Ash Goldie got two goals in a row for Michigan State, one the game winner, as the Spartans cruised past Ferris State 5-1 on Saturday.
The winner came at 1:21 of the second period while on the power play. Tyler Howells passed the puck over to Goldie, who put it over the outstretched pad of Brown to make it 2-0, a lead that stood up for the balance of the game.
“I thought we played very well tonight,” Spartan head coach Rick Comley said. “We had a good balance of goal-scoring, defense, and great goaltending. The line of Colton Fretter, Chris Mueller, and Drew Miller has really been doing well all season. Tonight, they capitalized on their chances.”
It was an intense first period, with both teams keeping shots to the outside. Ferris State had a couple of chances early, but couldn’t convert past Michigan State goaltender Dominic Vicari.
With under a minute left, Michigan State scored a controversial goal to make it 1-0. With the Bulldogs unable to clear the puck, the Spartans put a shot on net. Bulldog goaltender Mike Brown covered the puck at the side of net, but it was knocked loose by Drew Miller and pushed in.
Brown and the rest of the Bulldog fans were furious with officials for not blowing the whistle when the puck was covered, but the goal counted.
“We had a really good first period,” Bulldog head coach Bob Daniels said. “I thought we were dictating the play. Then, that second period we played very poorly. The third period was really just going through the motions. It was just a bad second period and if that first-period goal was what sent us into a tailspin, then shame on us.”
After that goal, the wheels started to come off Ferris State. Joe Van Culin took a penalty at 19:43 that boded well for the Spartans in the second period. Goldie got his second goal of the night at 11:27 off another scrum in front of the net. Tommy Goebel took a shot that was stopped by Brown, but Goldie was there to put the rebound home to make it 3-0.
The Bulldogs were frustrated and it showed as the period moved on. Michigan State pumped shot after shot on Brown as the ice tilted in the Spartans’ direction. Colton Fretter got a breakaway goal at 15:04 to deflate the crowd and send the Spartans into the locker room with a 4-0 lead at the end of the second.
Overall, the shots were drastically in favor of Michigan State by a margin of 35-17.
The third period brought a change in net for the Bulldogs as Derek MacIntyre replaced Brown. That motivated Jeff Legue to snap Vicari’s shutout when he picked up a rebound and backhanded it past the sprawling goaltender to make it 4-1.
Michigan State got the goal back when Fretter scored his second of the night to make it a four-goal lead once again.
Comley, for his part, had nothing bad to say about the game. “This is a very tough place to play, and to come out of here with a win is huge for our club. I thought Ferris played very well last night, and they are a very good hockey team.”
“Aside from the poor second period tonight, I thought we put together a solid effort the last four games,” Daniels said. “We have played against some very tough goaltenders, and I don’t think our record is any indication of the strides we have made as a team.”
