EAST LANSING — Michigan State hockey’s quest for a third straight Big Ten tournament championship came to an abrupt end in the semifinals.
Felix Caron’s one-time shot 2:36 into overtime beat MSU goaltender Trey Augustine and lifted 5-seed Ohio State to a 3-2 victory of the top-seeded Spartans on Saturday, March 14, at Munn Ice Arena.
The Buckeyes advance to play 2-seed Michigan in the title game on March 21 in Ann Arbor.
“I feel bad we couldn’t get it done. Our fans have been awesome all year and I thought the crowd was great,” MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. “We’ve been on the other side of it, in overtime, and unfortunately tonight wasn’t one of those nights and Ohio State has played us tough all season long.
“This doesn’t change the way we feel about our team,” Nightingale added. “We think we have one heck of a hockey team and we’re looking forward to the (NCAA) tournament.”
MSU, which won its third straight regular-season league title, will wait to find out where it will go for the opening round of NCAA tournament when the field is announced on March 22.
MSU sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi opened the scoring less than two minutes into Saturday’s game, snapping a one-timer off a feed from junior forward Gavin O’Connell through OSU goaltender Kristoffer Eberly.
“We had quite a few (chances), whatever it was, it wasn’t good enough,” Vansaghi said. “I thought we played well, and (OSU) is a good team. It was a close game and in single-elimination games like that, it’s a little bit of a game of inches, and one bad bounce or one missed assignment, the puck can end up in the back of your net.
“We have to be locked in on every single play, every second you’re out on the ice,” Vansaghi added. “You can’t have a moment where you’re caught drifting or watching the play. I liked our effort tonight, and that’s something to build off going into the tournament.”
OSU responded later in the period when freshman forward Jake Karabela won a puck in the MSU zone and fed a wide-open Riley Thompson in front of the net. Thompson was able to beat Augustine to level the game.
Karabela would give the Buckeyes the lead early in the second period, wristing a shot over Augustine’s glove with OSU on a 4-on-3 advantage.
But the Spartans tied the game at 2-2 later in the period when freshman forward Porter Martone netted his 24th goal, blasting a shot past Eberly while MSU was on the power play.
Augustine finished with 28 saves, while Eberly stopped 36 Spartan shots. O’Connell, senior forward Daniel Russell, and freshman forward Ryker Lee all recorded an assist on the evening.
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 falls in OT to Ohio State in Big Ten tourney semifinal
Reporting by Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
