MSU Advances Past UConn

Spartans Survive UConn, Advance in NCAA Tournament

Michigan State opened its NCAA Tournament run with a hard-fought 2-1 win over UConn in the Worcester Regional on March 26.

The Spartans found themselves in a battle from the opening puck drop, with UConn putting 42 shots on net compared to just 22 from Michigan State. But when the Spartans needed someone to step up, Trey Augustine was there.

The junior goaltender turned aside 41 of UConn’s 42 shots, keeping Michigan State in the game and allowing the Spartans to escape with the win. MSU erased an early UConn lead before taking a 2-1 advantage in the second period, with Porter Martone scoring the eventual game-winning goal.

From there, Michigan State’s defense and Augustine did the rest.

The win sent the Spartans into the Worcester Regional Final and kept their pursuit of a Frozen Four appearance alive. After a regular season that saw MSU earn a No. 3 national seed, the Spartans were one win away from moving on to the next stage of the NCAA Tournament.