Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Rally to Down No. 16 Notre Dame in OT
12/21/2020 9:54:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
Tommy Miller, a reliable stay-at-home senior defenseman, scored only four goals in his first 115 games as a Spartan.
In his 116th game, Miller scored his fifth goal and, without question, his most spectacular, dramatic and most memorable goal of his college career.
Miller looked like a highly skilled forward when he drove around a Notre Dame defender on a one-one-one rush and slid the puck past goalie Ryan Bischel at 1:26 of the 3-on-3 overtime to give Michigan State a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Irish on Sunday night at Compton Family Arena in Notre Dame, Ind.
A few minutes earlier – in the last minute of the third period – Miller helped the Spartans avoid a 3-2 defeat. Miller's shot from the point led to Tommy Apap scoring the tying goal with 22.9 seconds left.
In the overtime, Nico Müller knocked the puck away from an Irish forward in the MSU defensive zone and slid it ahead to Miller just inside the blue line.
Miller headed up ice against Notre Dame forward Alex Steeves and he went to his left, toe-dragged the puck to the left just inside the left circle. He got around Steeves, drove into the middle to the net and went wide to the right and slid the puck past the sprawled Bischel.
Game over. Spartans win.
"That was a beautiful goal by Tommy. That was a Cam Neely power drive and take it to the far post," MSU coach Danton Cole said, referring to plays often made by the former Boston Bruins forward in the mid-1980s and early-1990s. "That was an old-time goal. You don't see those so much anymore. But a heck of a play there.''
Miller, a 6-foot-1, 191-pound senior from West Bloomfield, Michigan, had an outstanding overall game. He led the Spartans with six shots on goal, three in the third period and two in overtime, and blocked a team-leading seven shots.
The Spartans headed home Sunday with a win and 1-1 tie (a shootout loss) in the weekend series against the Irish. MSU ends the first segment of the schedule with records of 3-3-2 overall and 2-3-1-2-0-1 in the Big Ten, with 20 games remaining, including 18 conference games, from early January to mid-March.
"A great effort by our guys. We just got done talking in (the locker room) and had to cover a lot of things – a great win and we got a lot of points this weekend – but the overriding thing was how hard we worked. But once we got down 3-2, all of a sudden, we decided to start playing hockey and got moving,'' Cole said.
"We went from 12 shots to 26 all of a sudden. It was like let's start that a little earlier and find that urgency.''
After two periods, the Spartans found themselves holding a 2-1 lead on a first-period goal by Charlie Combs (to tie the game 1-1) and Mitchell Lewandowski's goal in the second period. But MSU wasn't creating much offense and it was being outshot 30-8 after 40 minutes.
In the third period, Notre Dame (4-5-1, 3-4-1-0-1-1) twice capitalized on MSU's failure to get the puck out of its defensive zone along the right boards near the point. The Irish tied the game at 2-2 on Grant Silanoff's goal from the side of the net – which went in off the skate of Spartan defenseman Christian Krygier – at 4:48.
Less than five minutes later, the Irish kept the puck in at the left point, fired a shot on goal and it ended up on the stick of Michael Graham who hit an open net for a 3-2 lead at 9:37.
Just when it looked like the Spartans were doomed and headed to their fourth loss in the Big Ten, Tommy Apap won a crucial faceoff in the left circle and ended up scoring the tying goal at 19:38, with goalie Drew DeRidder off for a sixth attacker.
Apap won the draw, slid the puck right behind him to Josh Nodler just outside the left circle, and Nodler passed it back to Miller at the right point. Miller quickly wristed the puck to the right of the net and off the boards and it caromed out the other side to Nodler in the left circle.
Nodler shot it on goal and Apap tipped it out of midair and it went between Bischel's legs and into the net to send the game into overtime for the second straight night.
This time, however, Michigan State escaped having to play in the dreaded shootout, which has not resulted in much success for the Spartans in recent seasons.
Thanks to Miller's eye-popping play, MSU had something to celebrate heading into the holiday break.
DeRidder, who turned in another excellent performance with 42 saves, was especially impressed with Miller's offensive heroics.
"He started driving up the left side and was all alone, and I thought maybe on a 3-on-3 you want possession and (so) throw it back and not much is going to happen,'' DeRidder said. "Then he throws the backhand toe-drag and I'm like 'that was interesting,' and he gets around their guy and goes for the far post and tucks it in.
