Michigan State hockey falls to Minnesota, 5-0: Analysis and reaction

Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 13 Michigan State's 5-0 defeat at home against No. 4 Minnesota on Friday night.

What happened

Over 6,500 fans packed into Munn Ice Arena for the series opener between the top two teams in the Big Ten standings on Friday evening, with both teams inside the top 13 in the national polls and in the top seven in the Pairwise rankings.

Minnesota struck first, with star freshman Logan Cooley — the third overall pick in this past summer's NHL Draft — finding himself alone in front for a shot that beat MSU goaltender Dylan St. Cyr. The score remained 1-0 Minnesota through the first period.

MSU's play improved in the second period but couldn' break through. Then the Spartans fell further behind when Minnesota's Aaron Huglen jumped on a turnover in MSU's defensive zone and put a shot on net. St. Cyr made the initial save but couldn't contain it in his glove, and Rhett Pitlick flew in to score on the rebound to make it 2-0 with just over three minutes left in the middle frame.

MSU turned up the pressure to start the third, outshooting the Golden Gophers 10-4 in the first 11 minutes but couldn't get one past Minnesota goaltender Justen Close. Then, after more than four minutes of ice time without the Gophers having the puck in MSU's zone, Minnesota forward Bryce Brodzinski took a pass and fired a shot over the left shoulder of St. Cyr to make it 3-0.

After Brodzinski's goal, MSU looked deflated, and Minnesota's top line of Cooley, fellow freshman and first-round pick Jimmy Snuggerud, and sophomore phenom Matthew Knies took advantage. Knies scored just over a minute after Brodzinski's goal, and Cooley added his second of the night on a rebound with just over a minute left to make it a 5-0 final.

St. Cyr made 34 saves, while Close stopped 25 shots to get the shutout. It's only the second time MSU has been blanked this season after suffering a 5-0 defeat at Notre Dame in late October.

What it means

The final result wasn't quite indicative of the difference between the teams Friday, but Minnesota played a near flawless road game and showed why it's one of the best teams in the country.

The Gophers were staunch defensively, holding MSU to one of its lowest shot totals of the season. They forechecked well, limiting the Spartans' transition game but still stayed responsible on the back end, allowing very few odd-man rushes. And offensively, the Gophers' talented group of forwards took advantage of their opportunities.

When the Spartans did appy pressure, Close was on top of his game, keeping it 2-0 when MSU generated several chances early in the third period. Then when Minnesota added a third goal, the Spartans' level dropped and the last eight minutes belonged entirely to the Gophers.

MSU's coaching staff talks frequently about changing the culture. It starts with the product on the ice, and that translates to the fan support, which showed on Friday. On the heels of the Spartans' 7-1 record in November, the fans turned out with one of the largest crowds Munn has had in a while, and the next two home games — Saturday with Minnesota and next Friday with Michigan — are both sellouts. Now, with football season over and with the fans more engaged, is when MSU needs to respond with good performances to continue its positive momentum.

What they said

MSU coach Adam Nightingale, on the game overall: "Obviously a tough game for us, we are playing a really good opponent and I thought the first period we dipped our toe in the water. There were some really good stretches in the second and I really liked our push to start the third. I think once they got their third goal, it was a little bit deflating, but that's part of our growth. We have to come to the rink and believe that we can win and continue to keep learning and growing. We found out some things we liked and some things we didn't, and we'll be better tomorrow."

Nightingale, on what Minnesota did well: "I think their back end is really good and they have really good sticks, so I think early on we were trying to be too cute and they were able to knock pucks down instead of playing with hard skill. Then, I think they have guys that can really finish, and that's why they're one of the top teams in the country. If you give opportunities to guys like that, they're going to make you pay."

MSU captain Miroslav Mucha, on what MSU can take from this game heading into tomorrow: "We definitely had a lot of good things we can feed off of, but we really have to clean some things up and play more physical to sustain more time in the offensive zone. Minnesota is very talented and we just have to simplify it and put it behind their heels and play physical."

What's next

MSU will host Minnesota again Saturday night, with puck drop scheduled for 6 p.m.

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 falls to Minnesota, 5-0: Analysis and reaction