By Alyssa Girardi –
EAST LANSING — For the four seniors on Michigan’s roster, there always was one achievement that, until Friday, they couldn’t manage to cross off: beating MSU at Munn Ice Arena.
But a strong third period showing and two-goal performances by forwards JT Compher and Derek DeBlois helped the Wolverines (12-6-2, 4-2-0-0 B1G) to a 5-2 road win and series sweep against the Spartans.
“They’re pretty excited about it,” Michigan head coach Red Berenson said of the senior class. “They have a lot of respect for their opponent and these games are big games; they’re becoming bigger games now that the Big Ten Conference is on and those are big points in the standings. Any way you wanna cut it, that was a big weekend for Michigan against a good opponent.”
It was a game as chippy as any Spartan or Wolverine fan would expect from the two rivals. By the final horn, 19 penalties were committed: nine by Michigan and ten by MSU.
But while Michigan was celebrating a victory for its senior class following the game, on the other side of the rink, MSU head coach Tom Anastos was discussing his disappointment with the lack of maturity his team demonstrated.
“We have to grow up,” Anastos said. “Get humbled in your own building, you gotta take pride in wearing that jersey, representing the people you’re representing, it takes 100 percent commitment, 100 percent of the time.”
He said he sensed he didn’t like the team’s approach to the game earlier in the day at the team lunch, and mentioned his displeasure with MSU’s discipline multiple times following the game.
“When I say discipline, the natural thing for people to think about is just physicality or roughing or penalties, that kind of thing,” Anastos said.
“I’m not just talking about that; that’s just one small piece of it. It’s how you play, it’s the togetherness that a team plays with, a team that has success. It’s not pointing fingers when guys are making mistakes. Those are things that good teams don’t do, and we can’t allow that to happen here.”
Two power-play goals were the markers for the Spartans (8-12-3, 2-4-2-2 B1G), the first from forward Tanner Sorenson opened with 2:31 remaining in the first period after Michigan forward Boo Nieves was sent off for interference.
The Spartans struggled to set up their power play unit for the first minute and a half of the man-advantage, but the puck eventually found defenseman Travis Walsh (Haslett) without pressure at the right point. Walsh sent the puck from the right point to Sorenson at the left point for the one-timer.
MSU was six seconds from entering the first intermission up a goal, but Compher scored his second in as many games to tie it up.
He and Nieves broke out down the ice, and Nieves slid the puck to him when they reached the blue line. Compher rushed MSU goaltender Jake Hildebrand and netted a backhander, finding about a six-inch gap between Hildebrand’s right pad and blocker.
Michigan took its first lead of the game five minutes into the middle period.
DeBlois sent the puck toward Hildebrand from the right boards, and it took a strange bounce off the ice and switched directions. Before Hildebrand could adjust, the shot had found its way in at the far side of the net.
Two minutes later, MSU took advantage of another power play when defenseman Michael Downing (Canton) was called for tripping.
Sorenson sent the puck from the point to forward Michael Ferrantino (Plymouth) inside the left circle. Ferrantino passed to forward Villiam Haag at the goal line and rushed the net, getting a stick on a rebound from Haag’s shot and scoring his second this weekend and third in three games.
Two quick goals 51 seconds apart and a strong final period proved to be the difference for the Wolverines.
“It feels pretty good,” Michigan defenseman Mac Bennett said. “This is a huge rivalry for us, and winning (Friday) and especially capping it off tonight, you know, that’s huge for our team and where we were at, this is a huge confidence boost for us.”
Brennan Serville took a long shot that was redirected by DeBlois for the senior’s second goal of the game. Less than a minute later, Michigan forward Justin Selman found Bennett alone in the slot, who put the puck around Hildebrand at 13:46.
Compher struck once again with 6:06 remaining, marking his third goal against the Spartans in five periods of hockey.
He and forward Andrew Copp (Ann Arbor) got through MSU with a shorthanded two-on-one opportunity. Copp sent the puck across the ice to Compher, who one-timed the shot on one knee from inside the left circle.
“I don’t think we were necessarily the better team but we took care of the puck,” Berenson said of the third period. “We scored a shorthanded goal, we killed a penalty — that was important because they scored two power play goals.”
The game started getting chippy about midway through the third period, with both teams taking shots, but Anastos calling his team’s behavior at the end “unacceptable.”
MSU defenseman Rhett Holland eventually was sent off with a game misconduct, and Spartan defenseman Jake Chelios received a 10-minute misconduct.
“What bothers me most is to know you’re playing your biggest rival at home in front of a great crowd who’s energized, who’s bringing everything they can to help you, and I just don’t feel everyone was ready,” Anastos said. “I don’t know how that can possibly happen. I don’t know how you can’t be ready to play unless you don’t realize the magnitude of what you’re doing.”