Middendorf, DeRidder Fuel 3-2 Win Over Badgers

GAME CAPSULE

Michigan State earned a 3-2 victory over visiting Wisconsin on Friday behind a 40-save performance by Drew DeRidder and a pair of goals by Erik Middendorf. The Spartans are now 7-5-1 and 2-3-0 in Big Ten play, and Wisconsin falls to 4-9-0, and 2-5-1 in Conference action.

Middendorf and Jeremy Davidson scored in the first and second periods, respectively, to stake a 2-0 Spartan lead, but a pair of penalties late in the second period allowed the Badgers an extended power play, and Jack Gorniak broke through at 19:26 just after the Spartans had killed more than a minute of 5-on-3.

In the third, Middendorf scored what would be the eventual game-winner at 12:53, after a standout effort from Griffin Loughran to win a footrace on what seemed to be destined for an icing call. MSU allowed a goal to the Badgers less than 90 seconds later to allow them back within a goal, but DeRidder remained on point and the Spartans picked up their seventh win of the season.

The Spartans and Badgers complete the series on Saturday at Munn Ice Arena, with the puck dropping at 8 pm.

STATISTICS OF NOTE

Erik Middendorf opened the game's scoring with a power play goal 3:19 into the game, and added his second of the night at 12:53 of the third for his first career two-goal game.
Jeremy Davidson scored his fifth goal of the season in the second period.
Drew DeRidder made 40 saves to pick up his fifth win of the season.

NOTABLES

Erik Middendorf's first-period goal was his first of the year that did not stand as the game-winner. It was his first on the man advantage this season. He came back to score the game-winner in the third period, his fourth game-winner of the year.
Davidson's goal was his first since Oct. 22 at UMass-Lowell. He had an assist in last weekend's Ferris State series.
Both Josh Nodler (on Middendorf's goal) and Mitchell Lewandowski (on Davidson's) picked up assists, and still share the team lead in that category with 7.
DeRidder had his fifth game this season with 35 or more saves.

GAME SYNOPSIS

FIRST PERIOD: The Badgers wasted little time taking a penalty in the game, and the Spartans returned the favor by scoring on their first power play chance. Josh Nodler had the puck on the left side and slid it to Middendorf, who one-timed it from the left hash for his fourth goal of the season. MSU had a 10-7 edge in shots in that first period, and each team had one chance on the man advantage. The Spartans, however, did not allow a shot on goal in Wisconsin's power play chance.

SECOND PERIOD: The Badgers got their offense going a bit and tied up the shots on goal margin by the midpoint of the frame, but DeRidder kept turning away their chances. Meanwhile, after a couple of close calls – a nice give-and-go between Griffin Loughran and Nodler missed the mark early in the period – the Spartans doubled their lead at 13:33. Lewandowski forced a turnover at the blueline as the Badgers looked to break it out, carried it into the left circle, and put a perfect pass on the stick of Davidson, and he buried it for his fifth goal of the year and a 2-0 MSU lead. The Spartans took a pair of penalties in the waning minutes of the period to give the Badgers their best chance of the night, 1:19 of a 5-on-3 advantage. DeRidder did some of his best work in the shorthanded situation, turning away four Wisconsin shots on the first power play to bring it back to 5-on-4, but Jack Gorniak found the back of the net at 19:27 to bring the Badgers within a goal. The visitors had 21 shots on net in the frame – 20 turned aside by DeRidder until the goal. MSU had 13 shots on goal after taking three penalties to spend more than four minutes shorthanded in the frame.

THIRD PERIOD: MSU took a 3-1 lead at the 13:53 mark. With a puck headed for what looked like an icing call, Griffin Loughran won the footrace, spun, and tried a wraparound goal at the left post. It didn't go, but Middendorf pounced on a loose puck and scored his second goal of the night. Less than 90 seconds later, however, the Badgers got back within a goal on an unassisted marker by Carson Bantle, his first of the season, from the right circle. The visitors pushed for an equalizer, pulling goalie Jared Moe for the final 1:26 in search of the tying goal – but MSU stood strong and got the home win. The Spartans had 17 shots on net in the frame, their most in the third period this season.

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Team Stats

Erik Middendorf

Jeremy Davidson

Cole Krygier

Josh Nodler

Players Mentioned

Jeremy Davidson

Drew DeRidder

Mitchell Lewandowski

Griffin Loughran

Erik Middendorf

Josh Nodler

Players Mentioned

Jeremy Davidson

Drew DeRidder

Mitchell Lewandowski

Griffin Loughran

Erik Middendorf

Josh Nodler