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East Lansing — Michigan State earned a series sweep of Big Ten foe Wisconsin with a 5-1 victory on Saturday behind 44 saves from Dylan St. Cyr and five different goal scorers.
The Spartans (6-3-1, 2-1-1 Big Ten) were outshot by a 45-26 margin, but the play of St. Cyr was exceptional throughout the series. He stopped 88 of 89 shots on the weekend and picked up his 11th career shutout is Friday.
MSU led 4-1 after the first period, getting goals from four different goal scorers. Miroslav Mucha and Jagger Joshua scored less than a minute apart to give the home team a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. Tanner Kelly scored a Nifty goal at 12:26, with an exceptional defensive play, followed by a drive to the net, picking up his own rebound, and then circling behind the goal cage to beat goalie Kyle McClellan at the left post. After the Badgers broke up the weekend shutout with a power play goal at 13:43 from Brock Caufield, but MSU got the goal back in the final minute of the period on an unassisted tally by Cole Krygier.
MSU added an insurance marker early in the third period when Tiernan Shoudy tipped a Nash Nienhuis shot from the left point for the 5-1 margin that would stand up through the end of the period.
While Wisconsin (2-8-0, 0-6-0 B1G) had an advantage in shots on net, they went 1-for-6 on the power play. MSU blocked a season-best 23 shots (six by freshman defenseman Matt Basgall) compared to 10 for the visitors.
The Spartans wrap a four-game homestand next weekend when they welcome Ohio State to Munn Ice Arena. The series will be played on Thursday and Friday (Nov. 10-11).
STATISTICS OF NOTE
- Jagger Joshua’s first-period goal was his fifth of the season, his most in his career. He had four as a sophomore.
- Tanner Kelly matched his freshman year total with his third goal of the season in the first period.
- Daniel Russell picked up assists on the Joshua and Shoudy tallies. He was held off the board in three straight games after starting his career with a six-game scoring streak.
- Nash Nienhuis had two assists on the night and four for the weekend.
- MSU had killed 22 consecutive penalties and had skated for a combined 43:04 shorthanded, before Wisconsin broke the string with Brock Caufield’s power-play goal in the first period.
- Dylan St. Cyr had 44 saves in each of the two games, and his 88 saves on the weekend is the most for him in a two-game weekend series in his career.
- The Spartans scored five goals in back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 19-20, 2019 vs. Minnesota.
- MSU recorded its first Big Ten sweep of the season and first since sweeping the Badgers at home in November 2021 (3-2, 5-2).
First Period: As they did on Friday, MSU put goals on the board in quick succession to take a 2-0 lead. At 3:48, Miroslav Mucha put back a rebound off a Tanner Kelly shot on the power play, and less than a minute later, Jagger Joshua knocked down a blast from David Gucciardi in the high slot and beat goalie Kyle McClellan. Kelly had an impressive individual effort to give MSU a 3-0 lead at 12:26 he stole the puck in the neutral zone and streaked up the right side, put a shot on net, and collected his own rebound. He circled around the back of the goal cage and tucked the puck in at the left post for his third goal of the season. Wisconsin broke up the weekend shutout with a power play goal at 13:43 from Brock Caufield, but Cole Krygier got the marker back with just 15 seconds remaining in the period to send the Spartans into the locker room with a 4-1 lead.
Second Period: Jagger Joshua was assessed a major penalty for attempt to injure with two seconds remaining in the first period, so the Spartans were forced to skate man-down for the first five minutes of the second period. The Spartans had a 2-on-1 shorthanded break that didn’t connect with two minutes off the clock, and did a good job of keeping the Badgers to the outside. The period ended without a goal for either team, the first scoreless period of the weekend. Wisconsin outshot MSU 12-5 in the period.
Third Period: Without a goal for 20 minutes, the Spartans put one on the board inside the first two minutes of the final frame. Daniel Russell won a puck battle at the far half wall, and poked it out to Nienhuis at the left point. Neinhuis sent a Rocket netward that was tipped by Shoudy, and the freshman got his second of the season. The Spartans took a late penalty to put the Badgers on the man advantage at 17:14, but had two Breakaway chances before the Badgers had a good look. St. Cyr turned away all 16 shots he faced in the final period to finish with 44.
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