Spartans top Bulldogs 2-0 to advance to GLI title game

 

By Nick Barnowski –

DETROIT –

With a spot in the 50th Great Lakes Invitational championship game against Michigan on the line, poise was the key for Michigan State.

The Spartans, led by goalie Jake Hildebrand’s 31-save shutout, grinded out a 2-0 victory over Ferris State at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday. The win advanced MSU to the title game for the first time since 2011.

“We talked with our team, and I said it a lot on the bench, continue to be poised,” MSU head coach Tom Anastos said. “I thought we did a pretty good job with that overall tonight.”

Senior forward Brent Darnell’s goal 3:35 into the second period gave the Spartans a lead they would not relinquish.

For a team that is 1-5 in one-goal games this season, it was important for the Spartans confidence wise to fend off the Bulldogs while playing a majority of the game up by only one.

“As we’re getting better, these kinds of experiences help you gain the confidence to play with poise,” Anastos said.  “The team played real well together.”

Thomas Ebbing added an empty net goal with 58 seconds left in the game for his second of the season.

Ferris State (9-8-1) head coach Bob Daniels was disappointed his team lost in its first-ever GLI game, but was upbeat about its effort.

“We played hard, we played a strong game,” Daniels said. “We just had a hard time getting quality opportunities on the Michigan State goal. You’ve got two of the best goalies in college hockey out there, so that leads to a low scoring game.”

Bulldogs goalie CJ Motte played well, making 27 saves, but Hildebrand stole the show for MSU en route to his first shutout of the season and third of his career. He also moved into the top 10 on the MSU all-time saves list with 2,199.

He said he was tracking the puck well, and was quick to compliment his defense for helping him out.

“That’s not just me, that’s the defense clearing bodies out and picking up sticks,” the junior from Butler, Pa., said. “(They were) making my job easy by keeping shots out on the perimeter.”

Darnell, who has had points in three consecutive games following two-point efforts against Minnesota (Dec. 6) and Clarkson (Dec. 14), broke the scoreless tie with his fourth goal of the season.

After receiving a pass from Rhett Holland (his first assist of the season), Darnell had the puck at the top of the slot where he toe-dragged around a FSU defender and put a snapshot past Motte’s glove to give the Spartans the lead.

“(Ferris’ defense) kind of backed off and I had some time so I just pulled up and tried to hit it on net,” Darnell, a Canton native, said. “Fortunately it went in.”

From there, the Spartans relied on Hildebrand and a strong defensive effort to secure the win. While Anastos said they “slugged it up” for parts of the second and third, the team stuck together, with the fourth-year coach praising all seven of his defensemen.

“I thought there was a lot of poise back there in different situation,” he said. “I was pleased with how our defense worked and defended.”

Michigan State will take on Michigan at 7 p.m. for the GLI championship Monday. Ferris State will play Michigan Tech in the consolation game, which starts at 3:30 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena.