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The University of Maine men’s hockey team dropped the first game of its home opening weekend set Friday night against non-conference opponent Michigan State University, 5-3.
Michigan State junior right wing Corey Tropp notched a hat trick to lead the Spartans, of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Spartans improved to 10-4-1 all-time against the Black Bears, and remain undefeated in the young season at 3-0-0. UMaine fell to 0-3-0.
The Spartans assistant captain’s goals came at even strength, shorthanded and on the power play, respectively. Tropp’s hat trick was the first by a Michigan State player since Justin Abdelkader did it on Feb. 29, 2008.
Michigan State answered a pair of one-goal deficits in the first period before Tropp broke the 2-2 tie in the second period with his second and third goals of the game, and third and fourth of the season.
UMaine sophomore right wing Gustav Nyquist brought the game back within one at 4-3 with a power play goal just before the second intermission, but Michigan State junior defenseman Jeff Petry added an insurance goal with 3:22 left in the third period.
UMaine senior center David deKastrozza and junior center Robby Dee scored first period goals. Michigan State sophomore defenseman Tim Buttery scored the Spartans’ second goal in the first period.
Michigan State sophomore goalie Drew Palmisano made 23 saves on 26 shots to pick up his second win of the season. UMaine sophomore goalie Scott Darling stopped 29 of 34 shots in his first start of the season after serving a two-game suspension for violating UMaine’s student-athlete code of conduct.
The game was a re-match of the 2007 NCAA Frozen Four semi-final, in which the Spartans scored four unanswered goals on their way to upsetting Boston College to win the National Championship.
DeKastrozza and Michigan State senior center Nick Sucharski were the only players to see ice time in both Friday’s game and the semi-final. Each team has 18 underclassmen.
Friday’s matchup was the first regular season tilt between the teams since Michigan State swept a weekend set at Alfond Arena in 1989. Thirteen of the meetings have come in the postseason.
