DETROIT – No. 9 Michigan State hockey faced off against No. 11 Michigan on Saturday night for the annual Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena. The Spartans defeated the Wolverines 3-2 to sweep the series and capture their first Duel in the D win since 2016.
“I thought we did a really good job, they [Michigan] have a really good team,” MSU head coach Adam Nightingale said. “After last night, you knew they were gonna come out and we’d have to weather some storms, and when you’re talking about playing a quality opponent you need to be ready for that.”
The Spartans were led by junior forward Tanner Kelly and sophomore forward Tiernan Shoudy, as they each recorded a goal and an assist in the win.
“All around tonight it was a really good team effort,” said Kelly. “My linemates have been unbelievable for me, Tommi, and Shouds [Shoudy], they make playing the game really easy for me.”
Sophomore forward Karsen Dorwart added to the scoring column, scoring his 12th goal of the season late in the second period, giving a 3-1 lead heading into the third period.
For Michigan, junior forward Dylan Duke scored early in the second period. Halfway through the third period, sophomore forward Gavin Brindley scored his second goal of the series to cut the Spartan lead to 3-2.
In the end, freshman goaltender Trey Augustine’s 36 saves was too much for the Wolverines. The Spartans outshot the Wolverines by one and recorded 39 shots to the Wolverine’s 38.
“I thought Trey played unbelievable, I thought he did a really good job for us and made some critical saves for us,” Nightingale said.
With the win, MSU is five points ahead of Wisconsin for first place in the Big Ten with 46 points and an overall conference record of 14-4-2.
“Our goal is we want to be the best program in college hockey and we’re not there yet, and I think our guys understand that. We’re building and definitely taking some steps,” Nightingale said.
