Gophers pull out a tie in finale against Spartans

EAST LANSING, MICH. — On the surface, the Gophers' 4-4 tie Saturday at Michigan State seems disappointing. But it likely will help them later in the season when goals are at a premium and success hinges on effort and determination and not talent and skill.

Gritty, not pretty, was how the Gophers scored. And it worked.

"There wasn't a lot of space out there and it was a grinding game," coach Don Lucia said. "[Michigan State] is not easy to play against. They made us work for everything we were able to get."

The Gophers (11-4-1) twice battled back from deficits, most notably erasing the Spartans' 3-1 second-period lead with three goals over a 10-minute stretch of the second and third periods.

Erik Haula started the rally with 3:15 left in the second period, ending an eight-game goal drought with the Gophers' lone power-play goal of the weekend. Michigan State goalie Drew Palmisano tried to steer a Nick Bjugstad shot into the near corner but instead put it on Haula's stick, and the sophomore centerman patiently shoveled the rebound past Palmisano.

Less than five minutes into the third period, Zach Budish tied the score with his first goal since Oct. 29, jabbing a Taylor Matson pass behind Palmisano two seconds after a penalty to Michigan State's Tim Buttery expired.

"We've got to get more goals in front of the net on rebounds, tips and deflections," Budish said. "That's been an emphasis all year and that's one area we're kind of struggling. We're getting a lot of shots on net right now, but not a lot of second opportunities."

The Gophers weren't able to sustain the momentum, however. The Spartans (8-5-1) pulled even less than two minutes after Rau scored, when Daultan Leveille fended off Justin Holl on a near-breakaway long enough to backhand the puck past goalie Kent Patterson.

"We've had spurts where we're very good," Budish said, "but we've got a play full 60 minutes."

Michigan State's Brock Shelgren scored the game's first goal with 8:11 left in the first period. Ben Marshall tied the score at 1-1 at 4:39 of the second period. A Spartans forward fell while attempting to chip the puck to neutral ice. Marshall gathered the puck, moved to an opening to his right, and wired a wrist shot over Palmisano's glove.

"We wanted to be patient," Lucia said. "We showed some video from [Friday] night, and there were times when we just threw some pucks into the offensive zone. You can't play that way. You have to be patient and wait for your opportunities."

The Spartans regained the lead on a Mike Merrifield goal and extended their edge to 3-1 on a goal from St. Cloud native Matt Crandell. Merrifield sneaked behind an unsuspecting Gophers forward, and backhanded a tape-to-tape feed from linemate Greg Wolfe past Patterson, who made 27 saves, with 9:21 left in the period. Crandell, a senior defenseman from St. Cloud, scored about five minutes later on a point shot.