Coming off a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory on Friday night, the Michigan hockey team had a chance to go for a sweep on Saturday night in its weekend series against Michigan State. Not only would a win mean sweeping a Big Ten opponent and in-state rival, but it would have been a huge momentum builder to do so against the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

However, the Wolverines were unable to get the job done, dropping Saturday’s game 4-1.

Michigan was riding high off its overtime win, and with Michigan State drawing a penalty a little more than a minute into the game, the Wolverines were offered a very early power play. The Spartans, though, were able to avoid going in an early hole and killed the penalty with ease. Michigan returned the favor shortly thereafter, as Mark Estapa was called for tripping to put Michigan State on the power play.

Michigan State’s power play unit came out strong. Just eight seconds into the man advantage, Matt Basgall found the back of the net to put the Spartans up 1-0. Michigan State would stay on the attack for the remainder of the period while holding Michigan to just five shots on goal in the opening frame. Michigan State’s Charlie Stramel tacked on another goal in the period’s final minutes to go up 2-0.

The second period opened up similar to the first. Michigan State was given another power play chance just four minutes into the period due to a William Whitelaw interference. Again, it was Michigan State’s power play unit going to work, as Shane Vansaghi scored to put Michigan State ahead 3-0.

Looking to get on the scoreboard itself, Michigan was given a power play chance at the 6:26 mark of the period thanks to an MSU hit from behind. Nothing was going the way of the Wolverines in this one, though, as Stramel scored a shorthanded goal to put the Spartans up 4-0.

Despite 19 shots on goal in the second period, Michigan entered the third scoreless. Michigan State’s defense was able to hold until the final minutes of the game, when T.J. Hughes was able to net a power play goal to make it 4-1. But it would be much too little, too late.

The Wolverines put themselves behind the eight-ball in this one, as they were sent to the box eight times, with Michigan State converting two power play goals. Michigan can’t afford to be so undisciplined, especially against a high-caliber opponent like Michigan State that will make the most of its chances.

With the loss, Michigan falls to 14-9-1 overall and 8-6-0 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines will look to rectify things next weekend, as they travel to Wisconsin for two games. This will be the second series Michigan and Wisconsin have played against each other this year, as the teams split a series at Yost in December.

EAST LANSING – Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 1 Michigan State hockey’s 4-1 win against No. 10 Michigan on Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena.

What happened

MSU came into Saturday night looking for revenge after dropping Friday’s game to the Wolverines in overtime. And with the help from the home crowd, the Spartans jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back.

Junior forward Charlie Stramel had two goals and an assist, while junior forward Isaac Howard improved his NCAA-leading point total with three helpers as the Spartans skated away with a 4-1 rivalry win on Saturday. MSU earned four points on the weekend to jump back into first place in the Big Ten standings.

After killing an early penalty, the Spartans got a chance on the man advantage and found the back of the net quickly, with junior defenseman Matt Basgall blasting a shot from the point that got through U-M goaltender Logan Stein.

Another shot from the point later in the period was saved initially, but Stramel battled in front of the net before eventually batting in the loose puck just over the goal line to extend MSU’s lead.

The Spartans earned another chance on the man advantage in the second period, and junior forward Joey Larson ripped a one-timer that freshman forward Shane Vansaghi tipped in front of the Wolverine net for MSU’s third goal of the game.

Special teams continued to play a big role for MSU, who, after two power-play goals, converted on a shorthanded opportunity. Sophomore defenseman Austin Oravetz delivered a stretch pass to Howard, who slid the puck over to Stramel for a one-time shot that beat Stein and put MSU up 4-0.

UM got on the board during a late power play with T.J. Hughes beating MSU goaltender Trey Augustine, who nearly had a shutout. Augustine made 34 saves on the night, while Stein had 28 stops for the Wolverines.

Some theatrics ensued late in the game, with Michigan’s Jacob Truscott receiving a five-minute major and game misconduct for direct contact to the head on a hit to Stramel. MSU defensemen Patrick Geary and Maxim Strbak took exception, with Strbak ultimately receiving a 10-minute misconduct.

