Michigan State earns first Big Ten hockey title with 5-4 OT win over Michigan

East Lansing — Michigan State topped rival Michigan, 5-4, in an overtime thriller Saturday evening, capturing the program's first Big Ten Tournament championship.

Freshman defenseman Patrick Geary scored the game-winning goal with a rocket of a slapshot nearly 14 minutes into overtime, capping off a matchup full of drama.

"(I) got into the pocket and our third goalie, (senior) Jon Mor, told me to shoot it," Geary said. "I just put my head down, ripped it and looked up last second just to see it go in. I just turned around, looked at Trey (Augustine), because obviously (he's) a big reason we won that game."

It was a game marked by multiple lead changes and wild momentum swings. Sophomore forward Frank Nazar III did everything he could to propel his Wolverines past the Spartans, scoring two goals on the night, including the game-tying goal in the opening minutes of the third.

"The crowd really energized our guys there down the stretch," head coach Adam Nightingale said. "We responded multiple times throughout the game between the ups and downs."

But Michigan State's deep lineup proved lethal, with five different players contributed goals. Freshman goaltender Trey Augustine was also essential in the win, finishing with 33 saves and making clutch stops in the third period and overtime.

"They had good pushes, for sure," Nightingale said. "Trey made some big saves for us."

It was only fitting that such a chaotic game didn't come to an end in three periods. Neither team could break the 4-4 tie and the game entered its fourth and final period. The extra minutes were full of tension, the crowd groaning and cheering at the slightest opportunity from each squad. That tension finally exploded with roars with Geary's goal, capping off one of the most improtant games that Munn Ice Arena has played host to.

"You could argue that might have been the biggest game at Munn in history," Nightingale said. "That crowd was awesome. It was awesome last weekend, been awesome all year and for them to stick with us and believe in us, I know we had to earn it, and I think that's what makes it so special."

The second period contained the most chaotic moments of the title game. The rivals entered the final 10 minutes of the period tied 1-1. Ten minutes later, the Spartans had a 4-3 lead. It was an explosive stretch, featuring a power-play goal, a buzzer-beater of a slapshot and three lead changes. Momentum swung wildly, with each team scoring two-straight goals during the offensive fireworks show.

"Those are critical moments in games," Nightingale said. "You push the first minute and last minute of each period."

Michigan kept the goals coming with a game-tying goal from Nazar less than three minutes into the third period, his second of the night. The offense finally slowed with the teams tied 4-4. For the remainder of the period, the respective goaltenders made clutch saves to keep the game knotted up.

Michigan exited the first period with a 14-6 advantage in shots, but the game tied up at one a piece. The Wolverines tilted the ice towards the Spartans zone for a majority of the period, scoring a goal less than one minute into the game to set an early tone.

That quick lead came courtesy of Nazar, who flipped the puck over Augustine at the front of the net. Sophomore forward Gavin Brindley nearly added some cushion to that goal just a few minutes later with a wrister from the slot. However, it was waved off due to goaltender interference. 

Michigan continued to apply pressure in the offensive zone, briefly slowed by a slashing penalty. Michigan State’s offense couldn’t seem to find its legs, recording its first shot of the game roughly halfway through the first.

"I thought they (Michigan) were really good in the first period and we had to find our legs on the second," Nightingale said.

Despite that stagnant offensive showing through the first portion of the period, the Spartans managed to knot things up just over halfway through the first. Junior forward Tanner Kelly sniped the top-left corner while hovering just outside the crease, cashing in on MSU’s second shot of the evening.

The penalty kills were put to work for the remainder of the period. Michigan State stifled a pair of power plays down the stretch and Michigan notched a stop of their own, the second of the period.

Both offenses were off to slow starts in the second. Offensive possessions featured puck movement, but not a lot of actual shots. Michigan State finally put an end to the sluggish nature of the period near the halfway mark, as sophomore forward Daniel Russell buried a rebound to give his team its first lead of the night, 2-1.

The deficit turned out to be a temporary one for Michigan. The Wolverines immediately stepped up the pressure to find the equalizer, forcing a penalty in the offensive zone. It didn’t take long for the visitors to make full use of the man advantage. Junior forward Dylan Duke tied the game back up by tapping in a rebound at the front of the crease.

Defenseman Marshall Warren continued Michigan’s surging momentum less than three minutes after the game-tying goal from Duke. The graduate senior collected a pass in the right faceoff circle, slid to the right of the net and flipped a backhander over Augustine’s head to put his team ahead 3-2. 

Scoring was coming in bunches. This time, though, it was the home team that ripped off two-straight goals to recapture the lead. With under two minutes left in the period, senior forward Jeremy Davidson whacked at graduate goaltender Jake Barczewski’s pads and the puck slid across the line. Initially called a no-goal, video review overturned the ruling and gave Davidson credit for the game-tying strike.

The period chock-full of action needed a dramatic finish and sophomore defenseman Matt Basgall obliged. He blasted a rocket of a slap shot from deep with less than a second left on the clock, handing Michigan State a 4-3 lead heading into the locker room.

Goals kept coming in the third period. Michigan wasted no time in tying up the game yet again. Nazar tipped the puck near the crease for his second goal of the evening.

The period slowed to a crawl after the game-tying goal, each team relying on defense and goaltending to keep the game at 4-4. Michigan State put the pressure on during the waning minutes of the period, but the home team could never quite find the go-ahead goal in regulation.

After a period full of saves and near misses, Geary finally brought things to a close with his game-winning goal nearly 14 minutes into overtime.

Alex Farber is a freelance writer.