Michigan State hockey upsets No. 10 Ohio State: Analysis and reaction

Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down Michigan State hockey's 4-2 victory over No. 10-ranked Ohio State on Thursday evening.

What happened

MSU welcomed OSU into Munn Ice Arena on Thursday night – a top 10-ranked Buckeyes squad fresh off a bye week – while MSU looked to continue momentum after sweeping Wisconsin last weekend.

With the game deadlocked 2-2 in the third period, the Spartans got the critical go-ahead goal when freshman forward Daniel Russell dug a puck out of some tangled skates in the high slot and fired a wrist shot over the right shoulder of OSU goaltender Jakub Dobes with 3:36 to play.

Graduate transfer Justin Jallen got his first goal in an MSU uniform with 56 ticks left, putting a shot home into an empty net to seal a 4-2 win.

OSU got the scoring started in the first period on the power play, with defenseman Tyler Duke's point shot zooming through the bodies in front of MSU goaltender Dylan St. Cyr and into the back of the net.

MSU responded before the first intermission on its first power play chance. Following a faceoff win, freshman defenseman Matt Basgall took advantage of an OSU defender losing his stick, skated in from the point and fired a shot past Dobes off the right post and into the net.

MSU jumped ahead in the second period as Russell and senior forward Jagger Joshua rushed into the offensive zone. Joshua fed trailing linemate Karsen Dorwart, but the pass was just behind him. Dorwart gathered, spun around and put a shot on net that surprised Dobes, who couldn't flex his blocker out in time and Dorwart's shot was in the net.

OSU took four penalties in the second period, but directly following one of the Buckeyes' kills, forward Jake Wise exited the penalty box and found himself streaking with the puck on a breakaway. He deked St. Cyr and went backhand on his shot to make it 2-2.

St. Cyr finished with 32 saves, none bigger than his diving stop from behind the net with 1:30 left to keep MSU ahead 3-2.

Dobes, who made a handful of phenomenal stops in the third period while MSU put the pressure on, had 24 saves. Russell finished with a goal and two assists, giving him a team-leading 14 points on the year.

What it means

It's a marquee win for the Spartans, who now have picked up two wins over ranked teams this season after splitting with Umass-Lowell in October. Regardless of Friday's outcome, this result will be important for Pairwise rankings and will get MSU noticed by poll voters. MSU will likely find itself in or just outside the top 20 next week.

This OSU team has been impressive – particularly in scoring six goals in a win over No. 1-ranked Minnesota two weeks ago. It's the best team MSU has played to date, and the Spartans showed they can not only be competitive, but take control at points and finish games strong against a quality foe.

MSU was again dominant for long stretches in the third period — a tribute to the offseason conditioning that the players bought into and the staff implemented. If not for a couple of stone cold saves from Dobes, arguably the Big Ten's best goaltender, MSU could've pulled away sooner.

Russell, who also had a late game-winning goal on the road against Bowling Green, is shaping up to be one of the guys MSU can rrely on in tight games. His line with Joshua and Dorwart continues to produce and impress at a level MSU will need going forward through the grind of the Big Ten.

It's still very early to tell what this team's ceilingwill be, but with every performance, the Spartans are giving every reasons for the fan base to get excited.

What they said

MSU coach Adam Nightingale, on the game overall: "It's a really good win for our team, and I think Ohio State's the best team we've played so far. In the first period, they were really good and we were trying to find our legs. We got better as the game went on, and I really liked our poise. I think that's important when you play a good team, they are going to push, too, but we didn't panic and our guys got the job done."

Nightingale, on the continued solid play of the Russell-Dorwart-Joshua line: "They're hungry every game, and sometimes when you have success people don't handle it the right way and think they've arrived. They keep getting hungrier every time they have success, and we need them to keep being great and keep improving."

Russell, on his game-winner at Munn: "It was awesome to do it at home, and we had a point shot that came back into the middle and it was kind of a scrum and I pulled it out from someone's skates and just shot it and it went in. It helps to have good linemates and we have good chemistry, so it helps a ton."

St. Cyr, on being competitive in the Big Ten this year: "I think people could make some excuses that we were getting lucky with a few games here, but I think we are starting to prove that we are a real contender in this league. I think if we can continue to play our game, and we know that we are going to grow, we'll earn the respect from everyone else in the league."

What's next

MSU will carry a four-game unbeaten streak into Friday night's second game against the Buckeyes. The puck will drop at 7 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 upsets No. 10 Ohio State: Analysis and reaction