3 things that stood out in Wisconsin men's hockey's loss to Big Ten champ Michigan State

Source: La Crosse Tribune
Author: Todd D. Milewski

Wisconsin forward Simon Tassy (11) reacts after getting into a scuffle Friday at the Kohl Center.

TODD D. MILEWSKI

The Big Ten championship trophy was in the Kohl Center on Friday. Michigan State foiled the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team's hopes to keep it under wraps for another night.

The one-game showdown that the fourth-ranked Badgers wanted to force won't happen after the sixth-ranked Spartans wrapped up their first Big Ten title with a 5-2 victory.

Reed Lebster scored with 7 minutes, 10 seconds remaining to break a 2-2 tie. He drove up the left side and appeared the catch the Badgers in the middle of a line change.

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Lebster sped past Wisconsin's David Silye to the net. Wisconsin defenseman Anthony Kehrer was tied up with Jeremy Davidson in front of the net, letting Lebster have a free line to Kyle McClellan, and he slid the puck through the Badgers goalie's pads.

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Davidson and Tiernan Shoudy scored into an empty net in the final two minutes for the Spartans, who are 3-0 against the Badgers this season and clinched their first regular-season championship since they won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 2001.

The Badgers' penalty kill put up two big performances earlier in the third period after Sawyer Scholl and Kehrer were sent to the box. McClellan made big saves on Joey Larson and Lebster to keep the game even.

Trey Augustine made 44 saves for the Spartans (22-8-3, 16-5-2 Big Ten, 52 points). Wisconsin (24-9-2, 15-7-1, 47 points) had a 46-26 lead in shots on goal.

The Badgers couldn't have asked for a better start. Defenseman Ben Dexheimer drew a big cheer when he checked Lebster into the Wisconsin bench a few seconds after the opening faceoff.

Daniel Laatsch put Wisconsin ahead after just 47 seconds when his hopeful lob at the net from the left boards got past Augustine.

But the Spartans equalized on an equally fluky goal: Defenseman Artyom Levshunov, expected to be a top pick in this year's NHL draft, fired from distance and had the puck go in off McClellan's glove.

The Spartans went ahead on a Davidson goal later in the opening period but Mathieu De St. Phalle got the Badgers back even in the second.

Here are the three stars and three things that stood out.

Three stars

No. 3: Artyom Levshunov, Michigan State. The future first-round pick had a goal and an assist.

No. 2: Trey Augustine, Michigan State. He was solid all night for the Spartans.

No. 1: Reed Lebster, Michigan State. His go-ahead goal in the third was his second point of the game.

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Review gets the Badgers a power play

Badgers coach Mike Hastings persuaded the referees to review a second-period hit by the Spartans' Maxim Strbak on De St. Phalle that appeared to send the Badgers forward's head into the boards.

Hastings had what appeared to be a heated discussion with both referees during the medi timeout at the next whistle, and they opted to take a look at the play.

The review resulted in a major penalty for boarding on Strbak, and De St. Phalle was the one who made him pay by scoring on a redirection of a Dexheimer shot for a 2-2 tie.

A turnover put the Spartans ahead

Dexheimer got away with one turnover, a defensive-zone giveaway with about four minutes left in the first period that Tommi Männistö knocked out of the air but couldn't turn into a scoring chance.

The second turnover ended up in Wisconsin's net after Dexheimer collided with teammate Simon Tassy in the neutral zone. Lebster picked it up for a 2-on-1 that Jeremy Davidson finished with a one-timer for a 2-1 Spartans lead.

David Silye dominated in the circle

Silye assisted on the first two Wisconsin goals, but that wasn't the only way the senior center chipped in Friday.

He was 12-1 in faceoffs in the opening period, 6-2 in the second and 6-1 in the third to finish 24-4.

Silye extended his point streak to a season-high five games, and he has eight points during that span.

Timeline set to shrink Wisconsin men's hockey rink at Kohl Center

Michigan State 2 0 3 -- 5

Wisconsin 1 1 0 -- 2

First period: W -- Laatsch 2 (Lucius, Silye), :47. MS -- Levshunov 9 (Larson, Shoudy), 5:28; Davidson 9 (Lebster), 18:11. Penalties: Kehrer, W, 8:49; Larson, MS, 10:44; Shoudy, MS, 19:20.

Second period: W -- De St. Phalle 11 (Dexheimer, Silye), 12:33 (pp). Penalty: Strbak, MS (major), 10:29.

Third period: MS -- Lebster 6 (Levshunov), 12:50; Davidson 10 (Lebster), 18:16 (en); Shoudy 4 (Dorwart), 19:30 (en). Penalties: Scholl, W, 5:25; Kehrer, W, 8:07.

Saves: MS (Augustine 18-14-12) 44; W (McClellan 5-7-10) 22. Power plays: MS 0-for-3; W 1-for-4. Att. -- 13,208.

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