Box Score
Season Stats
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Western Michigan men's hockey team fell to Michigan State, 4-2, in front of a sell out crowd on Saturday afternoon on Hockey Day in Michigan.
Michigan State (20-8-5, 16-5-3 CCHA) drew first blood 4:38 into the first period during a power play. Jeff Dunne fired a shot from the left circle that was deflected in front of the net by Bryan Lerg. The deflection got passed Western Michigan (7-22-3, 3-19-2 CCHA) goalie Riley Gill on his stick side. Dunne and Tim Crowder earned assists on the power play goal and the No. 8 Spartans took an early 1-0 lead.
The Broncos were out shot 12-5 in the first period, with Gill making 11 of his game-high 28 saves in the first period.
Crowder lit the lamp early in the second period after the puck was dumped in by Andrew Rowe. The puck bounced straight back to Crowder who fired it past Gill for his 12th goal of the season. Rowe and Jeff Petry each added assists on the goal as the Spartans increased their lead, 2-0.
The Spartans added another goal, again on the power play, at the 7:47 point. Chris Mueller the puck past Gill in a tight window on his glove side and into the net for his eighth on the season. Justin Abdelkader and Tim Kennedy each tallied assist on the goal to put the Spartans up 3-0.
Western Michigan finally got on the score board at the 11:45 point in the second period during a five-on-three man advantage. Senior defenseman Nathan Ansell wound up and fired a slap shot from the far point and beat MSU goalie Jeff Lerg. The goal was the fifth on the season by Ansell, with Tyler Ludwig and Patrick Galivan adding assists.
The Broncos got within one goal early in the third period on a goal by Galivan. Junior Jeff LoVecchio threw a shot on net and the scramble for the rebound in front allowed the puck to squirt out to Galivan. He took the puck and fired a backhander from the edge of the left circle and beat Lerg over his shoulder of his glove side. The goal was the eighth on the season for Galivan and LoVecchio picked up his 12th assist.
The Broncos could not overcome their one-goal deficit and MSU's Chris Mueller added an empty net goal with a minute remaining to push the score to 4-2.
Western Michigan now travels to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami on Feb. 22-23. Friday night's puck will drop at 7:35 p.m. with Saturday's starting at 7 p.m.
