Spartans hockey put up 56 shots in 5-2 win over Notre Dame: Analysis and Reaction

Lansing State Journal sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 7 Michigan State hockey's 5-2 series opening win against No. 20 Notre Dame.

What happened

MSU returned to the ice for the first time in two weeks as it faced off with the Irish in the final series before break, and after a high-flying first period with shots galore, both goaltenders stood tall without a blemish through 20 minutes.

In front of another sold out crowd at Munn Ice Arena, MSU jumped ahead in the middle period before adding three goals in the final frame, leading to a 5-2 series opening win over Notre Dame as the Spartans recorded a season-high 56 shots on goal.

Sophomore forward Tiernan Shoudy opened the scoring, tapping a puck home into an empty net off a pass through the crease from junior Tanner Kelly.

Notre Dame's Grant Silianoff tied it up less than two minutes later, but sophomore forward Joey Larson would give the Spartans the lead back later in the period. Larson, who scored his team-leading ninth goal, rifled a one-timer that was saved initially, but Larson jumped all over the rebound.

Notre Dame and MSU boiled over at the end of the second period resulting in matching unsportsmanlike calls, and MSU wasted no time taking advantage of the open ice during 4-on-4 to start the third period.

Freshman Artyom Levshunov got a pass from defensive pair Nash Nienhuis with a full head of steam, skated up the right side of the offensive zone before firing a wicked wrist shot off the post and in to give MSU a 3-1 lead.

Notre Dame's Hunter Strand cut the deficit to one on the power play with just under 12 minutes remaining, but MSU got its own power play chance, and with tons of traffic in front of the Irish net, sophomore forward Isaac Howard pounced on the puck at the goal line to make it 4-2.

It was Howard who blocked a pivotal shot with Notre Dame's goaltender pulled and lifted it up the ice to sophomore forward Daniel Russell, who calmly potted the puck into the empty net to make it a 5-2 final.

Freshman goaltender Trey Augustine made 35 saves, while graduate senior goaltender Ryan Bischel did everything he could in a 50-save effort.

What it means

The big standout number is the Spartans' season-high 56 shots on goal, and with good reason, as the Irish pride themselves on a defensive identity and average just 2.44 goals against per game this season.

Shots on goal in a hockey game can be misleading to a degree – scrums in front of a net can result in three or four shots being rewarded among other factors. But against a team as historically sound on the blue line as it comes, MSU had all four lines going with good combination of speed and skill to generate so many chances.

Bischel's 50-save effort shouldn't be understated. He is the first goaltender since 2011 to have a 50-save performance against the Spartans since February 2011 against Northern Michigan. Former Wildcats goaltender Jared Coreau can't feel Bischel's pain though, as he won that contest over the Spartans, 4-2.

Levshunov's goal 18 seconds into the third period was a complete game-changer, and a shot that only a handful of players in college hockey can make with any regularity. It was another instance of how important Levshunov is to MSU, and fans should appreciate him while he is here before a promising NHL career awaits.

In all likelihood, Notre Dame isn't going to be as free-flowing defensively tomorrow night, and the physicality will increase. Things got really chippy at the end of the second period. Notre Dame's Paul Fischer and Cole Knuble mixed it up with MSU defensemen at the end of that frame. Notre Dame's Carter Slaggert and Levshunov also got into it at the end of the game, with Slaggert receiving an unsportsmanlike as well.

Notre Dame is the most physical team MSU has played at this point in the season. And after being pushed around a bit in its own zone, expect the Irish to come out with a big chip on its shoulder Saturday night.

What they said

MSU coach Adam Nightingale, on the game overall: "I thought it was a really good game for us against a good team. The crowd was awesome and the students were into it right away, and coming out of break you're never sure of what you're going to get. We had a really good two weeks of practice and our expectation was to come out and play really well, and (Levshunov)'s goal was really important and we stayed with it and got the job done."

Howard, on the power play converting twice: "I thought we kept coming in waves and played a good 60 minutes overall, and special teams is a huge part of having success. Having two in a game like that, especially with both units getting on the board. During the off week, we really worked on our power play and penalty kill and just wanted to have it as dialed in as we could."

Larson, on the offensive consistency: "I think everyone was moving around and we were getting pucks low to high and getting good looks at the net. It was all just in the way we played and how hard we worked."

What's next

MSU will host Notre Dame again tomorrow, with puck drop scheduled for 6 pm at Munn Ice Arena.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Nathaniel_Bott

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey puts up 56 shots in win over Irish: Analysis and reaction