EAST LANSING – Michigan State failed to sweep their home series against No. 16 Umass Lowell, losing 3-2 on Friday night. Despite the loss, freshman defenseman Matt Basgall scored his first goal of the season.  

“I think it for sure gave us life and energy and all. I think it’s important that you’re never out of it,” said head coach Adam Nightingale.

The first period started off aggressively with both teams favoring offensive play rather than defense. While the puck bounced back and forth between zones for a few minutes, the Riverhawks quickly overpowered the Spartans. Four minutes into the game, sophomore right wing Owen Cole slipped the puck into a gap just right of graduate senior goalie Dylan St. Cyr putting UMass Lowell up 1-0.

The Spartans would not begin to play more aggressively until the second half of the period when a 2-minute holding call put them on a power play for the first time this game. With the man advantage, MSU found itself playing how it was in the beginning, but they couldn’t capitalize on scoring chances as UMass Lowell regained full strength without giving up a goal.

Not even a second before the first intermission, junior defenseman Ben Meehan took a big hit which was ruled a 5-minute major for contact to the head. With only 0.8 seconds left in the period, the Power Play wouldn’t take effect until the start of the second period.

While down a man, the Spartans showed no interest in trying to score at the start of the second period. Freshman center Karsen Dorwart picked up a loose puck in the Riverhawks’ zone in what could have been a 1-on-1. Instead, he took the puck to the neutral zone trying to kill more time.

 Both teams were at full strength when senior Carl Berglund rebounded a shot behind St. Cyr. That goal put UML up 2-0 with under six minutes in the period. A minute and a half later, the Spartans were once again down a man after a cross checking call on freshman left wing Tiernan Shoudy. The Riverhawks saw an opportunity and capitalized with Jon McDonald putting up the third point for UML.

At the start of the third period, the Spartans found themselves down 3-0. Two minutes in, MSU went on a power play for the second time in the game. 10 seconds later, Basgall saw his shot from the point and took it sending the puck over junior goalie Henry Welsch, off the crossbar, and into the goal for MSU’s first goal of the game and his first of the season.

“Nico and Karsen were kind of getting covered so [I] put something on net to try to open stuff up and having it go in… good feeling,” said Basgall.

16 minutes later, the Spartans pulled their goalie giving them a man advantage on the ice. Shortly after adding that sixth man, freshman right wing Daniel Russell scored his third goal in four games.

“Third period has been our best period all year. We take pride in being a really good third period hockey team,” said Nightingale.

Despite shooting 24 shots in the third period, the Spartans couldn’t put up a tying goal. Even pulling their goalie during a power play for 6-on-4, the River Hawks wouldn’t crumble. In the end, MSU lost 3-2 against Umass Lowell.

The Spartans’ next game is against Long Island University at Munn Ice Arena on Oct. 21.