Photo: Nick King ~ USA TODAY NETWORK
EAST LANSING ~ Michigan State hockey embraced a survive and advance mentality Thursday afternoon, grinding out a 2-1 win over UConn in the NCAA Tournament’s Worcester Regional semifinal at the DCU Center. The Spartans were pushed for all 60 minutes by a relentless Huskies squad but leaned on timely scoring and elite goaltending to keep their season moving forward. Despite being outshot for long stretches, MSU showed poise in key moments, punching its ticket to the regional final and staying one win from the Frozen Four.
UConn controlled the early tempo and struck first late in the opening period when senior forward Tabor Heaslip buried a rebound to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Michigan State answered quickly as freshman forward Ryker Lee capitalized on a power-play goal with just over a minute left in the first to knot the game at one. The Spartans found their edge midway through the second period during four-on-four play, when freshman forward Porter Martone one-timed a feed past UConn senior goaltender Tyler Muszelik for what proved to be the game-winning goal. From there, the score line did not change, but the pressure certainly did.
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(CONTINUED) The story of the afternoon was Michigan State junior goaltender Trey Augustine, who delivered a performance worthy of the tournament spotlight. Augustine turned aside 41 of 42 shots, including 16 in the third period alone, as UConn poured on attack after attack. The Spartans were outshot 42-22 overall and spent extended time defending, but Augustine stood tall through screens, rebounds and late net-front chaos. Michigan State’s penalty kill also answered the call, successfully killing off all seven UConn power plays, a decisive factor in protecting the slim lead.
While the box score favored UConn in volume, Michigan State once again proved it can win in different ways. The Spartans finished strong in the faceoff circle, executed when opportunities appeared and trusted their defensive structure when the game tilted against them. It was not flashy, but it was tournament hockey at its finest, measured, resilient and unforgiving. With Augustine anchoring the crease and contributors stepping up at the right time, Michigan State advanced knowing that performances like this are exactly how postseason runs are built.
Michigan State will play the winner of Wisconsin and Dartmouth on Saturday in the regional final.
