Michigan State hockey outlasts Michigan, 2-1: Analysis and reaction

Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 13 Michigan State's 2-1 win against No. 6 Michigan on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena.

What happened

MSU and Michigan squared off in college hockey's oldest rivalry on Friday night — the first night of a home-and-home in the final Big Ten series of 2022.

Michigan did its best to try to deflate a sold-out crowd early, with freshman forward T.J. Hughes scoring the first goal at the 13:29 mark.

But MSU responded before the end of the period with a good stretch during 4-on-4 play and eventually got the break it needed. Defenseman Cole Krygier's point shot looked like it would be a routine save but hit off the glove of Michigan goaltender Erik Portillo and into the net, erupting the Munn Arena crowd. Krygier's goal went down as MSU's first shorthanded goal of the season, as Michigan's Dylan Duke had just completed his two-minute minor for tripping.

MSU then applied pressure in the second period and was rewarded when defenseman Michael Underwood chased down a loose puck and got a tight shot in on Portillo, leading to a rebound and a scramble in front. Sophomore forward Tanner Kelly put a shot toward the net with Portillo out of the crease, and freshman forward Tiernan Shoudy poked in the loose puck to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.

MSU was rock solid defensively in the third period. Despite losing all 11 faceoffs, the Spartans held Michigan to just five shots on net in the final 20 minutes, sealing a huge Big Ten win over its rival that beaten MSU in the previous six meetings and in 11 of the past 12 matchups.

The Spartans finished with a 31-23 edge in shots for the game as Adam Nightingale became the first coach in MSU hockey history to win his first ever game against the Wolverines.

What it means

It was a night-and-day performance for the Spartans on the defensive side from last weekend's pair of defeats to Minnesota. Top to bottom, the defense read passing lanes, had active sticks, blocked 12 total shots and helped silence a top-10 power play that was missing U-M leading scorer Adam Fantilli.

Fantilli's absence is notable, but Michigan's roster is littered with NHL draft picks and top-tier skilled players at the collegiate level. Yet MSU consistently frustrated the Wolverines' attack. St. Cyr played a big part in that, too, making a handful of remarkable saves at the end of the second period while UM had a man advantage.

The Spartans' team-wide defense was suffocating in the third period, shutting down any real chance U-M had to tie the game. Michigan sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes, who absolutely carved up MSU last season, struggled to get untracked and it trickled down the rest of the Wolverines' lineup. And Portillo's miscue on Krygier's goal late in the first proved large in a low-scoring game.

MSU's fourth line of Shoudy, Kelly and sophomore Jesse Tucker was the Spartans' best — Shoudy getting rewarded with the goal but all three were excellent. The line was the only one that played consistently above average against Minnesota and it continued its strong play Friday.

Every successful rebuild has a defining moment. And in the early stages of Nightingale's tenure, Friday night's win — ending a losing streak to a rival, with a sellout crowd that hadn't seen an MSU win against U-M at Munn since 2019 (excluding the no-spectators win in 2021 due to COVID), playing in a newly renovated arena as a highly ranked team at the midpoint of the season — could very well be looked back on as that moment for the Spartans.

What they said

Nightingale, on the game overall: "It's a big win for our team, and I'm super thankful for the crowd coming out and supporting us the way they did. The energy in the building was really good. Our guys had no panic. I think St. Cyr played great and we did a good job on the kill. We're looking forward to the challenge tomorrow."

Nightingale, on starting the rivalry off with a win in his first year: "I think it's important that we are part of making it a rivalry, and I think our guys did a good job of that tonight. They are a program we have a lot of respect for, and we want to make sure we play our best. The state of Michigan is a great hockey state and it's important that both programs are going."

Shoudy, on scoring the game-winning goal in his first game against U-M: "It was a dream come true, and I don't know how many nights I've stayed up thinking about that. Scoring the game-winning goal, it was one I couldn't miss and I just went black after that."

St. Cyr, on how his defense played in front of him: "I think our whole team just bought into the gameplan and played team defense. They made it so the shots were predictable and kept things to the outside, and outside a few chances we really shut it down."

What's next

The teams will travel to Ann Arbor for the second game of the series on Saturday, with puck drop scheduled at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the 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 outlasts Michigan, 2-1: Analysis and reaction