Tech Hockey Rallies to Tie Michigan State 4-4
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan Tech (7-4-1) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
|
Michigan State (4-5-2) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Jake Lucchini, Patrick Anderson, Tyler Heinonen and Malcolm Gould all scored to help No. 19 Michigan Tech rally from a two-goal third period deficit to tie Michigan State 4-4 Sunday (Nov. 22) at Munn Ice Arena.
With the Spartans leading 4-2 in the final four minutes of the third period, the Huskies mounted a furious comeback. Heinonen scored his third goal of the weekend with 3:53 left when he shoveled a rebound past Michigan State goalie Ed Minney. Then, with just 51 seconds remaining and Tech's Jamie Phillips on the bench for the extra skater, Gould went to the net and batted home the game-tying goal.
The rally was the second in as many nights for Tech, who fought back to tie the score late in the contest Saturday before winning in overtime 5-4.
"It was very similar to last night's game," said head coach Mel Pearson. "I thought we did a really good job in the third period and pushed the pace. After we scored the third goal to get us within one we really had some energy and I'm proud of the way we battled back."
Lucchini scored his first goal as a Husky just 1:08 into the contest to give Tech an early 1-0 lead for the second straight night. The play started when a Reid Sturos shot bounced off the wall behind the net and right to Lucchini at the edge of the crease. Lucchini managed to get a stick on it and knock it through Michigan State goalie Jake Hildebrand.
The Spartans tied it at 1-1 2:06 later, but Anderson gave the Huskies another one-goal lead at 7:22 of the first. Mason Blacklock dropped a pass to Anderson just inside the offensive blue line. Anderson grabbed the puck, moved down the slot and beat Hildebrand with a high shot through traffic.
MSU knotted the game before the end of the first and scored the lone goal of the second to carry a 3-2 lead into the third stanza. The Spartans made it a 4-2 game early in the final regulation period before the Huskies rallied.
Tech outshot the Spartans 42-24, including an 18-5 edge in the third period and a 6-2 lead in overtime.
Michigan Tech (7-4-1 overall; 6-4-0 WCHA) returns to conference play next weekend (Nov. 27-28) with a two-game series at Alaska. Both games are set to begin at 11:07 p.m. ET and can be seen live on WCHA.tv.