East Lansing, Michigan — No. 3 Penn State couldn’t solve the defensive puzzle No. 1 Michigan State presented, as the Spartans’ relentless checking and structure dictated play in a 5–0 win Saturday afternoon at Munn Ice Arena.
Early in the first period, Michigan State set the tone with an aggressive forecheck that generated several odd-man rushes. The breakthrough came when Porter Martone found Charlie Stramel, who buried a wrister to make it 1–0.
Later in the frame, Stramel returned the favor, setting up Martone for his fourth goal of the season to extend the lead to 2–0.
Midway through the second, with traffic in front of Josh Fleming, making his first start of the weekend in place of Kevin Reidler continuing head coach Guy Gadowsky’s goalie rotation, defenseman Colin Ralph fired a shot from the blue line that slipped through to push the advantage to 3–0.
Tensions flared late in the second when Lev Katzin was assessed a 10-minute misconduct. The physicality carried into the third, culminating in a melee between Penn State forward Jarod Crespo and Michigan State forward Ryker Lee, who each drew misconducts and matching roughing minors.
After the dust settled, Stramel netted his second goal of the night, capping a four-point performance.
Forward Anthony Romani added a 5-on-3 power-play goal, his second of the series, to seal the 5–0 result.
Spartan goaltender Trey Augustine stopped all 36 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season, improving to 6–1–0.
The loss drops Penn State to 9–3–0 overall and 2–2–0 in Big Ten play, while Michigan State improves to 7–1–0 and 2–0–0 in conference action. The Nittany Lions were shut out for the first time since a 4–0 loss at Ohio State on Dec. 5, 2024.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State returns home to Pegula Ice Arena next weekend to face No. 2 Michigan in another marquee Big Ten showdown.
Nittany Sports Now’s Three Stars
Third Star – Porter Martone (F, Michigan State)
In a much-anticipated matchup against Gavin McKenna, Martone came out on top, posting a +3 rating and a multi-point first period. His physical play and puck possession set the tone for Michigan State’s dominance.
Second Star – Trey Augustine (G, Michigan State)
The nation’s top goaltender was dialed in again. If not for a deflection in Friday’s game by Gavin McKenna, Augustine could’ve recorded back-to-back shutouts against one of college hockey’s most explosive offenses.
First Star – Charlie Stramel (F, Michigan State)
Stramel delivered a statement performance, notching two goals and two assists in one of college hockey’s biggest series of the season. His chemistry with Martone continues to elevate Michigan State’s attack.
