EAST LANSING – Daniel Russell took a feed along the boards, drove to the net and was surrounded.
The Michigan State forward had a trio of Wisconsin skaters around him, along with a goalie in the crease. Despite being heavily outnumbered, he picked up a loose puck and jammed it home with just 1.4 seconds on the clock.
Russell’s goal lifted the No. 1 Spartans (17-2-1, 8-1-1 Big Ten) to a 4-3 win against the Badgers at Wrigley Field on Saturday night. He didn’t hesitate when declaring that the biggest score of his career.
“I’m never going to forget that,” Russell said after practice on Tuesday. “That was a pretty surreal moment.”
An unforgettable moment for Russell capped a memorable experience for the Spartans on a frigid night in Chicago. Winning at one of the most famous venues in sport during the Frozen Confines series is worth celebrating.
“Regardless of how the game went,” coach Adam Nightingale said, “to be able to represent Michigan State at Wrigley Field was pretty cool. … It was one I’ll remember forever.”
Michigan State is firmly back as a national power in Nightingale’s third season of a quick turnaround. After Big Ten regular season and tournament titles last year, the Spartans are on another tear while being at the top of the rankings. Their seven-game unbeaten streak included four games in seven days, which is a grind but one Nightingale’s team leans into.
“When you talk about development, really January, February and March are really critical,” he said, “because a lot of times people take their foot off the gas and we’ve got to keep getting better and recruiting kids that have that mindset that it’s about getting better. You can’t get bored with working at your craft and you can’t get bored with eating the right way and going to bed at the right time and doing all those things.”
Michigan State, which followed a Great Lakes Invitational title by sweeping Wisconsin last week, heads back on the road with a series at Penn State this weekend. The Nittany Lions (8-9-1, 1-8-1) are in last place in the Big Ten but are coming off a 3-0 win at Notre Dame on Sunday.
“A really tough team to play against, in their barn especially,” Nightingale said. “I think they’re a hungry hockey team, they obviously just had a big win on Sunday and they’ll be ready to go.”
Michigan State’s recent four-game blitz came without having star goalie Trey Augustine in the lineup. The sophomore goalie backstopped Team USA to a goal medal in the World Junior Championship for the second straight year with a 4-3 victory against Finland on Sunday in Ottawa.
“The second year in a row where I kind of felt like he was the difference maker for the team, which you need to try to win a gold medal,” Nightingale said. “Really cool for our country. That’s such a special tournament, every youth player dreams of playing in that.”
With Augustine playing for his country, Luca Di Pasquo filled in and went 4-0 in the net for the Spartans. The sophomore who was named GLI MVP made 106 saves in that span.
“I think it’s great to get him in the pipes. … He was unreal in this span that he played,” forward Isaac Howard said. “Those four games, he was one of our better players. I think it just goes to show our depth at goaltending.”
Augustine posted a 2.52 goals-against average and .917 save percentage while playing five of Team USA’s seven games and returned to East Lansing on Monday night before practicing Tuesday. Meanwhile, Di Pasquo has been in net four straight games for the Spartans so it’s unclear who will get the nod when the Spartans head to Penn State.
“At the end of the day,” Nightingale said, “we’ll make a decision on Friday that we think gives us the best chance to win a hockey game.”
After taking five of six possible points in a series at Minnesota last month, Michigan State went into the holiday break with the expectation players would remain ready before returning to campus. So far, so good for the top team in the nation.
“I think our guys have done a good job of maintaining a level head about it and we’ve got to make sure we keep doing that,” Nightingale said. “We’re going to see everyone’s best but on the flip side, we’ve got to make sure when we play everyone sees our best too.”
