Spartan Hockey stays hot at Munn
Let’s face it Spartans, last weekend was a disappointing one in which the Spartans were unable to walk away with full annihilation of the weasels. Not only that, but also dropping to 2 in the rankings made for a smell of agitation in E.L. this week. With a huge series against number 4 Minnesota and first place in the conference on the line, MSU had some pent up aggression to let loose this weekend.
Friday night goes down as one of my favorite MSU hockey games I’ve ever seen. With four goals in the second and four in the third, MSU sent a message with a 9-3 victory. The message sent was that this team is deep. 14 of 18 Spartan skaters earned a point in this game. A face-off win percentage of just under 69%, Augustine cooly makes 27 saves and the Spartans turned Munn into a dance party a la Rick’s on a Friday night. The Spartans managed to chase the Gopher goalie and have eight players with multiple points.
Saturday night one could have expected a bit of a Rick’s hangover but the Spartans silenced that with a beautiful one timer by Matt Basgall. Minnesota came back with a strong second and their power play goal at the end of the second period put the game at 3-3 going into the final period. Both teams had their chances with neither finding the net and the teams headed into overtime. Overtime was thrilling with no stoppage until the final 10 seconds, but again, nobody could find the back of the net so the game goes in the books as a tie. One extra point was still on the line in the shootout when Russell and Howard both connected to give MSU the shootout point.
Here’s a few keys I’ve been noticing as MSU continues to find success this season:
Nobody is more important than the team
Coach Nightingale has had a long time tradition in his coaching in which he has players enter the ice in numerical order. This is to show the importance of team, nobody is more important and every player has value. That is exactly how this team plays. It is deep. The benefit of having solid lines up and down pays off in those long and close games. With a team that is full of NHL draft picks, it is a true testament to Nightingale’s coaching ability to have this team believing there is no I in the word.
Passing
The team mentality is a big reason MSU passing is so good right now. Most Spartan goals are being scored with two assists and some of the passes through traffic and right on the stick are showing how much trust the players have in each other as well as how much fun they’re having on the ice. The obviously don’t score off every one of these passes but watching the puck movement now from where they started the season is saying a lot about this team’s work ethic.
Howard/Russell/Augustine
Augustine came into MSU as one of the top recruits the Spartans had ever landed and has played exactly like that. Augustine saves 27-30 shots a game and always gives the team a chance to win. Howard has been on absolute fire all season long. Leading the nation in goals and points and seventh in assists. The Ice Man has truly Cometh this season and everyone should be excited to see if he can get over 50 points before season’s end. Russell has been solid and is on pace to have his best season yet and an integral part of the Spartans top line.
The Spartans head to OSU for games on Thursday/Friday against the number 9 Buckeyes. Thursday’s game will be on BTN. Let’s keep these good times rolling Spartans!