Spartans Tripped by Ferris State in GLI

Grand Rapids, Mich. - No. 11 Michigan State dropped a 4-2 decision to Ferris State in the semifinals of the 56^th annual Great Lakes Invitational.

The Spartans (12-8-1, 6-5-1 B1G) fell behind 3-0 in the first period despite outshooting the Bulldogs 15-6, but pulled within a goal on a pair of second-period markers by Cole Krygier. FSU (9-8-2, 6-5-1 CCHA) got a power play goal midway through the final period to ice the win.

Noah Giesbrecht made 45 saves on the night, the most by an opposing goaltender against the Spartans in a game this season. Meanwhile, Dylan St. Cyr made 18 saves for MSU.

Michigan State certainly had some close calls – Zach Dubinsky hit the post in the second and Cole Krygier was a goalpost away from a hat trick early in the third period, Tiernan Shoudy was denied on the doorstep later in the frame, and there was a no-goal call on the Spartans with six minutes remaining in the game.

Two of Ferris State's goals came on the power play, both within the first 11 seconds of the man advantage. The third Ferris State goal came directly off a faceoff.

Michigan State will take on tournament host No. 17/16 Michigan Tech in the consolation game on Wednesday at 3:30 pm at Van Andel Arena.

STATISTICS OF NOTE

Cole Krygier scored both MSU goals in the second period, his first career two-goal game. He was skating in his 142^nd career contest.
Nicolas Muller picked up his 16^th assist and 19^th point of the season on Krygier's shorthanded tally. Muller entered his senior season with 15 career assists and 21 career points.
Karsen Dorwart is now tied with linemate Daniel Russell for the team lead with 19 points. He shares the team lead of seven goals with Jagger Joshua, who also picked up an assist in tonight's game.
Ferris State finished 2-for-5 on the power play on the night, the first time the Spartans allowed multiple power-play goals in a game since Nov. 19 at Penn State.
MSU's 47 shots on net was its second-highest total of the season, behind the 50 it posted vs. LIU on Oct. 22. Giesbrecht's 45 saves is the most for an opposing goalie this season.
The Spartans limited Ferris State to just six shots on net in the third period after keeping Michigan to four shots on net in each of the two third periods against the Wolverines.
MSU allowed three first-period goals, tied for the most allowed in the first period this season. The last time MSU allowed three in the first period was Nov. 19 at Penn State – an eventual 7-3 MSU victory.
Michigan State saw some familiar faces on the Ferris State bench, as head coach Bob Daniels – now in his 31^st season as the head coach of the Bulldogs – is a 1982 graduate of Michigan State. Meanwhile, Spartan freshman Tiernan Shoudy saw his twin b twin brother, Travis, on the opposing blue line.

First Period:   Christian Krygier took the game's first penalty at 4:44, and the Bulldogs pounced just six seconds later to take a 1-0 lead on a goal by Tyler Schleppe. Andy Noel carried the puck below the goal line and fed it to an unmarked Schleppe on the doorstep for his sixth goal of the season. With less than 90 seconds remaining in the period, Connor McGrath got behind the D for a breakaway, and beat St. Cyr to give his team a 2-0 lead, and a faceoff win and a snipe by Mitch Deelstra with 15 seconds remaining gave Ferris State a decisive 3-0 lead headed into the locker room. The Spartans held a 15-6 edge in first-period shots, but Noah Giesbrecht turned away all 15 shots he faced as his team scored on half their attempts at the other end.

Second Period:   The Spartans continued to outshoot the Bulldogs as the second period wore on, but were seemingly a beat behind. With Gucciardi in the box on a holding call, the Spartans scored a shorthanded goal at 13:25. Muller did the work at the blue line to force a turnover, allowing Joshua to break and send a pass to a streaking Cole Krygier, who scored his second shorty of the season and sixth goal overall. With just over two minutes remaining in the period, Jeremy Davidson was whistled for boarding, ending a Spartan PP and putting the teams at four-on-four – Cole Krygier skated in off a feed from Underwood and brought MSU within a goal at 17:26. Giesbrecht added another 13 saves in the period.

Third Period: The Spartans had their chances – from Cole Krygier just missing a hat trick when he rang the post in the first minute of the frame to a couple close calls that Giesbrecht turned away. The goalie's power play unit gave him some breathing room at the midpoint of the period, scoring 11 seconds into a man advantage when Jason Branchaeu's shot ricocheted off St. Cyr's glove and behind the netminder for a 4-2 Ferris lead. St. Cyr spent most of the final two minutes on the bench in favor of an extra skater, but the Spartans could not inch closer, and advanced into Wednesday's consolation game.   MSU certainly challenged – the Spartans had a game-high 17 shots in the third period and limited the Bulldogs to just six.

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Team Stats

Cole Krygier

Jagger Joshua

Michael Underwood

Nicolas Müller

Players Mentioned

Jeremy Davidson

Karsen Dorwart

Zach Dubinsky

Jagger Joshua

Christian Krygier

Cole Krygier

Daniel Russell

Tiernan Shoudy

Dylan St. Cyr