MSU hockey disappoints in 6-2 loss to last-place Ohio State: Analysis and reaction

Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 4 Michigan State's 6-2 defeat to Ohio State on Friday evening at Munn Ice Arena.

What happened

The Spartans last saw Ohio State in the first weekend of November, when they swept the Buckeyes on the road in the first Big Ten series of the season.

That result was telling of how each side's season has gone. MSU came into Friday night leading the Big Ten, while Ohio State sat with a 3-15-2 record in conference play.

But, two of those wins for the Buckeyes came last weekend against then-No. 4 Wisconsin, and Ohio State carried that momentum into East Lansing to pick up its first road regulation win in Big Ten play.

MSU looked poised to control the game early, and while on an early power-play opportunity, freshman forward Gavin O'Connell redirected a pass from Isaac Howard to put the Spartans on the board in the first two minutes.

Another power play followed, but as that chance fizzled for MSU, it ignited the Buckeyes. Ohio State went on to outshoot MSU 19-10 in the opening frame, and freshman forward Sam Deckhut tied things up midway through the first.

Ohio State defenseman Scooter Brickey capitalized on the power play in the second period to give the Buckeyes the lead. Then Deckhut wound up with his second goal of the night by crashing the net and pouncing on a rebound for a 3-1 lead.

Freshman forward Tommi Mannisto was assessed a five-minute major, leading to Ohio State's Cam Thiesing extending OSU's advantage to 4-1. O'Connell breathed some life into Munn in the closing seconds of the middle stanza, collecting a rebound and backhanding a shot past Ohio State goaltender Logan Terness to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Terness stood strong in the third period as MSU pushed to make it a one-goal game, but a turnover at the MSU blue line midway through the third led to an Ohio State breakaway, and redshirt-senior forward Michael Gildon waited out MSU goaltender Trey Augustine before firing one past him to make it 5-2.

Sophomore forward Davis Burnside would make it 6-2 with just over eight minutes remaining. Terness stopped 34 MSU shots to earn the victory.

What it means

With this result — and Wisconsin's blowout victory over Penn State on the road — it guarantees that the Spartans and Badgers will be playing for a Big Ten title next weekend in Madison.

This was an uncharacteristic performance for the Spartans, especially given the quick start that O'Connell's goal provided. MSU was good in the first five minutes — much like the lone game at Munn between the Spartans and Michigan — but things quickly unraveled.

Ohio State played well and made it difficult for the Spartans to get inside. Terness was excellent, making several critical saves when MSU did get on the doorstep, and the Buckeyes did a great job getting into shooting lanes, blocking 26 MSU shots.

This loss will hurt the Spartans in the Pairwise rankings, already dropping to No. 6 with the Badgers jumping them up to five. MSU will need a win Saturday to assure it stays ahead of the Badgers heading into the final weekend and keeps it alive in the conversation for a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

What they said

MSU coach Adam Nightingale, on the game overall: "It was a tough night for us, I thought it was a good start, outside of the goal, I thought we did good things and got loose. But we ended up giving up way too many chances in the first and we were chasing the game. Credit to Ohio State, I thought they were the hungry hockey team. We talked to the guys, there's a difference between expecting to win and being entitled that you're going to win. I thought we played a little entitled, and that's not to take credit from Ohio State, but if we want to keep playing hockey, we've got to be better. We have to make it hard on teams and we didn't do that tonight."

Nightingale, on keeping focus for tomorrow: "I think the group has done a really good job of responding, and you talk a lot about noise and it's hard to tune it out, but you just have to focus on what has substance, and make sure it's within our team. It's a big test for our guys but we have an opportunity to do it tomorrow."

O'Connell, on what went wrong on MSU's end: "I think there are certain things that make us special and we kind of got away from it tonight. I think some guys, the whole team really was playing a little selfish and that's not our way. We play team hockey and we got away from that and it gave them momentum and ultimately the win tonight."

O'Connell, on what needs to change tomorrow: "I think we need to play quicker. We were holding onto pucks for a little too long and maybe trying to make the cute play. We need to drive the net and play more inside and that'll open things up for us and allow more shots to the net."

What's next

MSU and Ohio State will face each other again Saturday in the final regular-season home game at Munn Ice Arena. Senior night ceremonies will take place postgame, with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Nathaniel_Bott

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey disappoints in 6-2 loss Ohio State: Analysis and reaction