities. They played hard and their goalie played well with what we tested him with.''
Lethemon, another senior, made 29 saves and was particularly sharp in the first two periods in which he made 12 saves in each. For sure, he'd probably like to have Parrottino's shorthanded goal back, but the senior goaltender was a force throughout the game.
"John was good. He was tested a lot,'' Cole said. "Tech does a nice job and they put pucks on you, and down low they attack the net. They got some stuff in the slot but John had a good active stick. It was unfortunate that we hung him out to dry in the third period.
"Can't fault him at all. He played a good game and gave us a chance.''
All in all, it was a winnable game for the Spartans but in the end, Michigan Tech was better in the execution department, especially in the third period.
"There was some all right stuff for being off as long as we have been, and I thought we got better as the game went on,'' Cole said. "I really didn't think the third period was our worst, but they had the chances and they buried them.
"Probably for us, we had the most scoring chances (in the third period) and probably the least amount we gave up in all three periods. But that's hockey sometimes.''
Despite the disappointment of not playing for the GLI championship, MSU's matchup with Ferris State is still an important game in terms of overall record and Pairwise implications.
"You have to be realistic. Our job now as coaches is to get the guys ready for tomorrow. We can do some things better and we will,'' Cole said. "We'll tighten those things up.''
Michigan State and Ferris State played a non-conference series early last season with each team winning at home. The Spartans won the first game, 5-3, and the Bulldogs earned the split with a 4-1 victory in Big Rapids.
"It's our next game and that's the most important game,'' Cole said. "It's kind of how the Big Ten is. You battle through the weekend and you want to get something out of every weekend. And if you stumble on Friday, you have to recover and get some (points) the next night.''
NODLER LINE SOLID: Michigan State's so-called second line of freshman Josh Nodler centering senior Logan Lambdin and freshman Jagger Joshua forechecked well, won puck battles and created good chances.
Nodler had two shots on goal and a couple other scoring chances in which he didn't hit the net. He set up Sam Saliba for MSU's first goal on a power play early in the first period and was on the ice for Lambdin's breakaway goal early in the middle period.
"Nodler and those guys did a nice job. They created a lot of chances in the third period,'' Cole said. "They had some good shots and hit the outside of the post instead of the inside of the post. They skated well.
"Jagger, other than the penalty he took (in the third period), played a real good game. He was skating well. We need that depth of scoring.''
Jagger and defenseman Cole Krygier assisted on Lambdin's goal. Nodler and defenseman Tommy Miller drew assists on Sam Saliba's goal.
The Patrick Khodorenko-Mitchell Lewandowski-Saliba line was dangerous but only Saliba got on the scoresheet. Saliba had a team-high five shots on goal while Khodorenko and Lewandowski each had two.
"I thought Patty's line was really going. They had a lot of chances, and usually they'll get something out of that. But they didn't and the other lines picked them up.''
Saliba's goal was his fifth of the season, and it was the same for Lambdin.
GLI POTPOURRI: Michigan Tech and Michigan are meeting for the ninth time in the Great Lakes Invitational championship game with the Huskies holding a 5-3 edge. But Tech's victories over the Wolverines all came between 1970 and 1980, while U-M won one time during that span.
Michigan has captured the last two title game matchups vs. Tech – 7-1 in 1991 and 4-2 in 2015, the Wolverines' last GLI championship.
This is Michigan Tech's sixth appearance in the title game in the last seven years. The Huskies last championship was in 2012 – a 4-0 win over Western Michigan.
But MTU has lost four straight title games – to Michigan, Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Lake Superior State last season.
Michigan State last GLI championship was in 2009 – a 6-1 victory over Rensselaer. The Spartans' last appearance in the final was 2014 when they lost to Michigan, 2-1.
The Wolverines have won the most championships with 17, followed by the Spartans with 12 and Michigan Tech with 10. The fourth-most is Western Michigan with three – 1986, 2013 and 2016.
IN THE BIG TEN: Minnesota won the Mariucci Classic with a 4-1 victory over St. Cloud State on Sunday in Minneapolis. The Gophers defeated Bemidji State on Saturday in the second semifinal, 5-2. St. Cloud reached the final with a 7-2 upset of then-No. 2 Minnesota State in the first semifinal.
This week, Wisconsin plays an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 Team on New Year's Day in Plymouth, Mich.
Ohio State completed a sweep of Colgate with a 3-0 win on Saturday. The No. 6/7 Buckeyes won the series opener, 3-2, on Friday.
OSU heads to Las Vegas this weekend as one of four teams in the Fortress Classic at T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. The Buckeyes meet No. 2 Cornell in the tournament opener on Friday, and will play the winner or loser of the second semifinal, No. 20 Army West Point or No. 14/14 Providence, on Saturday.
