Michigan State hockey bounces back with a win over New Hampshire
The Spartans demonstrated their ability to make adjustments and compete in their second game of the series versus the Wildcats.
Following a last-second loss to the University of New Hampshire on Thursday night, the Michigan State men's hockey team put on a commanding performance on Friday, with a 2-0 victory over the Wildcats, to end its opening weekend series with one win and one loss.
Although the Spartans went scoreless into the second period, they led the Wildcats in shots on goal throughout the entire game on Friday, 38-13.
"(Thursday), I don't think it was our worst, but I don't think it was our best," freshman Porter Martone said. "I think we needed to come into tonight and be consistent, come in and be accurate with our passes, and really capitalize on our plays and I think we did that tonight."
Following the buzzer-beating goal scored by the Wildcats on Thursday, both Martone and MSU head coach Adam Nightingale commented on being sure the Spartans finished out the full 60 minutes.
"We were very energetic tonight," Martone added. "I think at times (Thursday) we were. I think we were kind of on and off (in the first game), but today we knew we needed to do that for the full 60 minutes. I think we really dug deep."
Martone mentioned he believes that "it is a skill to close out games" and that he was happy to see his team be able to show that at home on Friday.
"I thought when you look at (Thursday's) game, I still think there was a lot that we did but not enough of it," Nightingale shared. "I thought our execution wasn't great right from the puck-out. I thought we broke it out better today. I thought we were able to possess the puck in the offensive zone. I thought our guys, you know that's a good quality to have, be able to respond and show that growth."
The makeup of Michigan State's roster looks very different this year with the addition of 13 new freshmen. With the new roster, Martone shared that chemistry is building and expects things to get "better and better."
Nightingale echoed Martone's positive comments about team chemistry, sharing that he has a group of guys that understand that "it's not about who scores, it's about the team," and playing together as a unit.
"It's less about who's producing, it's about playing as a team and playing with winning habits," Nightingale summarized.
Commenting specifically on the all-freshman lineup that seemed to raise the energy of the game for the Spartans, Nightingale shared that having "youth" on the team is an advantage the Spartans hope to use often this season.
"Anytime you move up a level, it's stronger, more physical," Nightingale reflected. "They are all smart players, though. I think when you are smart players and competitive your growth curve is a bit quicker. I thought we saw that tonight. We need them to keep growing for our team to keep growing."
MSU takes on Boston University next weekend on the road beginning on Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time and continuing on the Oct. 18. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU and streaming will be available on ESPN+.
Continue to follow along with the Michigan State men's hockey season here at Spartans Illustrated for the rest of the season.