Couch: Michigan State hockey's mid-game response in a 7-5 win at Michigan will go down in Spartan lore
ANN ARBOR – The response by Michigan State’s hockey team Saturday night was everything. I’d argue as important as the result, which was pretty incredible, too — a 7-5 win at Michigan in a game that halfway through looked like another disaster for the Spartans, 24 hours after enduring a 7-1 soul-kicking at Munn Ice Arena.
For 30 minutes Saturday, this thing was just as lopsided. As in Michigan’s Rutger McGroarty had more goals (2) and more shots (10) than all of MSU’s team, which trailed 4-1, while being outshot 30-9.
It’s unclear all of what was said on MSU’s bench in the media timeout 18 seconds after McGroarty’s second goal. But in the annals of Spartan lore, I’m guessing the tales will grow over time.
Perhaps freshman goalie Trey Augustine, fed up after being hung out to dry repeatedly over 90 minutes Friday and Saturday, gave his teammates a piece of his mind. There are others who might have spoken up: Senior Nash Nienhuis, junior Red Savage, sophomore Tiernan Shoudy and freshman Patrick Geary are also candidates for a few fiery words in that vulnerable moment. Perhaps they’ll all tell their grandchildren that it was them.
Coach Adam Nightingale delivered a measured message, by every account, reminding his team not to worry about the score, to focus on playing their game and their next shift.
“I mean, ‘Coach just said ‘We’ve got to get back to our game,’ ” senior Nico Muller recalled. “(He said) ’I mean, it's pretty simple: If we play our game, we’re a pretty good hockey team. And if we're not (playing our game), we're not really.’ ”
Simple, perhaps effective. But we’ll come up with something better for the book.
Because the 10 minutes that ensued — beginning with a goal by Isaac Howard goal 22 seconds after the timeout — changed the vibe of the weekend, reignited MSU’s season momentum and bolstered the Spartans’ belief in themselves.
Three more goals followed in the next seven minutes, giving MSU a 5-4 lead after the second period. The Spartans added two more in the third — six straight overall — playing a poised and relatively even final period.
This game was a character check. The Spartans, who looked hungover from Friday’s shellacking well into the second period Saturday, perked up just in time to pass the test in every which way. On the scoreboard, sure. But also their change in mindset and in their response to a scoreline and opponent who were both beginning to mock them.
When McGroarty scored his first goal to put the Wolverines ahead 3-1 early in the second period, he ran his fingers over his helmet, like he was slicking back his hair — which is Howard’s patented celebration. MSU’s players saw it, which made Howard’s breakaway goal later in the period all the sweeter.
“We try not to pay too close attention to that,” MSU freshman Gavin O’Connell said after the game — his goal at 15:56 in the third period tied the game 4-4. “We're not kind of like those guys. We put our heads down and just work and work in-between the whistles. They kind of like to do stuff outside. But it's a competitive rivalry. So I'm sure when they get to score, they do (our celebrations) and try to get in our heads. We can keep our heads down and keep working.”
They did Saturday. Friday was another story. MSU fell apart Friday and then lost its cool. And did plenty outside of the whistles. The Spartans needed this response Saturday to prove to themselves they are who they think they are and who they've worked hard to be. I think they might have needed Friday, too. They didn’t look ready for Michigan. Their recent schedule, if you look closely, is filled with teams who are struggling right now. The Spartans dominating their series at Penn State perhaps gave them a false sense of things. The Wolverines, who are more talented than their record (11-8-3 overall, 4-6-2 Big Ten), knocked the sense right back into them.
“It was maybe a little bit of a reset for us,” O’Connell said.
Eventually it was. And, let’s be clear, if not for a couple A-plus saves by Augustine — early and late Saturday — this might have still unfolded differently, no matter the Spartans’ resolve.
“You have to give credit to them,” Muller said of Michigan. “Their (defensemen) are really shifty and we had a hard time getting to them and winning puck battles.”
What changed:
“I think we finally got pucks behind them,” Muller continued. “We got some forechecks going. We stayed poised with the puck. I think we didn't do that first the 30 minutes. We just chopped away pucks and everything. Nobody really wanted the puck. And then like the last 30 minute, everyone wanted the puck. And that was the difference.”
MORE: MSU hockey scores six straight goals in win over Michigan: Analysis and reaction
Figuring out how to manage this rivalry will be part of this program’s journey under Nightingale. MSU, in the 1980s, became the hottest ticket in town not just because it was always at or near the top of the CCHA standings and always capable of a postseason run, but also because it owned the rivalry with Michigan when MSU’s other biggest sports certainly did not.
MSU in the Nightingale era doesn’t have to own the Wolverines. But the Spartans can’t be owned by them. They didn’t have to win Saturday at Yost to have a chance at a Big Ten title and to put themselves in position to make a postseason run — though the three points help. MSU is now 16-5-2, No. 7 in the Pairwise rankings and 10-2-2 in the Big Ten, sitting atop the league with 34 points, four ahead of idle Wisconsin, which has two more games left to play than MSU does.
However, how the Spartans handle Michigan — their poise, their fight, even their hatred of the Wolverines — is all part of the journey and story of this team and this program going forward.
After not handling their emotions well on Friday, MSU’s hockey team met Saturday morning. Part of the message came MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, a man who once let his hatred for Michigan color his judgment and coaching in his early matchups with the Wolverines. Izzo and MSU baseball coach Jake Boss were two of a few people who texted Nightingale after Friday’s defeat. “You don’t get as many texts when the game goes that way,” Nightingale said. After Izzo called Nightingale, MSU's second-year hockey coach relayed Izzo's words to his own team.
“He just talked about when he took over and the rivalry and finding that balance between respect and not liking them,” Nightingale said. “I think I needed to do a better job of that. Obviously I talk about it, but ... I have a ton of respect for their program and our guys (do) too. I thought Friday night, when you take penalties, I don't think it's respecting your opponent because you're not respecting the danger on the power play.
“I think we learned a lot (this weekend). Obviously, we’ve got a lot to still work on. I think that's what I've enjoyed about this group. It's a humble group. And they don't think they have all the answers. We had a really tough meeting (Saturday) morning — in the areas we kind of try to pride ourselves on playing winning hockey, and that's my responsibility. And we didn't play that on Friday. Let's get back to it and so we're excited about the direction of our team. We've played a lot of good hockey, but there’s still a lot of room to grow.”
I’d argue that a lot of growth took place this weekend. The proof was in Saturday's mid-game response — and in feeling like you won a series that included a 7-1 defeat and finished in a split.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey: Mid-game response at Michigan will go down in Spartan lore
