Michigan
14-10-3, 7-8-2
Michigan State
19-7-3, 13-4-2
Brindley's Goal Not Enough as U-M Falls to No. 9 MSU
2/9/2024 10:02:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Gavin Brindley opened the scoring near the midway point of the game, netting his 16th goal of the season
» Sophomores Luca Fantilli and Frank Nazar III assisted on Brindley's lone marker.
» Goaltender Jake Barczewski made 25 saves on 28 shots that he faced in the loss.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A pair of late empty-net goals sealed the fate of the 11th-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team on Friday night (Feb. 9 ) as it fell to the ninth-ranked Michigan State Spartans by a 5-1 score inside Yost Ice Arena. The game was tied at one goal apiece after two periods, but MSU tagged on a pair of goals in the third period to surge ahead before padding its lead with two empty-net goals en route to the win.
Michigan goaltender Jake Barczewski started between the pipes for the seventh game in a row, and the netminder made 25 saves on 28 shots that he faced while shouldering the loss.
Michigan (14-10-3, 7-8-2) churned up dangerous scoring opportunities in the first period, but neither side dented the twine before the buzzer sounded to end the frame.
The Wolverines thought they'd opened the scoring 30 seconds into the second period when Dylan Duke put a shot on goal that snuck through the wickets of the MSU netminder. With the puck trickling through the crease, the whistle blew when the official assumed the puck was under equipment as T.J. Hughes was banging the puck into the net for a disallowed goal.
The deadlock was broken right out of the second period's media timeout at 10:40 when Luca Fantilli sent a long pass high off the glass of the defensive zone and into the neutral zone for Gavin Brindley, who was flying up the right side of the ice. When he reached the top of the right circle, Brindley cut in toward the slot and wired a laser to the top shelf to make it 1-0. Frank Nazar III and Luca Fantilli picked up the secondary helper on Brindley's 16th goal of the season.
Twenty-five seconds later, Michigan State (19-7-3, 13-4-2) tied the game when a forward rushed into the zone along the right flank and protected the puck as he cut in toward the blue paint. As Barczewski stretched out to attempt the save, the skater tucked it just past his skate to even the score at 11:05.
Michigan embarked on the game's first power-play opportunity at 11:40 following a slashing call, but the nation's top-ranked unit failed to tally a goal before play returned to even-strength.
MSU took a 2-1 lead at 4:46 of the third period following a lengthy sequence in Michigan's zone.
The Spartans doubled their lead and made it 3-1 at 8:13 when a shot on goal pinballed through traffic to slip between Barczewski and the post.
Michigan's first penalty occurred with 7:12 left in regulation with the Wolverines down by two. Seamus Casey was tagged with holding to give MSU its first power play of the night. Despite failing to convert on a shorthanded breakaway chance, U-M killed off the power play and the teams returned to 5x5.
The Spartans potted a long-range empty-net goal off a lob from their own circle that found the center of the Michigan net to make it 4-1 with 2:42 remaining. Twenty-five seconds later, the visitors added a second empty-net tally to make the final score 5-1.
Each team ended the contest with 30 shots on goal along with one unsuccessful power-play attempt. MSU finished the night with a 32-28 edge in the faceoff dot, but the Wolverines did cut into that deficit by winning 12 of 21 in the final frame.
Tomorrow night (Feb. 10), the teams will travel to Detroit for the annual "Duel in the D" at Little Caesars Arena with the Wolverines seeking revenge. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network as the teams compete for the Iron "D" Trophy. Michigan has won the past six renditions of the Duel after MSU won the inaugural trophy game in 2016.