"That's one of the best goals I've seen in a while.''
After having only eight shots on goal for two periods, the Spartans perked up offensively in the third period, especially after Notre Dame jumped into a 3-2 lead. MSU had 19 shots in the final period and two shots in OT – both my Miller.
"We were kind of fighting it. We found ourselves leading 2-1 but drastically being outshot, and then all of a sudden, we were down 3-2,'' Cole said. "But I loved the composure. I loved the reaction of our guys. They never stopped getting after it.
"We loosened up and took off and played hockey after that, instead of just defending and surviving. And some good things happened.''
The Spartans are now off for a week for Christmas, returning next week to prepare for the next aspect of the Big Ten schedule.
"That was a lot of fun. It's great to come back and win that way, and hopefully, we'll learn some things with the victory,'' the Spartans coach said. "We'll get some rest and get ready for a second-half run.''
ANOTHER GAME, MORE CLUTCH PK: For the second straight game, the Spartans on Sunday were faced with the challenge of skating off a five-minute Irish power play.
Tied 1-1 in the first period, MSU defenseman Cole Krygier was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for checking from behind at 8:23 along the boards. On Saturday, Krygier's brother, Christian, took a checking-from-behind penalty near the same spot and was ejected early in the third period.
The Spartans survived both major penalties with Sunday's lasting 4 minutes and 55 seconds before Notre Dame took a penalty.
MSU was shorthanded for 9 minutes and 9 seconds on Sunday and, just like on Saturday, the penalty killing units – Tommy Apap and Brody Stevens and Mitchell Mattson and Jagger Joshua and most of the defensive corps – did not allow a power-power play goal.
They blocked shots, got sticks on pucks, kept the Irish to the outside, cleared the puck and DeRidder was sharp.
The Spartans were shorthanded for seven minutes on Saturday and skated off all three Irish power plays.
MSU on Sunday blocked 24 shots, led by Tommy Miller's seven blocks, to only five for Notre Dame.
FRESHMEN DEFENSEMEN: In both games this weekend, MSU's coaching staff decided to dress a seventh defenseman instead of a 13th forward and it turned out to be a very good move.
Freshman Connor Powell made his college debut on Saturday and got some playing time and even had more on Sunday.
In both games, MSU lost a defenseman to a game misconduct and major penalty for checking from behind. Christian Krygier was ejected in the third period on Saturday and Cole Krygier was called for the same penalty and ejected in the first period on Sunday.
So, MSU went with three freshmen defensemen for a big part of Sunday's game – Aiden Gallacher and Nash Nienhuis, who've played in every game thus far this season, and Powell, playing in his first two games.
Of course, veterans Tommy Miller, Dennis Cesana and Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier got the bulk of the playing time but the rookies still played key roles.
Coach Danton Cole was impressed with Powell's debut.
"He was outstanding. His poise was great, he moved the puck and has a nice physical presence,'' the MSU coach said. "He stayed ready, he came in and made the most of it.''
Cole laughed about how dressing seven defenseman worked out in both games against Notre Dame.
"I'd love to say that coach (Joe) Exter and coach (Chris) Luongo and I are geniuses for dressing seven defensemen, (as) the Krygiers took turns getting kicked out of games,'' he laughed. "But having Powell Connor there was a blessing for us.
"He's been here since July, battling and working on his game and keeping his confidence. He got the chance and produced very well.''
UP NEXT: Michigan State is off for two weeks before starting the next two-and-a-half months of its regular-season schedule. The Spartans resume play with a home series against Penn State on Jan. 3-4 – a Sunday and Monday. Starting times haven't been announced.
After facing the Nittany Lions, MSU will play a home-and-home series with Michigan – Jan. 8 in Ann Arbor and Jan. 9 at Munn Arena.
Here's the rest of a busy 10-game January:
Jan. 15-16, at Penn State
Jan. 23-24, Ohio State, Munn Arena
Jan. 29-30, at Wisconsin.
The Spartans will play 20 games from January to mid-March – 12 at home and eight on the road, including two non-conference games at Munn Arena vs. Arizona State. The Big Ten breakdown for MSU is 10 games at Munn Arena and eight on the road.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
Tommy Miller, a reliable stay-at-home senior defenseman, scored only four goals in his first 115 games as a Spartan.
