Huskies took on the Michigan State Spartans at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan. The Huskies fell in overtime to the Spartans.
The Spartans began the game with a goal just 7:33 after puck drop. Junior defenseman Matt Roy carried the puck up the ice to pass to senior forward Reid Sturos. Sturos handed off to sophomore forward Mason Blacklock who backhanded the goal to tie the score. A hooking penalty was called on MSU for this play.
Junior forward Joel L’Esperance took a shot from the front of the net that was blocked and deflected back to junior defenseman Mark Auk who also took a shot at it. The puck found its way to sophomore forward Jake Lucchini who buried his third season and tenth career goal.
The final two goals for the Spartans were scored on the power play. 1:03 into overtime the Huskies were called for a penalty. MSU capitalized on the man advantage and scored the game winning goal nine seconds later.
The Huskies outshot MSU 24-16. Freshman goaltender Angus Redmond started for the third time, saving 13 shots for the course of the game. The Huskies were called for their fewest penalties of the season with just two.
On Saturday, Nov. 5, the Huskies boasted a 5-1 victory against the Spartans. Five Huskies scored while Redmond grabbed 17 saves. A pass from Sturos to Auk ended with a goal just 5:00 into the game. L’Esperance scored his second of the year and 25 of his career just 11 seconds later.
“That was a big time shot by Joel. I liked his physical play, his defensive play, and his shot blocking. He did a real good job tonight, and I really liked his whole line,” Pearson commented.
The only goal of the second period came from senior defenseman Shane Hanna, his third of the season and number 16 of his career. Sturos scored early in the third period, his fourth of the season and team high. Senior defenseman Chris Leibinger made the score 5-1 off an assist from senior forward Michael Neville.
“We really gutted it out. It’s a tough place to play and they play a grinding style. It’s not sometimes a lot of fun and sometimes it’s not very pretty but you have to find a way to play in those games and get through it and get a W,” Pearson commented.
Michigan Tech outshot the Spartans 28- 18, holding MSU to just 10 shots on goal in the final two periods.
The Huskies come home for a WCHA series matchup versus Lake Superior State University next weekend. LSSU is 6-2-0 overall and 4-2-0 in the WCHA.
“Lake Superior’s off to a good start… We’ll need to be ready. It’s going to be nice to get back to the MacInnes, and we hope to pack the place,” Pearson said.
