MADISON, Wis. – The No. 6 ranked Michigan State hockey team will take on No. 4 Wisconsin on Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison.
With a regulation win, MSU would secure an outright Big Ten title for the first time in program history.
MSU defeated the Badgers when the two teams met at Munn Ice Arena in mid-November.
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First period
19:13 – Junior defenseman Daniel Laatsch whistles a shot from the point through traffic in front of MSU goalkeeper Trey Augustine, giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead just 47 seconds into the game.
14:32 – MSU got by in the first five minutes after giving up an early goal, and when freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov reached the zone, he fired a shot that went right through the glove of Wisconsin goaltender Kyle McClellan .
It's an uncharacteristic mistake from McClellan, who boasts a .932 save percentage and 1.90 goals against average.
11:11 – Wisconsin defenseman Anthony Kehrer trips MSU forward Tommi Mannisto, leading to the first power play of the game.
With six seconds left on the power play, MSU forward Joey Larson commits a hooking minor and the Badgers also earn a power play.
13:11 – Both teams fail to capitalize on the power play as MSU defenseman Maxim Strbak and Wisconsin forward Simon Tassy exchange some jabs in front of the MSU net.
Wisconsin outscored the Spartans 12-4 in the first period.
1:49 – Two Wisconsin players collided at center ice, resulting in senior Reed Lebster picking up the loose puck and giving the Spartans a 2-on-1 break.
Lebster handed the ball off to senior forward Jeremy Davidson, who fired a one-timer past McClellan to give MSU a 2-1 lead late in the first period.
19:20 – Sophomore forward Tiernan Shoudy checked Wisconsin forward Charlie Stramel in the Badgers' offensive zone, leading to a power play opportunity that could carry over to the start of the second period.
After conceding a goal on the first shot of the game, Augustine kept MSU in control and made 18 saves, including great saves on Wisconsin's power play chances.
MSU capitalized on two Wisconsin turnovers twice in the first half and had seven shots on goal.
Early in the second period, MSU has 1:21 to incur Shoudy's cross-check penalty.
MSU goals: Levshunov (9) from Larson (16); Shoudy (9) at 5:28. Davidson (9) from Lebster (11) at 18:11.
3:10 – MSU and Wisconsin are back on the ice at midfield, and the Spartans were able to kill the remaining time in Shoudy's minor to get back to full strength.
MSU forward Isaac had a great chance shortly after, but his shot went just wide.
10:29 – Strbak delivered a huge hit to Wisconsin forward Mathieu De St. Phalle along the boards in the neutral zone.
After a detailed review, Strbak will be given a serious penalty for entering the game without any misconduct. Wisconsin will have a five-minute power play.
12:33 – St. Phalle, which took the brunt of Strbak's heavy penalty, gets revenge by redirecting a point shot from defenseman Ben Dexheimer past Augustine, tying the game 2-2.
MSU has just under three minutes to impose Strbak's major boarding penalty.
15:57 – Strbak's penalty is perfect, and St. Phalle's game-winning goal is the only damage. Augustine made four saves during the man advantage and the Spartans returned to full strength
MSU and Wisconsin will enter the final 20 minutes tied at 2-2 due to St. Phalle's game-winning power play goal.
MSU is outscored 34-14 by the Badgers in two periods while being outscored 33-18 in the faceoff circle.
2:27 – MSU and Wisconsin are back on the ice and both look to break the deadlock in the final frame. MSU freshman forward Gavin O'Connell nearly makes it on a 2-on-1 rush, but McClellan makes the save.
5:25 – Wisconsin's Sawyer Scholl goes into the box after the final whistle to tackle MSU's Tanner Kelly. The Spartans use the man advantage and want to take the lead.