In his 116th game, Miller scored his fifth goal and, without question, his most spectacular, dramatic and most memorable goal of his college career.
Miller looked like a highly skilled forward when he drove around a Notre Dame defender on a one-one-one rush and slid the puck past goalie Ryan Bischel at 1:26 of the 3-on-3 overtime to give Michigan State a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Irish on Sunday night at Compton Family Arena in Notre Dame, Ind.
A few minutes earlier – in the last minute of the third period – Miller helped the Spartans avoid a 3-2 defeat. Miller's shot from the point led to Tommy Apap scoring the tying goal with 22.9 seconds left.
In the overtime, Nico Müller knocked the puck away from an Irish forward in the MSU defensive zone and slid it ahead to Miller just inside the blue line.
Miller headed up ice against Notre Dame forward Alex Steeves and he went to his left, toe-dragged the puck to the left just inside the left circle. He got around Steeves, drove into the middle to the net and went wide to the right and slid the puck past the sprawled Bischel.
Game over. Spartans win.
"That was a beautiful goal by Tommy. That was a Cam Neely power drive and take it to the far post," MSU coach Danton Cole said, referring to plays often made by the former Boston Bruins forward in the mid-1980s and early-1990s. "That was an old-time goal. You don't see those so much anymore. But a heck of a play there.''
Miller, a 6-foot-1, 191-pound senior from West Bloomfield, Michigan, had an outstanding overall game. He led the Spartans with six shots on goal, three in the third period and two in overtime, and blocked a team-leading seven shots.
The Spartans headed home Sunday with a win and 1-1 tie (a shootout loss) in the weekend series against the Irish. MSU ends the first segment of the schedule with records of 3-3-2 overall and 2-3-1-2-0-1 in the Big Ten, with 20 games remaining, including 18 conference games, from early January to mid-March.
"A great effort by our guys. We just got done talking in (the locker room) and had to cover a lot of things – a great win and we got a lot of points this weekend – but the overriding thing was how hard we worked. But once we got down 3-2, all of a sudden, we decided to start playing hockey and got moving,'' Cole said.
"We went from 12 shots to 26 all of a sudden. It was like let's start that a little earlier and find that urgency.''
After two periods, the Spartans found themselves holding a 2-1 lead on a first-period goal by Charlie Combs (to tie the game 1-1) and Mitchell Lewandowski's goal in the second period. But MSU wasn't creating much offense and it was being outshot 30-8 after 40 minutes.
In the third period, Notre Dame (4-5-1, 3-4-1-0-1-1) twice capitalized on MSU's failure to get the puck out of its defensive zone along the right boards near the point. The Irish tied the game at 2-2 on Grant Silanoff's goal from the side of the net – which went in off the skate of Spartan defenseman Christian Krygier – at 4:48.
Less than five minutes later, the Irish kept the puck in at the left point, fired a shot on goal and it ended up on the stick of Michael Graham who hit an open net for a 3-2 lead at 9:37.
Just when it looked like the Spartans were doomed and headed to their fourth loss in the Big Ten, Tommy Apap won a crucial faceoff in the left circle and ended up scoring the tying goal at 19:38, with goalie Drew DeRidder off for a sixth attacker.
Apap won the draw, slid the puck right behind him to Josh Nodler just outside the left circle, and Nodler passed it back to Miller at the right point. Miller quickly wristed the puck to the right of the net and off the boards and it caromed out the other side to Nodler in the left circle.
Nodler shot it on goal and Apap tipped it out of midair and it went between Bischel's legs and into the net to send the game into overtime for the second straight night.
This time, however, Michigan State escaped having to play in the dreaded shootout, which has not resulted in much success for the Spartans in recent seasons.
Thanks to Miller's eye-popping play, MSU had something to celebrate heading into the holiday break.
DeRidder, who turned in another excellent performance with 42 saves, was especially impressed with Miller's offensive heroics.
"He started driving up the left side and was all alone, and I thought maybe on a 3-on-3 you want possession and (so) throw it back and not much is going to happen,'' DeRidder said. "Then he throws the backhand toe-drag and I'm like 'that was interesting,' and he gets around their guy and goes for the far post and tucks it in.