No. 8/8 Penn State was off last weekend and plays host to Niagara on Friday and Saturday. No. 15 Notre Dame plays a home-and-home series with No. 19 Western Michigan – at WMU on Friday and at Notre Dame on Sunday.
Minnesota is off this weekend and its next series is at Michigan State, Jan. 10-11.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
DETROIT – With a 2-1 lead entering the third period, Michigan State found itself with a good opportunity to go up by two goals.
Just 19 seconds into the period, Michigan Tech took a penalty and the Spartans went on the power play.
But instead of going up 3-1, MSU suddenly found itself tied, 2-2, and it turned out to be the turning point in the first game of the Great Lakes Invitational on Monday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
Michigan Tech's Tommy Parrottino won a puck battle along the boards at the Huskies blue line and skated down the right side on a 2-on-1 break. His shot from the right circle fluttered past MSU goalie John Lethemon 64 seconds into the final period.
The Huskies broke the 2-2 tie on defenseman Eric Gotz's goal from the slot with 4:46 remaining and just four seconds after an MSU penalty expired.
Michigan Tech survived several good scoring chances by the Spartans in the final minutes and emerged with a 4-2 victory, sealed by an empty-net goal by Alex Smith with seven seconds left.
"Going into the third period with a 2-1 lead, you just can't give up a shorthanded goal like that,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "You have to give (Tech) credit. They made a nice play and had a good shot
"To get to the spot we were in, guys have to execute. And we didn't and it ended up hurting us in the end.''
Michigan State had several quality chances in the second period to boost its lead to 3-1, and a few even after Michigan Tech tied it. But missed deflections, shots wide or over the net and sharp goaltending by senior Matt Jurusik allowed Tech to stay in the game.
MSU forward Mitchell Lewandowski had two great chances on deflections in the final minutes – one from in front that was stopped by Jurusik. And the other came with 16 seconds left and Lewandowski standing to the right of the net and the net wide open. But the pass from the point went off his stick and caromed behind the goal.
Seconds later, Tech hit the empty net.
So, for the fifth straight year, Michigan State will play in the third-place game and Michigan Tech moves on to the championship game, also for the fifth year in a row.
The No. 18 Spartans (9-9-1 overall, 6-3-1 Big Ten) will face Ferris State (6-10-2, 4-6-2-0 WCHA) at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Michigan Tech (11-8-1, 8-6 WCHA) plays Michigan (7-10-2, 2-7-1-0 Big Ten) in the title game at 2:30 p.m. The Wolverines defeated Ferris State, 4-1, in Monday's second semifinal.
Michigan State's goals came early in the first and second periods. Sam Saliba scored on a power play at 2:21 of the opening period to give MSU a 1-0 lead. Freshman Josh Nodler found Saliba open low in the left circle and, from the right circle, his perfect pass was right on Saliba's stick and he fired it into the open left corner.
Logan Lambdin made it 2-1 on a nifty quick break-in from the blue line at 1:14 of the second period. He broke in alone, got in close, faked to his right, pulled the puck back to his forehand and slid it into the net between the left post and Jurusik's right pad.
"I thought we were pretty average in the first period. But we came out of it 1-1 and in a pretty good spot,'' said Saliba, playing in his last GLI. "We knew we could play better. And I thought we did that with a good second period.
"We got back to our structure and our systems. And got pucks behind them. And in the third period with a 2-1 lead, it was tough giving up that shorty. But hats off to them. They got a couple goals off special teams.''
Both teams went 1-for-5 on the power play. Tech's Trenton Bliss tied it on a power play with 1:45 left in the first period. And with the shorthanded goal early in the third period, the Huskies ended up winning the special teams battle.
"It goes back to the third period. We did a good job off the draw and drew a penalty, and with a 2-1 lead it was a good chance for us to press,'' Saliba said. "And even if you don't score, you get momentum off the power play and start going downhill on them.
"They come down and score and it's a huge momentum shift.''
Jurusik, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder from La Grange, Ill., who played two years at Wisconsin and another season in junior hockey before transferring to Michigan Tech, had a strong game. He made 27 saves, including 13 in the critical third period.
"He played well. You have to give him credit for that,'' said Lambdin, a senior also playing in his last GLI. "I don't think we tested him enough or got behind their guys to get more opportunities. They played hard and their goalie played well with what we tested him with.''
Lethemon, another senior, made 29 saves and was particularly sharp in the first two periods in which he made 12 saves in each. For sure, he'd probably like to have Parrottino's shorthanded goal back, but the senior goaltender was a force throughout the game.
