Michigan State punched its ticket to the Great Lakes Invitational championship with a 5–2 win over Ferris State and will meet Michigan Tech on Monday. The Spartans jumped out early, built a four-goal cushion, and then answered Ferris’ push with a late power-play dagger in the third.
MSU set the tone in the first period with goals 46 seconds apart. Cole Burke opened the scoring at 7:41 o, then Anthony Romani made it 2–0 at 8:27, finishing a play started by Charlie Stramel and Colin Ralph. The Spartans poured it on to start the second, with Stramel scoring at :35, and Tommi Männistö extending it to 4–0 at 4:52. Ferris finally got on the board late in the second when Carter Rapalje scored at 18:35 from Gavin Best and Riley Wallack to cut it to 4–1.
https://twitter.com/MSU_Hockey/status/2005444034580365419
The Bulldogs made it interesting early in the third on the power play, as Josh Zary scored at 3:02 with helpers from Xavier Jean-Louis and Max Itagaki to pull within 4–2. But Michigan State answered in the biggest moment. On a man advantage at 7:58, Stramel struck again — his second of the night — to restore the three-goal margin and close the door. The third period also featured a string of penalties on both sides, but MSU’s special teams delivered the decisive final blow to send the Spartans into Monday’s title game where they will face Michigan Tech.
In the opening semifinal, Michigan Tech pulled away late to beat Miami 5–2, getting a goal and two assists from Stiven Sardarian and two empty-netters to seal it. Owen Bartoszkiewicz made 26 saves as the Huskies turned a 2–2 game into a three-goal win in the final minutes.
Miami struck first at 9:47 of the opening period on Michael Quinn’s goal, but Tech answered at 15:47 when Joe Prouty finished a setup from Sardarian and Isaac Gordon. The Huskies grabbed their first lead early in the second as Carson Birnie scored at 2:06 off a feed from Tom Leppa, though Miami tied it again at 5:22 on Ryan Smith’s finish from Bradley Walker and Ryder Thompson. Tech went back in front at 9:47 on Jack Anderson’s goal, set up by Sardarian and Reid Daavettila, and Bartoszkiewicz and the Husky defense made it stand until the closing stretch.
With Miami pressing late and its net empty, Sardarian provided breathing room with an unassisted empty-netter at 17:49, and Leppa added another unassisted empty-net goal at 18:15 to cap it. Michigan Tech outshot Miami 33–28 and went 0-for-2 on the power play while killing all four RedHawk chances. The game ended with a flurry of misconducts and unsportsmanlike penalties in the final minute as Tech closed out its spot in the GLI title game.
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Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff
No. 2 Wisconsin 3, Lake Superior 2
Tournament host Wisconsin moved into the championship game of the Kwik-Trip Holiday Faceoff with a 3–2 win over Lake Superior State. The Badgers got goals from Weston Knox, Ben Dexheimer and Finn Brink, then held off a late Lakers push to advance to the finals where they will face Western Michigan.
https://twitter.com/BadgerMHockey/status/2005430520008654896
Wisconsin opened the scoring late in the first when Knox finished a setup from Bruno Idzan at 13:02 for a 1–0 lead. Lake Superior State flipped the game early in the second behind Adam Barone, who scored twice — first at 6:57 to tie it, then again at 11:30 off a feed from Ryan Beck to put the Lakers ahead 2–1. The Badgers responded on the power play at 14:24 as Dexheimer converted from Christian Fitzgerald to even it 2–2 heading to the third.
Brink provided the difference at 5:51 of the final period, scoring unassisted to give Wisconsin a 3–2 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The Badgers outshot Lake Superior 30–22 and controlled play for long stretches, including a 44–27 edge in shot attempts. Daniel Hauser got the start for Wisconsin, while Rorke Applebee started for the Lakers as the Badgers punched their ticket to the tournament final.
Wisconsin will Western Michigan that held on against a undermanned Boston College team for a 5-3 win in Sunday’s nightcap. William Whitelaw scored twice and Liam Valente added a power-play goal as the Broncos controlled the pace and cashed in on special teams.
Whitelaw opened the scoring at 6:05 of the first, finishing a setup from Colby Woogk and Theo Wallberg. WMU then broke the game open early in the second with two power-play goals — Valente at 2:06 and Whitelaw again at 12:57 — pushing the lead to 3–0 before BC finally answered at 13:50 on Aram Minnetian’s first of the season from Ryan Conmy and Michael Hagens. Zaccharya Wisdom restored the three-goal cushion at 18:31.
