By Michael Caples –
DETROIT – In Friday night’s battle of the Spartans, Drew Miller was victorious.
The Red Wings forward – one of five former MSU hockey players on the ice – scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal during the first period.
Miller helped the Red Wings extend their winning streak to three games with his first goal of the season, on a quick strike from the slot off of a blocked shot by Patrick Eaves.
“Patty shot it from the corner…that was our game plan all along, get pucks on nets, get those second and third chances,” Miller said. “So it was nice to get that first one out of the way, and get the first goal for the team too.”
Goals from Niklas Kronwall and Valtteri Filppula added to the Red Wings’ lead, and Jimmy Howard stopped all 24 shots he saw to give Detroit a 3-0 victory.
The win gives Miller and his fellow Spartan teammate Justin Abdelkader some bragging rights over the Oilers’ MSU alums – Shawn Horcoff, Corey Potter, and Jeff Petry.
“It’s fun. I’ve known Horc for a while, but I’ve known Cory Potter, my good buddy, since about first grade,” Miller said. “We started playing together, so I spent a lot of time with him in the minors, little kids, then three years with him at Michigan State. We’re going to see his family tonight, a lot of our friends and stuff. It’s fun to play against people you know, Petry too.”
When asked if there was any extra “chirping” between the Spartans on the ice, Miller laughed.
“No…well, maybe a little bit now after the game,” he said with a smile.
While Miller landed on the score sheet with his first goal of the season, Abdelkader did by dropping the gloves. The Wings’ forward landed a punishing hit on Magnus Paajarvi in the second period, which prompted Oilers forward Lennart Petrell to initiate a bout with Abdelkader. It worked out well for Detroit; Petrell received the traditional ‘instigator’ two-minute minor, and another two-minute minor for the new ‘instigating while wearing a visor’ penalty.
The Oilers’ trio of Spartans combined for four shots and a minus-four plus/minus.
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[…] for the first time in…well, a while. On Friday, they posted a 3-0 shutout over Edmonton, with Drew Miller winning the battle of the Spartans. On Saturday, the Wings’ defensemen led the charge in a 5-2 win over […]