Sunday, February 14
East Lansing, Mich.
3 P.M.
Michigan State University
6-11-2
2
vs
3
Arizona State
6-13-2
1
2
3
F
Arizona State
1
0
2
3
Michigan State
0
1
1
2
Photo by: Jim Pivarnik - MSU
Spartans’ Comeback Falls Short in 3-2 Loss to ASU
2/14/2021 6:37:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
EAST LANSING – The Michigan State hockey team fell to Arizona State, 3-2, on Sunday in what featured a wild finish at Munn Ice Arena. Tommy Apap and Mitchell Lewandowski (power play) scored for the Spartans in the first of the two-game series between the teams.
With the Spartans (6-11-2) trailing 2-1 with under two minutes to play in the third period, an ASU penalty sent MSU to the power play. Less than a minute into the man-advantage, Josh Nodler and Nash Nienhuis set up Lewandowski in the right circle for a one-timer. The puck hit an inside post of the net and ricochet out so quickly the teams played on and the officials on the ice waved off the potential goal.
With no more stoppages of play until the horn sounded to end the game, officials reviewed the shot and it was determined the puck in fact entered the net, hit an inside bar and popped out, tying the game 2-2.
With the clock reset to the time the puck entered the net – 1:06 – the teams played on. Unfortunately for the Spartans, a deflected shot wound up finding the stick of Jacob Semik just off the left side of the crease and he put the puck past Drew DeRidder with 40.4 seconds to play, giving ASU a 3-2 lead, and eventually the win.
"It was an odd ending to a game. That's college hockey. You do some things well – we score a timely goal on the power play with a minute to go in the third feeling like we have a chance to win a hockey game and it slipped away from us," MSU head coach Danton Cole said. "Even after that, we had a couple of chances when we pulled our goalie. I thought the guys did a lot of things pretty well; knocked the rust off and did some decent things and probably should have scored more than two goals. That's probably the bottom line, but it wasn't because of lack of chances."
The Spartans outshot Arizona State in all three periods and by a count of 38-31 for the game.
"It was a tough one, but resolute is a good word and that's what we need to be," Cole said. "Those things happen and you have to bounce back and get back into it the next night."
Arizona State (6-13-2) grabbed the lead 13 seconds into the opening period on a goal by Dominic Garcia. Semik sent the puck from the left point where it deflected off a Spartan defender and up into the air where Garcia was able to knock it into the net.
The Spartans had 15 shots on goal in the first period – their most in any opening stanza this season – and started in the second where they left off, as their third shot of the period at the 36 second mark tied the game. After winning a draw in the right circle, Apap went to the net where he deflected a shot from Dennis Cesana through his legs and past goaltender Cole Brady to make it 1-1.
The Spartans erased all three Sun Devil power plays in the game, including a 5-minute major to Christian Krygier for elbowing that occurred with 1:56 to go in the second period.
A little over a minute after a shot by Nico Müller got by Brady, but trickled inches away from the net, Arizona State took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Chris Grando. ASU's Johnny Walker got to the right boards near the hash marks to cut off a clearing attempt and quickly got the puck to Grando, who was at the top of the crease to tip the pass past DeRidder with 5:26 to play.
The Spartans finished 1-for-3 on the power play.
MSU and ASU will close their season series on Monday at 5 p.m.
With the Spartans (6-11-2) trailing 2-1 with under two minutes to play in the third period, an ASU penalty sent MSU to the power play. Less than a minute into the man-advantage, Josh Nodler and Nash Nienhuis set up Lewandowski in the right circle for a one-timer. The puck hit an inside post of the net and ricochet out so quickly the teams played on and the officials on the ice waved off the potential goal.
With no more stoppages of play until the horn sounded to end the game, officials reviewed the shot and it was determined the puck in fact entered the net, hit an inside bar and popped out, tying the game 2-2.
With the clock reset to the time the puck entered the net – 1:06 – the teams played on. Unfortunately for the Spartans, a deflected shot wound up finding the stick of Jacob Semik just off the left side of the crease and he put the puck past Drew DeRidder with 40.4 seconds to play, giving ASU a 3-2 lead, and eventually the win.
"It was an odd ending to a game. That's college hockey. You do some things well – we score a timely goal on the power play with a minute to go in the third feeling like we have a chance to win a hockey game and it slipped away from us," MSU head coach Danton Cole said. "Even after that, we had a couple of chances when we pulled our goalie. I thought the guys did a lot of things pretty well; knocked the rust off and did some decent things and probably should have scored more than two goals. That's probably the bottom line, but it wasn't because of lack of chances."
The Spartans outshot Arizona State in all three periods and by a count of 38-31 for the game.
"It was a tough one, but resolute is a good word and that's what we need to be," Cole said. "Those things happen and you have to bounce back and get back into it the next night."
Arizona State (6-13-2) grabbed the lead 13 seconds into the opening period on a goal by Dominic Garcia. Semik sent the puck from the left point where it deflected off a Spartan defender and up into the air where Garcia was able to knock it into the net.
The Spartans had 15 shots on goal in the first period – their most in any opening stanza this season – and started in the second where they left off, as their third shot of the period at the 36 second mark tied the game. After winning a draw in the right circle, Apap went to the net where he deflected a shot from Dennis Cesana through his legs and past goaltender Cole Brady to make it 1-1.
The Spartans erased all three Sun Devil power plays in the game, including a 5-minute major to Christian Krygier for elbowing that occurred with 1:56 to go in the second period.
A little over a minute after a shot by Nico Müller got by Brady, but trickled inches away from the net, Arizona State took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Chris Grando. ASU's Johnny Walker got to the right boards near the hash marks to cut off a clearing attempt and quickly got the puck to Grando, who was at the top of the crease to tip the pass past DeRidder with 5:26 to play.
The Spartans finished 1-for-3 on the power play.
MSU and ASU will close their season series on Monday at 5 p.m.
Team Stats
ASU
MSU
Shots
31
38
PPG
0
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
4
Penalty Mins
6
19
Faceoffs Won
23
39
Game Leaders
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
2
+/-
-1
Goals
1
Sh
4
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
-1
Goals
0
Sh
6
A
1
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Ice HockeyF
/ Men's Ice HockeyD
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice HockeyAdam Nightingale Postgame Comments | Wisconsin | November 22, 2025
Saturday, November 22
Adam Nightingale Postgame Comments | Wisconsin | November 21, 2025
Friday, November 21
Adam Nightingale | Hockey Press Conference | November 18, 2025
Tuesday, November 18
Adam Nightingale Postgame Comments | Notre Dame | November 15, 2025
Saturday, November 15