BC made one last push when Conmy scored just 15 seconds into the third to cut it to 4–2, but the Broncos closed it out and added an empty-netter at 19:34 from Owen Michaels. Western Michigan went 2-for-4 on the power play and held BC to 0-for-3, while also edging the shot count 26–24 and winning the faceoff battle 31–27.
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No. 8 Dartmouth 4, Arizona State 1
No. 8 Dartmouth bounced back to earn a series split with Arizona State, skating to a 4–1 win at Thompson Arena a night after falling 5–1. Brock Cummings scored early and added to the attack, while Emmett Croteau stopped 19 shots to steady the Big Green.
https://twitter.com/Dartmouth_MIH/status/2005374312719749539
Dartmouth opened the scoring at 8:51 of the first when Cummings finished a setup from CJ Foley and Nathan Morin, but ASU answered quickly as Cullen Potter tied it at 10:01 off a feed from Bennett Schimek. The Big Green grabbed the lead for good midway through the second as Cam MacDonald buried the game-winner at 8:13, set up by Brock Devlin and Hank Cleaves.
Dartmouth pulled away in the third. Morin made it 3–1 at 4:22 from Devlin and Cummings, and Cleaves sealed it with an empty-net goal at 16:32 off an Eric Charpentier assist. Connor Hasley finished with 21 saves for Arizona State, while Dartmouth’s penalty kill helped preserve the edge in a tight, physical game.
Princeton 5, Brown 4 (F/OT)
Princeton’s shot volume finally won out as the Tigers outlasted Brown 5–4 in overtime, with Kai Greaves scoring the power-play winner at 4:07 of the extra session. Princeton finished with a 51–20 edge in shots and got a three-point night from Kai Daniells, who played a central role in the late comeback.
https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/status/2005403216352026716
Brown carried a 2–1 lead after the first period on goals from Mike Cataldo (11:45) and Brendan Tighe (19:19), with Princeton’s Jake Manfre answering at 16:58. Early in the second, the Tigers pulled even on Brendan Gorman’s power-play goal at 2:53, but Brown surged back in front at 14:51 when Ivan Zadvernyuk scored to make it 3–2. Princeton responded with its best stretch of the night, as Daniells scored twice in 48 seconds at 16:01 and 16:49 to swing the lead back to the Tigers, 4–3, heading into the third.
Brown forced overtime at 13:40 of the third when Ben Poitras finished a play started by Zadvernyuk and Alex Pineau to tie it 4–4. In overtime, Princeton cashed in on the power play, with Greaves burying the winner off feeds from Daniells and Conor Callaghan. Princeton went 2-for-6 with the man advantage while Brown came up empty on its lone power-play chance.
LIU 4, Army West Point 4 (F/OT, LIU wins shootout)
Army and LIU skated to a 4–4 tie in a back-and-forth game that featured four lead changes and a frantic finish. Brent Keefer led the Black Knights with two goals, while LIU’s power play delivered twice in the third period to erase an Army advantage late.
LIU opened the scoring at 6:39 of the first when JR Perdion finished a setup from Onni Leppänen and Blake Dangos, but Army answered at 11:11 on Keefer’s first of the night, set up by Nils Forselius and Ben Ivey. The Black Knights took their first lead late in the period when Jack Ivey scored unassisted at 18:24 to make it 2–1 after one.
The second period turned into a special-teams and momentum tug-of-war. LIU tied it just 1:22 in on Noah Serdachny’s power-play goal from Trevor Griebel and Perdion, and Army responded with a power-play marker of its own at 8:46 as Nik Hong converted from Vincent Salice and Lukas McCloskey. Keefer struck again at 11:25 to push Army ahead 4–2, but LIU closed within one late in the period when Sixten Jennersjö scored at 18:28 off feeds from Brett Rylance and Dylan Kinch.
https://twitter.com/ArmyWP_Hockey/status/2005416312487690713
The Sharks completed the comeback in the final minutes of regulation. With an extra attacker and on the power play, Rylance buried the tying goal at 18:37 from Anthony Lucarelli and Nick Bernardo to secure the 4–4 result.