The brutality of a single-elimination tournament.

Michigan State beat Michigan four-straight times heading into the NCAA Tournament, but the Wolverines prevailed when it mattered most on the national stage and they sent the team that dominated the season series home packing.

Michigan showed resilience in the third period. After a game-tying Michigan State goal by Joey Larson with 9:34 remaining on the clock, Michigan answered right back with two goals in 12 seconds and tacked on another power play goal to win, 5-2.

All the momentum Michigan State had from the Larson goal was completely sucked away.

Michigan State missed out on what would’ve been the program's first Frozen Four since 2007. Instead, the Spartans will have to wait at least another year while their bitter rival will play in its third in a row.

After a chippy start to the game in Maryland Heights, Michigan State got its first power play opportunity at the 15:15 mark thanks to a hooking call on Michigan’s Gavin Brindley.

The Spartans took advantage as Matt Basgall sent the puck toward the net and Gavin O’Connell tipped it past Michigan goaltender Jake Barczewski.

The play was reviewed for a high stick by O’Connell, but the call on the ice of a good goal stood. That was O’Connell’s 15th goal of the season.

The Spartans killed Michigan’s first power play.

Nash Nienhuis was called for elbowing which gave the Wolverines the man advantage and they had a couple of quality chances. Trey Augustine made three saves to keep the score 1-0.

At the end of the first period, the Wolverines were outshooting the Spartans, 13-11, but O’Connell’s goal gave Michigan State the lead heading into the locker room.

Michigan State’s Karsen Dorwart committed a slashing penalty late in the first period that carried over into the second period. The Spartans started the middle frame by fending off the Michigan power play.

Michigan kept putting consistent pressure on Augustine.

On an odd man rush, Dylan Duke found Ethan Edwards who fired it past Augustine for an equalizing goal at the 14:19 mark of the period.

The Wolverines had all the momentum and they headed to a power play again as Maxim Strbak was whistled for boarding, the fourth penalty of the game committed by the Spartans.

Fortunately for the Spartans, their lack of discipline early on didn’t cost them as they killed off a third Michigan power play.

Michigan State gained some momentum after Isaac Howard drew a penalty to send the Spartans to the power play. Michigan’s Tyler Duke was called for holding Howard.

The Spartans had some quality chances. Dorwart ripped a shot from the slot but Barczewski gloved the puck. Nicolas Muller also had a shot on goal that Barczewski smothered.

Michigan State continued to pressure Barczewski with pucks on net in 5-on-5 play. The Spartans had a total of six shots on goal in a three-minute span, but they couldn’t find the back of the net.

At the end of the second, the score was tied at one apiece. Both teams had 11 shots on goal in the middle frame.

Once again, Michigan opened the period on a power play after a roughing call on Artyom Levshunov late in the second, which carried over into the third.

And once again, the Spartans killed off the Wolverines power play, their fourth of the game.

However, Michigan took the lead for the first time in the game when Garrett Schifsky found Marshall Warren for a one-timer that got past Augustine with 13:31 left in the third.

The momentum swung back into the Spartans favor when Michigan’s Philippe Lapointe laid a big hit on Tiernan Shoudy and was whistled for boarding, sending Michigan State to the power play.

Off a faceoff win, Larson was left wide open in the slot as the Michigan penalty kill unit was caught puck watching. The puck made it to Larson and he ripped it past Barczewski on a rolling puck for his eighth power play goal of the season.

All the momentum that Michigan State had was gone in the blink of an eye.

Michigan retook the lead just over two minutes later as Dylan Duke used his speed, crashed the net, and beat Augustine to the far post. It was an incredible individual effort by Duke to net his 25th goal of the season.

The Wolverines began to pour it on. They added another goal 12 seconds later as Frank Nazar III fed Brindley with a between the legs pass and he buried it past Augustine.

Adam Nightingale was forced to pull Augustine for an extra attacker with 3:58 to play and down 4-2. The Spartans were unable to capitalize and a slashing call on Muller resulted in a quick strike by the Wolverines on the power play.

Brindley blasted one at the net and Duke redirected it past Augustine for Michigan’s lone power play goal of the game.

The clock ticked down as Michigan sealed its third straight Frozen Four appearance and Michigan State’s Frozen Four drought continued for another season.

Michigan State ended up outshooting the Wolverines 40-35 and the Spartans were better on the power play (2-for-4), but it wasn’t enough. Augustine allowed five goals on 35 shots (.857 save percentage) to end the season.

Despite the tough loss to in-state rival Michigan, the 2023-2024 season was one full of memories. It was a season that marked the reinvigoration of the Spartan hockey program. Nightingale took the team to heights that Spartan fans haven’t seen in over a decade.

- Big Ten regular season championship

- Big Ten tournament championship

- NCAA Tournament appearance

- NCAA Tournament victory

And it doesn’t appear that the Spartans just caught lightning in a bottle.

Michigan State is set to welcome in a solid recruiting class that will have a number of immediate contributors. Also, several key players from the current team were transfers, so it is clear that Nightingale is more than willing to add talent from the transfer portal.

Maybe most importantly, Nightingale signed a five-year contract extension with his alma mater. That extension included an increased salary pool for assistants and other staff.

Thanks to Nightingale and the team’s performance on the ice, it appears rather likely that Michigan State will be back playing for a chance to go to the Frozen Four for years to come.

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