Lansing Sun

Michigan State University completed a successful weekend series against Lake Superior State with a 5-1 victory on Saturday. Junior Isaac Howard led the Spartans with two goals and an assist, while three other players also contributed multiple points.

The match began with a scoreless first period despite Michigan State's aggressive offense, which resulted in 21 shots on goal. The second period saw MSU capitalize quickly, scoring twice in its first two shots. Howard scored both of his goals during this period, alongside a goal from Daniel Russell, giving the Spartans a 3-0 lead.

Lake Superior State managed to get on the scoreboard at 8:56 of the third period through William Ahlrik, but MSU secured their win with additional goals from Joey Larson and Nicklas Andrews. The final score was 5-1 in favor of Michigan State.

Michigan State outshot Lake Superior State by a significant margin, totaling 47 shots to LSSU's 26. The team will now prepare for their home-opening series next weekend against Boston College.

Isaac Howard had an impressive performance over the weekend, achieving his first career two-goal game and finishing with three goals and two assists overall. Daniel Russell consistently contributed with a goal and an assist in each game. Transfers Nicklas Andrews and Charlie Stramel marked their debut points as Spartans during Saturday’s game.

Goalie Trey Augustine held off the Lakers for more than 93 minutes across both games before allowing one goal in each contest. He made 25 saves per game, matching his previous best from last October against Air Force.

Maxim Strbák achieved his first multi-point game of the season with two assists on Saturday, while Joey Larson scored his first goal of the year during the third period.

Coach Adam Nightingale maintained his perfect record against Lake Superior State at four wins without losses or ties since joining Michigan State. Despite not converting any power plays over the weekend (0-6), MSU generated numerous opportunities with 19 power play shots and successfully killed all penalties faced (4-4).

The Spartans showed improvement in faceoffs on Saturday by winning more than half of them after struggling initially on Friday night.