Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich., - The Niagara men's hockey team could not hold onto a two-goal lead and ultimately fell to the Michigan State Spartans, 3-2 at Munn Ice Arena on Friday evening.  

After Niagara (1-2-1) dominated play in the first forty minutes of action and headed into the final period with a 2-0 advantage, a penalty ridden final 20 minutes led the Spartans (1-2-0) to three unanswered goals for the victory.  

"We went from being the most disciplined team in the country after forty minutes to the most undisciplined team in the third, taking that many penalties," head coach David Burkholder said. "From where I was standing though, it didn't look like were undisciplined, but they got momentum off all their five-on-three opportunities in the third and we couldn't stop them in the end.  It was a very good effort from our team and I am very pleased with how they played."  

Niagara registered the first goal to start off the second series played between the two teams all-time at the 18:56 mark.  Sophomore  Sam Alfieri took a crunching hit in the right corner, but was able maintain possession off the puck to slip a backhand pass to senior center Jeff Hannan who was waiting at the doorstep for a one timer that fluttered underneath the pads of Will Yanakeff.  

The Spartans saw several quality scoring opportunity pushed aside by NU goalkeeper Carsen Chubak, including a superb sliding pad stop against a wide open Matt Berry with 9:54 remaining in the period.  

The start of the second period saw a majority of play in the Purple Eagle defensive zone, as the Spartans registered seven quick shots on net to Niagara's three.  The Purp's found their legs midway through the stanza though and brought the shot count back even at eight.  

Niagara wrapped up the second period just as they had the first, with a late goal, again scored by Hannan for his second tally of the game.  Hannan pushed Niagara ahead by two goals heading into the second break at the 17:57 mark after his pass into traffic was deflected by a Spartan defender into the net.    

Niagara played a majority of the final 20 minutes shorthanded as six minor penalties were called on the Purple Eagles, kickstarting the Spartan comeback.  Eleven seconds after killing off the first 5-on-3 opportunity for the Spartans, Jake Chelios wristed a lazer top shelf to cut the Purple Eagles lead to one goal at the 12:28 mark.  

Three minutes later MSU pulled even as Lee Reimer pushed a loose puck past Chubak off a scramble in front the net, before Berry took advantage of the Spartan's second 5-on-3 and slapped home the game-winning tally for the Spartans.  

Hannan's two-goal game was a career-high for the senior, while tying his career-high of two points in a contest.  

Chubak finished the game with 33 saves.  

The Purple Eagles and Spartans faceoff again tomorrow evening to wrap up the weekend series.  The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m.