Michigan State hockey ousts Ohio State in Big Ten semi, setting up final against Michigan: Analysis, reaction

Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 4 Michigan State's 2-1 victory in the Big Ten tournament semifinals against Ohio State.

What happened

After earning a bye in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament, the No. 4-ranked Spartans were back in action Saturday in front of a packed Munn Ice Arena that vibrated with a playoff atmosphere from the start.

And behind that crowd, MSU was able to withstand a late rush of chances from the Buckeyes and advance to the Big Ten championship game next weekend with a 2-1 win. The Spartans will host Michigan, which beat Minnesota, at 8 p.m. next Saturday at Munn.

"(Player Development coach) Brad Fast has been here the longest, and he said flat-out that this was the loudest he's ever heard Munn," MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. "It's been that way the whole year, and we've had great support."

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MSU opened the scoring just over a minute into the second period when sophomore forward Karsen Dorwart took a shot that deflected off sophomore forward Daniel Russell's skate and past Ohio State goaltender Logan Terness.

MSU thought it had a 2-0 lead on a goal from senior forward Jeremy Davidson minutes later, but the goal was reviewed and waved off for an MSU skater in the crease.

Ohio State put the pressure on to start the third period, putting three shots on MSU goaltender Trey Augustine before freshman forward Max Montes scored on a wraparound attempt just over two minutes into the final frame.

MSU quickly responded 13 seconds later when a slot shot from senior defenseman Nash Nienhuis beat Terness to restore the Spartans' advantage. Ohio State appeared to scored minutes later to level it again, but an MSU challenge for offsides was successful.

"It's crunch time now, and every game here is win or go home," Nightingale said. "I think we've learned how to win in different ways. High-scoring games, low-scoring games, holding onto leads. Those are all valuable things to have in our back pocket. It speaks to our leadership and our poise, and good teams are going to push. If you want to win a fight, you have to be able to take some punches."

What it means

Saturday's tilt was a physical affair from the opening whistle, with both sides exchanging heavy hits in a tightly contested first period that saw MSU hit two posts and have an empty-net chance robbed by the stick of Terness.

It became the program's first home playoff win since 2008 — just another step in the right direction for a program rising faster than anyone in college hockey.

MSU's jump in the second period was encouraging, given the amount of quality chances that were denied in the opening 20 minutes. Ohio State's third-period response, coming from a team whose season would end unless it won, should have been expected, but it seemed MSU was caught off guard.

The Spartans quickly fixed that after Ohio State tied it, and from there, played safe and smart to prevent any high-quality looks from the Buckeyes.

Both goaltenders were outstanding, with Augustine making 37 saves and Terness making 36 stops. Both stopped numerous breakaways, something that MSU will look to clean up before next weekend's tournament finale.

What they said

Nightingale, on the game overall: "Ton of respect for Ohio State, they are a really good hockey team and to push the way they did at the end of the season, it speaks to their environment and the job the coaching staff does over there. It was a tight-checking hockey game. Trey made some big-time saves for us, but this group has done a good job responding. After getting scored on, it would have been easy for a young group like this to melt, but Nash got us the lead and we were able to hang on."

Augustine, on the goaltender battle with Terness: "It felt like a goalie game out there, in games like that I do everything I can to make sure the next one doesn't get behind me. We both played really well tonight and props go to him."

Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik, on the atmosphere in Munn: "Credit to them, I thought the crowd was outstanding and it's fun to be in that atmosphere. To be in the Big Ten, the best league in the country, in a playoff environment like that, was fun for our guys. You could really hear it at the end too."

What's next

MSU will host Michigan, which defeated Minnesota, 2-1, in the other semifinal, next Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Big Ten tournament championship game. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State hockey ousts Ohio State to reach Big Ten tourney final