MONDAY 10: Michigan State, Michigan win in B1G

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Michigan State sent 74,575 Penn State fans home disappointed on Saturday night after its 5-4 overtime win at Beaver Stadium. (Photo: Michigan State Athletics)

Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.

1. Michigan State plays spoiler at Beaver Stadium

Charlie Stramel’s hat trick, including the game winner 3:08 into overtime, led the No. 2 Spartans to a 5-4 win over host Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. Most of the crowd of 74,575, which braved single-digit windchill temperatures, went home disappointed.

“Tough, tough environment,” said Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale. “The crowd was awesome. (We) feel fortunate that Penn State offered us to come and play in it.”

It was the second largest crowd ever to see a college hockey game, behind 104,173 for Michigan vs. Michigan State at Michigan Stadium in 2010.

The overtime win earned the Spartans five out of a possible six points against the Nittany Lions including a 6-3 win at Pagula Ice Arena on Friday.

2. No. 1 Michigan keeps pace

The Wolverines stayed ahead of Michigan State in both in the

USCHO D-1 men’s poll; and the B1G standings thanks to a 5-point series win over host Ohio State.

Friday’s 6-4 Michigan win featured four ties and five lead changes before T.J. Hughes scored a pair of third-period power play goals to put the Wolverines up for good.

On Saturday, Nick Moldenhauer scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner 2:50 into overtime.

As a result, Michigan remains one point ahead of Michigan State in the Big 10 standings. The rivals will square off in a two-game series this weekend.

3. Don’t count out the Gophers yet

Minnesota ended its seven-game losing streak in style this past weekend with a 4-1, 8-4 home sweep of No. 7 Wisconsin.

Brodie Ziemer had an even strength, power play and shorthanded goal for the Gophers in the series. In all, Minnesota had seven special teams goals on the weekend.

Ziemer now has ten power play goals this season, tied for first nationally.

Luca Di Pasquo picked up both wins in goal for the Gophers, making a combined 61 saves.

4. Denver sweeps Duluth in NCHC

The No. 11 Pioneers gained ground on first-place and idle North Dakota with a 4-3, 1-0 (OT) sweep of seventh-ranked Minnesota Duluth.

On Friday, Duluth trailed 4-0 before scoring the game’s final three goals to come up just short.

Saturday’s game remained scoreless through regulation and 2:17 of overtime before Rieger Lorenz scored his ninth goal of the season to seal the win.

Rookie goaltender Johnnie Hicks made his first and second starts of his career, posting a pair of wins, including a 19-save shutout on Saturday.

5. Michigan Tech ends St Thomas’s 11-game winning streak

The Huskies and Tommies split the weekend series between ranked CCHA teams.

On Friday, No. 15 St. Thomas defeated MTU 4-2 on home ice to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 11 games. Alex Gaffney scored a pair of goals and Aaron Trotter stopped 20 of 22 shots for the win.

No. 19 Michigan Tech responded with a 4-3 victory on Saturday to earn the split. Elias Jansson scored the game-winner 6:11 into the third period, and Owen Bartoszkiewicz made 20 saves for his 18th win of the season.

6. Boston College defeats Boston University 4-1 in 299th meeting

In a tuneup game for the upcoming Beanpot Tournament that begins Monday, the Eagles opened a 3-0 lead on host Boston University and cruised to a 4-1 win.

Andre Gasseau, James Hagens, and Dean Letourneau each had a goal and an assist for BC.

BU still leads the all-time series between the schools, 141-137-21.

The teams do not face each other in the Beanpot semifinals this season, but could meet in the consolation or championship game. They also have two more regular season meetings in late February.

7. Dartmouth ends skid; holds on to first place in ECAC Hockey

The No. 14 Big Green had lost two in a row and registered a lone win in its last four games, but rebounded with 4-2, 3-1 wins over Union and Rensselaer, respectively.

Nikita Nikora had a goal and three assists in Friday’s win, while Hayden Stavroff scored twice on Saturday for his 21st and 22nd goals of the season, tops in D-I.

With the six points, Dartmouth remains in first place in ECAC Hockey, leading Cornell and Quinnipiac by one point.

8. Air Force records only sweep Atlantic Hockey America

All 10 AHA teams squared off in five conference series this past weekend, but only Air Force came away with all six points with a home sweep of Sacred Heart, 5-2 and 2-0.

On Friday, the Falcons erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, scoring the game’s final four goals. Will Dawson tallied twice for Air Force, while SHU’s Felix Trudeau scored his 21st goal of the season, second nationally.

On Saturday, Dominik Wasik made 21 saves for his second career shutout.

“This felt like a 15-round fight and we were winning a decision until we got that TKO goal at the end,” said Air Force coach Frank Serratore after Saturday’s win. “This was a playoff type of game.”

9. Providence defeats Maine for the third time in January

No. 9 Providence rallied for a 3-2 road win against Maine on Saturday. Andrew Centrella tied the game with 5.5 seconds left in regulation and Logan Sawyer got the game-winner 3:24 into the extra period.

It was the seventh straight win for the Friars, including a sweep of Maine at Schneider Arena earlier in the month.

Maine has uncharacteristically struggled at Alfond Arena this season, currently 8-5 on home ice but 2-4 in its last six home games with all four losses coming in Hockey East play.

10. Long Island concludes Alaska swing with a pair of losses to Alaska Fairbanks

LIU spent two weekends in the 49th state with a total of five games played against the Alaska schools. Last week saw the Sharks post three wins (6-2, 4-0, 4-3) against Alaska Anchorage, but roles reversed this past weekend as Alaska Fairbanks did the sweeping with a pair of 5-1 victories.

The teams may meet again in the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup, hosted by Lindenwood. The postseason tournament will crown a champion among the five D-I independents.

Long Island will finish its regular season with four games against fellow independent Stonehill over the final three weeks of the regular season, while the Alaska schools square off six(!) times in February.