After the final horn, Michigan defenseman Hunter Hady received a game misconduct and disqualification for face-masking Vansaghi. Hady will have to miss the next game for the Wolverines.

What it means

MSU missed a big opportunity on the road on Friday night, leading and controlling most of the game before the Wolverines found a late equalizer and eventual overtime winner.

Despite an early penalty, MSU was again the aggressor, this time scoring twice in the opening frame to establish itself. MSU’s special teams were the key, scoring twice on the power play and once shorthanded to balloon its lead to four goals in the second period.

Wolverines had seven of the first eight shots in the second period with several grade-A chances, but Augustine stood tall on each one. Augustine can get locked in during a game to the point where it seems impossible to beat him – at least on a shot that he can see. Augustine had that feeling on Saturday night.

Howard and Stramel continue to drive MSU’s offense, with Howard equaling his total points from last season after recording three assists tonight. With two goals and an assist, Stramel now has eight goals and 13 assists — more points in total than his two seasons at Wisconsin combined.

What they said

MSU coach Adam Nightingale, on the game overall: “It was a good response for our group, and we were a lot more determined offensively and played more on the inside tonight. I thought the crowd was awesome and they were really into it. It was a good win for our program and thankful to be a part of this rivalry. It’s a blessing that forces you to be better and it forces you and pushes you to improve and we did that.”

Nightingale, on Howard and Stramel performing well: “I thought they were a little quiet the night before, and when we sat down with them, we wanted them to play more direct, and they did tonight. Howard is having a great year for us, and he’s really improved. It’s been cool for me to have known him since he was 16 years old and watching his game grow, and he still has room to grow. We trust him, and he’s made big-time plays. And then (Stramel) is a young hockey player who continues to get better and got in better shape so he can play the way we want him to and he wants to. That line needs to continue to be consistent for us.”

Howard, on special teams coming up big: “Our special teams played really well tonight, with power-play goals and shorthanded goals. It’s crucial for success in a game or series, and it’s good we are clicking at a good pace in both of those areas.”

Stramel, on playing in the rivalry: “It’s an emotional game playing these guys, especially losing a tough one last night, but it was big to be able to bounce back and play a full 60 minutes tonight. You go into it like any other game, maybe get up for it a little more subconsciously, but it’s a fun weekend to play in, lots of emotions flying around and guys who don’t like each other, but that makes the game fun.”

What’s next

MSU will stay home next Friday and Saturday, hosting No. 3 Minnesota for a two-game series.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott and Bluesky @nathanielbott.bsky.social

5-star former Alabama commit Ty Haywood is currently on ground in Ann Arbor. The elite top 20 ranked offensive lineman recently made his decommitment from the Crimson Tide official, a move shared on Instagram by Bryce Underwood. Recruiting insiders have considered Michigan the favorite in this recruiting battle since the early signing period passed and Haywood elected not to sign with the Tide.

Rumors are the Michigan team, spearheaded by GM Sean Magee, put together a very attractive Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) offer for Haywood in an attempt to earn his commitment. Haywood himself has remained relatively quiet throughout the entire process, not sharing anything to his social channels that could be construed as favorable for one team over the other. Regardless, On3sports recruiting insider Michael Langston recently added a crystal ball prediction in favor of the maize and blue.

Even with Langston’s favorable prediticon, On3 still shows the Tide leading in the battle for Haywood. Clearly the site has not caught up on what is going on with this recruiting situation. Michigan looks to be in a very solid position, and we are hoping that this weekend closes out with the third 5-star commitment of the 2025 class for Coach Moore and his staff. If the Wolverine’s do close this out with a commitment, the job that Sean Magee has done cannot be understated. He has truly moved Michigan from near the bottom in terms of NIL usage into a behemoth in the space. Incredible turnaround and incredible vision from this Navy veteran.

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