Saturday Recap: Michigan State wins 'Duel in the D'
Plus: North Dakota and Western come back for splits, Bowling Green topped St. Thomas
Michigan State rebounded from Friday’s loss to earn a weekend split with Michigan, knocking off the Wolverines at the “Duel in the D” at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The game also marked the surprise return of Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic, who was back in the lineup after missing nearly a month with an injury.
Elsewhere, Clarkson and Union combined for 15 goals in a wide-open affair, Western Michigan and North Dakota each rallied to secure series splits, St. Cloud State completed a road sweep of Arizona State, Bowling Green handed St. Thomas a setback, and Michigan Tech swept Augustana to tighten the CCHA race.
Here’s a complete recap of Saturday’s action, with scores and notes from every game on the docket.
Current NPI » Current Standings
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Big Ten
Michigan State 5, Michigan 2: Michigan State rebounded from Friday’s loss to earn a split of the weekend series with the Wolverines. The Spartans built a commanding 4–0 lead early in the second period and never relinquished control. Jack Ivankovic returned to the lineup for Michigan after missing roughly a month with an injury suffered Jan. 10, finishing with 32 saves on 36 shots.
Wisconsin 5, Notre Dame 4: Christian Fitzgerald’s goal midway through the third period proved decisive as Wisconsin completed the weekend sweep following Friday’s overtime win. Mike Hastings made a change in goal after Eli Pulver allowed four goals on 16 shots in 30 minutes, turning to Daniel Hauser, who stopped all 13 shots he faced over the remainder of the game.
Ohio State 2, Minnesota 1: Goals — and quality chances — were hard to come by in a tightly checked contest. Sam Hillebrandt turned aside 28 shots for Ohio State, while Minnesota struggled to generate interior offense, producing just one shot attempt from below the bottom of the circles, which came from the corner.
ECAC
Clarkson 8, Union 7 (OT): Goals came in waves in Potsdam. Colby MacArthur scored twice for Union, Remi Gelinas answered with two goals for Clarkson, and Etienne Lessard orchestrated the chaos with four assists for Union. Union forced overtime on an extra-attacker goal by MacArthur, but Owen Van Steensel had the final word, ending it for Clarkson in overtime.