"That's one of the best goals I've seen in a while.''
After having only eight shots on goal for two periods, the Spartans perked up offensively in the third period, especially after Notre Dame jumped into a 3-2 lead. MSU had 19 shots in the final period and two shots in OT – both my Miller.
"We were kind of fighting it. We found ourselves leading 2-1 but drastically being outshot, and then all of a sudden, we were down 3-2,'' Cole said. "But I loved the composure. I loved the reaction of our guys. They never stopped getting after it.
"We loosened up and took off and played hockey after that, instead of just defending and surviving. And some good things happened.''
The Spartans are now off for a week for Christmas, returning next week to prepare for the next aspect of the Big Ten schedule.
"That was a lot of fun. It's great to come back and win that way, and hopefully, we'll learn some things with the victory,'' the Spartans coach said. "We'll get some rest and get ready for a second-half run.''
ANOTHER GAME, MORE CLUTCH PK: For the second straight game, the Spartans on Sunday were faced with the challenge of skating off a five-minute Irish power play.
Tied 1-1 in the first period, MSU defenseman Cole Krygier was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for checking from behind at 8:23 along the boards. On Saturday, Krygier's brother, Christian, took a checking-from-behind penalty near the same spot and was ejected early in the third period.
The Spartans survived both major penalties with Sunday's lasting 4 minutes and 55 seconds before Notre Dame took a penalty.
MSU was shorthanded for 9 minutes and 9 seconds on Sunday and, just like on Saturday, the penalty killing units – Tommy Apap and Brody Stevens and Mitchell Mattson and Jagger Joshua and most of the defensive corps – did not allow a power-power play goal.
They blocked shots, got sticks on pucks, kept the Irish to the outside, cleared the puck and DeRidder was sharp.
The Spartans were shorthanded for seven minutes on Saturday and skated off all three Irish power plays.
MSU on Sunday blocked 24 shots, led by Tommy Miller's seven blocks, to only five for Notre Dame.
FRESHMEN DEFENSEMEN: In both games this weekend, MSU's coaching staff decided to dress a seventh defenseman instead of a 13th forward and it turned out to be a very good move.
Freshman Connor Powell made his college debut on Saturday and got some playing time and even had more on Sunday.
In both games, MSU lost a defenseman to a game misconduct and major penalty for checking from behind. Christian Krygier was ejected in the third period on Saturday and Cole Krygier was called for the same penalty and ejected in the first period on Sunday.
So, MSU went with three freshmen defensemen for a big part of Sunday's game – Aiden Gallacher and Nash Nienhuis, who've played in every game thus far this season, and Powell, playing in his first two games.
Of course, veterans Tommy Miller, Dennis Cesana and Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier got the bulk of the playing time but the rookies still played key roles.
Coach Danton Cole was impressed with Powell's debut.
"He was outstanding. His poise was great, he moved the puck and has a nice physical presence,'' the MSU coach said. "He stayed ready, he came in and made the most of it.''
Cole laughed about how dressing seven defenseman worked out in both games against Notre Dame.
"I'd love to say that coach (Joe) Exter and coach (Chris) Luongo and I are geniuses for dressing seven defensemen, (as) the Krygiers took turns getting kicked out of games,'' he laughed. "But having Powell Connor there was a blessing for us.
"He's been here since July, battling and working on his game and keeping his confidence. He got the chance and produced very well.''
UP NEXT: Michigan State is off for two weeks before starting the next two-and-a-half months of its regular-season schedule. The Spartans resume play with a home series against Penn State on Jan. 3-4 – a Sunday and Monday. Starting times haven't been announced.
After facing the Nittany Lions, MSU will play a home-and-home series with Michigan – Jan. 8 in Ann Arbor and Jan. 9 at Munn Arena.
Here's the rest of a busy 10-game January:
Jan. 15-16, at Penn State
Jan. 23-24, Ohio State, Munn Arena
Jan. 29-30, at Wisconsin.
The Spartans will play 20 games from January to mid-March – 12 at home and eight on the road, including two non-conference games at Munn Arena vs. Arizona State. The Big Ten breakdown for MSU is 10 games at Munn Arena and eight on the road.
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