Spartans split with Michigan after 2-1 road defeat: Analysis and reaction

ANN ARBOR – Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 12 Michigan State's 2-1 loss at No. 6 Michigan on Saturday night.

What happened

MSU came into Yost Ice Arena with confidence, coming off a 2-1 win over Michigan on Friday to snap a six-game losing against its biggest rival. Now, it looked for an important sweep, eyeing more separation in the conference standings and ending the first half of the Big Ten season on the highest of notes.

The Wolverines, however, came out with jump early and controlled the opening 10 minutes. Following an MSU substitution error that caught the Spartans with too many men on the ice, U-M took advantage of the ensuing power play when sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes hit a one-timed shot that ricocheted off sophomore forward Dylan Duke and into the net for the game's first score.

Both sides battled fairly evenly through the remainder of the first and most of the second period, but U-M was able to strike again before the middle frame ended. Freshman forward T.J. Hughes, who had U-M's lone goal on Friday, was able to keep the puck in the offensive zone, and after a few passes around the blue line, Hughes slipped behind the Spartans and defenseman Keaton Pehrson found him with a backdoor pass for a tap-in goal.

MSU pressed hard in the third period but was unable to capitalize on its early power play chance and struggled to create quality scoring chances againt U-M goaltender Erik Portillo.

Finally, after Michigan forward Marc Estapa and MSU forward Jesse Tucker got game misconduct penalties with 8.5 seconds left, MSU's Jagger Joshua crashed the net off a faceoff win and swatted a loose puck out of the air and past Portillo with 5.1 seconds left, ruining the junior's shutout bid.

Joshua took a shot to the throat from U-M defenseman Johnny Druskinis afterward, and as the final buzzer sounded, there was skirmish between the two lines that were on the ice.

MSU goaltender Dylan St. Cyr made 25 saves on the night, while Portillo stopped the first 37 he faced before allowing Joshua's goal.

What it means

The loss stings in the locker room from a personal standpoint — no one likes falling short against a rival. But the two games from this weekend show that MSU isn't going to be an easy win for anybody, especially U-M, which went 6-0 against the Spartans last season, including some in lopsided fashion.

Michigan deserves credit for shoring up some of the things it didn't do well on Friday, or at least do to the level it's capable of. The Wolverines were much better transitioning from their own end, were able to convert on the power play and made grade-A chances hard to come by for the Spartans.

MSU's third period was its best of the night — a common theme for the Spartans midway through the season. The fourth line of sophomores Jesse Tucker and Tanner Kelly and freshman Tiernan Shoudy was good again tonight, as was the top line with Joshua and freshmen forwards Daniel Russell and Karsen Dorwart.

MSU freshman forward Gavin Best drew his first game action as a Spartan, filling in for senior forward Erik Middendorf who was out with an illness. His line logged the least amount of ice time, but he made a handful of smart plays and looked like he belonged.

These results will likely bump MSU a spot or two in next week's national polls and the Pairwise rankings, but it'll be more important going forward for the Spartans to avoid any bad losses added to their resume.

Yost Arena on Saturday and Munn Arena on Friday night were both rocking and filled to capacity. And the intensity and emotion of this rivalry showed throughout the weekend, capped off with the donnybrook at the game's conclusion. Both coaches said in postgame that it's good for the sport when both MSU and U-M are playing good hockey. This series was a testament to that.

What they said

MSU coach Adam Nightingale, on the game overall: "I thought it was a really good game and I'm proud of our guys' effort. I thought as the game went on we got better, and that's a testament to the way we practice and the way we train. I thought we had a lot more left in the tank against a really good opponent and we kept pushing and pushing."

Nightingale, on MSU now having a chance to breathe during a two-week break: "We've been pushing our guys really hard and now we'll still practice, but it's important they do well on their exams here and our university does a great job supporting our players. We want to finish strong in the classroom and not just on the ice, and it's important these guys get to go see their families over Christmas. It's a special time and I'm sure the guys are looking forward to it."

MSU defenseman Nash Nienhuis, on playing in this rivalry and the skirmish afterward: "I think there's a lot of emotion in this rivalry and it was a really hard-fought game and that kind of stuff happens sometimes. A loss to any team means the same in the standings, but, yeah, it definitely stings a little more when it's them."

Joshua, on his goal, the response, and whether he feels like a target in physical games: He didn't like me too much for scoring so he decided to stick me in the throat. It happens. The way I play I kind of invite things like that, but to be honest I think that improves my game. If they are worried about me, then they are worried about less on the ice, so I relish the chippy games and welcome it for sure."

What's next

MSU's next game will be on Dec. 27 when the Spartans will play Ferris State in the opening of the Great Lakes Invitational at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Spartans split with Michigan after 2-1 road defeat: Analysis and reaction