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Huskies split in shootout with MSU
It took 15 years to do it, but the MSU-Mankato Mavericks finally earned their first win at the National Hockey Center. In a 8-5, 6-7 series split, there was no shortage of goal scoring along the way.
The up-and-down shootout was the last thing the previously defensive-minded Huskies wanted, and head coach Craig Dahl made sure his team knew that Friday night.
"It wasn't a very good hockey game at all," Dahl said. "I'm glad we won, but boy I'll tell ya, that might have been the worst game we played all year. A lot of selfish plays. It was like 'Give me the puck so I can go the other way, I want to go that way and score goals.' It's irritating."
The Mavericks, who had only won three WCHA games up until Saturday, struck first at the 5:41 mark when David Backes clicked on a rebound from a Jeff Marler shot shortly after first-year Husky defender Casey Borer was released from the penalty box after a holding penalty.
The Huskies did not respond until the 15:42 mark. First-year defenseman Justin Fletcher failed to get a wrap around to fall, but senior forward Andy Lundbohm recovered the puck and passed it back to Fletcher who held it just long enough to find a clear path to net with a backhand. The goal marked Fletcher's third in two games.
The second period took the form of an all-out, back-and-forth shootout.
The Huskies started it off on a rare short-handed opportunity with Ryan LaMere in the box for a holding-the-stick penalty. First-year blueliner Casey Borer blocked a shot out of the zone, then, Dave Iannazzo turned on the jets for a breakaway that he capitalized on with a shot over Clark's right shoulder at the 1:28 mark.
A little over 20 seconds later, MSU's Shane Joseph skated through the slot to put a shot over Husky goaltender Adam Coole's shoulder to tie the game for a second time.
Garrett Larson and Chad Clower then exchanged goals to tie the game for the last time, until Peter Szabo, Billy Hengen and Joe Jensen scored consecutive goals to give SCSU the lead for good.
In the midst of the offensive second period battle there were seven goals exchanged between the inner-state rivals.
"We worked on defensive systems all week," said Hengen, who had the first four-point game of his career (two goals, two assists). "When our game plan was to play good defense and keep them off the scoreboard, Coach isn't going to be too happy. Five goals is inexcusable to give up in any game. It got into a shootout and then both teams are thinking offense, because there's so many opportunities for both teams, and I guess we forgot about defense."
Iannazzo and Hengen scored their second goals of the game in the third period to match goals from Clower and Dana Sorensen. Clower also had his first four-point game (two goals, two assists).
MSU, who was already leading the league in penalties, took 12 penalties in the game. The Huskies took advantage with four power- play goals.
"I heard they were the most penalized team in the league so we expected them to take a lot of penalties and they didn't disappoint us," Hengen said. "They came out and took as many as we could handle."
The Huskies didn't start Saturday night's rematch on the intended defensive note. MSU scored three straight goals (two from Sorenson, and one from Brad Thompson) in a three minute span that began at the 9:00 mark.
However, the Huskies mustered up enough strength to mount a comeback. Bille Luger scored his first collegiate goal when he received a centering pass from sophomore forward Brian McCormack at the 13:59 mark. The goal also marked McCormack's first point of the season.
Iannazzo then converted on his second shorthanded goal in as many nights on a similar breakaway. This time, the junior forward deked right and pushed a backhand inside the left post at the 17:33 mark.
The Huskies opened the second period with two straight goals from Lundbohm and Conboy to get their first lead of the game at 4-3, but it wouldn't last long.
With Conboy and Colin Peters in the penalty box, Marler converted on a 5-on-3 with 10 seconds left in the period to tie the game once again.
Although Iannazzo's deflection for his fourth goal of the series gave the Huskies a brief 5-4 lead at the 4:45 mark of the second period, MSU would get three consecutive goals from Clower, Kisio and McKelvie to put the game out of reach.
"I wasn't too worried when we were down two-to-nothing that early ... there was still a lot of game," Dahl said. "We were up on North Dakota three to nothing. The mood on the bench was good and we came back and got up 4-3, but we just couldn't get that goal to go up by two."
Fletcher's fourth goal in three nights at the 13:11 mark was too little, too late, for the Huskies as they lost their second game to the Mavericks since MSU moved to Division I in 1996. The Huskies (14-9-3, 10-7-3 WCHA) continue to slide away from their hot start to the season. They have won only four of their last 13 conference games and are tied for third in the WCHA with Wisconsin (23 points) heading into a week off.
MSU, who has given up 36 goals in the past five games, was desperate for a win. Denver was the last team that fell to the Mavericks in a high scoring 8-7 game Dec. 20. According to MSU head coach Troy Jutting, getting any win overshadowed their losing streak at the NHC.
"It wasn't so much that we got our first win here, but we needed to win," Jutting said. "Our kids needed to win. We haven't won in a long time and I really feel that we worked hard all weekend. Even last night, but we took too many penalties. We just needed to have that winning feeling again."
The Huskies, who were far less than thrilled with their 8-5 win Friday night, felt urked with their defensive performance that gave up a season-high seven goals.
"It's the complete opposite to the problem we had at the beginning of the year," said Husky defensive captain Ryan LaMere. "We couldn't score at the beginning of the year and now we're putting the puck away and not playing good defensively. We need to work on our D-zone next week a lot, obviously. We didn't give Monty any help at all. We didn't clear those rebounds out and guys were getting too many second chances."
However, Dahl tried his best to take some positives out of the loss.
"I thought we played better in many areas, but not in every area," he said. "But still when you give up seven goals, that's not a good thing. Twelve goals in two games, where that came from, I don't know."
The Huskies will have two weeks to figure it out. They have this week off before their away series against Michigan Tech Feb. 6-7.
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