Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's hockey team overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period to secure a 5-3 victory against top-ranked Minnesota. The game, held in Minneapolis, saw the Spartans execute a strong rally late in the match.

Isaac Howard contributed two goals for Michigan State, while Maxim Štrbák and Charlie Stramel also played pivotal roles. Štrbák tied the game and assisted on one of Howard's goals. Stramel scored what became the game-winning goal with just over six minutes left in play. Red Savage assisted Stramel’s goal and later added an empty netter to seal the scoreline.

The Gophers initially took control after Brody Lamb's early third-period goal put them ahead 3-1. However, starting at 11:08 into the final period, Michigan State mounted their comeback with rapid goals from Howard, Štrbák, and Stramel. Savage then capped off the win by scoring into an empty net as Minnesota pulled their goalie for an extra attacker.

Minnesota's earlier goals came from Brodie Ziemer and Aaron Huglen during the second period, with Lamb adding another early in the third. Goalie Liam Souliere recorded 25 saves for Minnesota.

Trey Augustine made 24 saves for Michigan State, marking his 11th win of the season. With this victory, Michigan State has taken five out of six possible points against Minnesota and accumulated eight out of twelve points across recent games against Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Michigan State (13-2-1) will have a break until participating in the Great Lakes Invitational on December 29-30 in Grand Rapids where they will face Northern Michigan.

The Spartans continue their impressive Saturday performance this season with seven consecutive wins on that day. Historically struggling against Minnesota with only 19 wins out of 98 encounters at Mariucci Arena, this triumph marks their first since February 2020.

Howard's performance was notable as he achieved his second career two-goal game while setting a personal best for single-season goals at nine. Štrbák recorded his first goal of the season along with an assist that evening. Savage also contributed significantly by scoring both a crucial assist and his fifth goal of this campaign through an empty net shot.

Karsen Dorwart added two assists during this matchup bringing his total to eight assists for this season while teammates Matt Basgall and Daniel Russell each had one assist; Russell leading defensively with a plus-three rating during playtime alongside Basgall who shared leadership in blocked shots tallying up two blocks throughout gameplay hours."