"John was good. He was tested a lot,'' Cole said. "Tech does a nice job and they put pucks on you, and down low they attack the net. They got some stuff in the slot but John had a good active stick. It was unfortunate that we hung him out to dry in the third period.
"Can't fault him at all. He played a good game and gave us a chance.''
All in all, it was a winnable game for the Spartans but in the end, Michigan Tech was better in the execution department, especially in the third period.
"There was some all right stuff for being off as long as we have been, and I thought we got better as the game went on,'' Cole said. "I really didn't think the third period was our worst, but they had the chances and they buried them.
"Probably for us, we had the most scoring chances (in the third period) and probably the least amount we gave up in all three periods. But that's hockey sometimes.''
Despite the disappointment of not playing for the GLI championship, MSU's matchup with Ferris State is still an important game in terms of overall record and Pairwise implications.
"You have to be realistic. Our job now as coaches is to get the guys ready for tomorrow. We can do some things better and we will,'' Cole said. "We'll tighten those things up.''
Michigan State and Ferris State played a non-conference series early last season with each team winning at home. The Spartans won the first game, 5-3, and the Bulldogs earned the split with a 4-1 victory in Big Rapids.
"It's our next game and that's the most important game,'' Cole said. "It's kind of how the Big Ten is. You battle through the weekend and you want to get something out of every weekend. And if you stumble on Friday, you have to recover and get some (points) the next night.''
NODLER LINE SOLID: Michigan State's so-called second line of freshman Josh Nodler centering senior Logan Lambdin and freshman Jagger Joshua forechecked well, won puck battles and created good chances.
Nodler had two shots on goal and a couple other scoring chances in which he didn't hit the net. He set up Sam Saliba for MSU's first goal on a power play early in the first period and was on the ice for Lambdin's breakaway goal early in the middle period.
"Nodler and those guys did a nice job. They created a lot of chances in the third period,'' Cole said. "They had some good shots and hit the outside of the post instead of the inside of the post. They skated well.
"Jagger, other than the penalty he took (in the third period), played a real good game. He was skating well. We need that depth of scoring.''
Jagger and defenseman Cole Krygier assisted on Lambdin's goal. Nodler and defenseman Tommy Miller drew assists on Sam Saliba's goal.
The Patrick Khodorenko-Mitchell Lewandowski-Saliba line was dangerous but only Saliba got on the scoresheet. Saliba had a team-high five shots on goal while Khodorenko and Lewandowski each had two.
"I thought Patty's line was really going. They had a lot of chances, and usually they'll get something out of that. But they didn't and the other lines picked them up.''
Saliba's goal was his fifth of the season, and it was the same for Lambdin.
GLI POTPOURRI: Michigan Tech and Michigan are meeting for the ninth time in the Great Lakes Invitational championship game with the Huskies holding a 5-3 edge. But Tech's victories over the Wolverines all came between 1970 and 1980, while U-M won one time during that span.
Michigan has captured the last two title game matchups vs. Tech – 7-1 in 1991 and 4-2 in 2015, the Wolverines' last GLI championship.
This is Michigan Tech's sixth appearance in the title game in the last seven years. The Huskies last championship was in 2012 – a 4-0 win over Western Michigan.
But MTU has lost four straight title games – to Michigan, Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Lake Superior State last season.
Michigan State last GLI championship was in 2009 – a 6-1 victory over Rensselaer. The Spartans' last appearance in the final was 2014 when they lost to Michigan, 2-1.
The Wolverines have won the most championships with 17, followed by the Spartans with 12 and Michigan Tech with 10. The fourth-most is Western Michigan with three – 1986, 2013 and 2016.
IN THE BIG TEN: Minnesota won the Mariucci Classic with a 4-1 victory over St. Cloud State on Sunday in Minneapolis. The Gophers defeated Bemidji State on Saturday in the second semifinal, 5-2. St. Cloud reached the final with a 7-2 upset of then-No. 2 Minnesota State in the first semifinal.
This week, Wisconsin plays an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 Team on New Year's Day in Plymouth, Mich.
Ohio State completed a sweep of Colgate with a 3-0 win on Saturday. The No. 6/7 Buckeyes won the series opener, 3-2, on Friday.
OSU heads to Las Vegas this weekend as one of four teams in the Fortress Classic at T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. The Buckeyes meet No. 2 Cornell in the tournament opener on Friday, and will play the winner or loser of the second semifinal, No. 20 Army West Point or No. 14/14 Providence, on Saturday.
No. 8/8 Penn State was off last weekend and plays host to Niagara on Friday and Saturday. No. 15 Notre Dame plays a home-and-home series with No. 19 Western Michigan – at WMU on Friday and at Notre Dame on Sunday.
Minnesota is off this weekend and its next series is at Michigan State, Jan. 10-11.
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