No. 5 Michigan State walked into South Bend with a 10-game winning streak over Notre Dame and walked out with a conference-opening loss that stung all the way into overtime.
The Spartans fell 3-2 to the Fighting Irish after Sammy Nelson finished the game 21 seconds into the extra period, ending a night that featured two goals from Shane Vansaghi but too many missed chances for Michigan State. It was a familiar script in one key way: the slow start hurt them again. For the third time in four two-game series, Michigan State lost the opener.
Notre Dame set the tone early in a fast, tense first period. The chances were limited, but the home team had the better looks, and Joshua Ravensbergen was forced to do plenty of cleanup work in net. The Spartans thought they had grabbed the lead when Chase Reid fired from the blue line and Vansaghi redirected it in, but the goal came off the board after review because of a high stick by Vansaghi.
Ravensbergen kept Michigan State level with 4:30 left in the period, shutting down a Notre Dame breakaway by taking away the shooting lane. Soon after, the Irish took the game’s first penalty, giving the Spartans their first power play, but Tommy Bleyl was the only one to get a clean look and the chance fizzled. Notre Dame finished the opening 20 minutes with a 10-6 edge in shots and the better of the play.
Vansaghi made sure the second period didn’t end scoreless. He drove toward the glove side, slipped behind the defense, and pushed the puck through the goaltender to put Michigan State up 1-0.
That lead didn’t last long. Danny Nelson found Sammy Nelson across the ice, and Sammy Nelson buried it to pull Notre Dame even at 1-1.
Michigan State killed off a Cayden Lindstrom penalty and nearly turned that sequence into something more, as Anthony Romani led a 2-on-1 rush on a shorthanded chance that came up empty. The Spartans then started to tilt the ice, with Mason West buzzing around and creating chances, but they couldn’t cash in on the pressure.
The third period belonged to Vansaghi again. Seven minutes in, he tracked down a loose puck and ripped a shot that slipped through the goalie’s pads to restore Michigan State’s lead at 2-1. It was his second goal of the night and the second multi-goal game of his college career.
Michigan State had a chance to add insurance when Tommi Mannisto rang one off the iron, and that miss loomed large. Notre Dame kept pushing and eventually found the equalizer with nine minutes left, beating Ravensbergen to make it 2-2.
Overtime didn’t last long. Notre Dame controlled the opening possession and Sammy Nelson finished it off for his second goal of the night, sealing the 3-2 upset and snapping Michigan State’s decade-long run against the Fighting Irish.
Even with Vansaghi’s two-goal night and another strong outing from Ravensbergen, the Spartans were left to wonder about the slow opening and the chances they let slip away.
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Michigan State Opens Big Ten Play With A Frustrating New Concern
Michigan State opened Big Ten play with a result that felt equal parts encouraging and aggravating, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to Notre Dame at Compton Family Ice Arena. Shane Vansaghi supplied both Spartans goals, matching his career high, and Michigan State did enough in stretches to tilt the shot count 35-33 in its favor, but the night still ended with an empty feeling after a game that never quite turned into a win.
Adam Nightingale pointed to improvement in the second period, a sign the Spartans can build on as conference play settles in, but the bigger concern is how quickly a solid effort can still slip away. For a team trying to establish itself in the Big Ten, the margin for error is already thin, and this was the kind of frustrating opener that leaves Michigan State with more to clean up than celebrate. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Showed Something Important In Tough Purdue Loss
Michigan States volleyball team didnt get the result it wanted against No. 13 Purdue at the Breslin Center, but the Spartans did show they can hang with one of the Big Tens better teams. In a four-set loss, Michigan State got strong production from Zora Hardison, who finished with 14 kills, and Taylah Holdem, who turned in a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.
The setback dropped Michigan State to 17-8 overall and 7-8 in conference play, while Purdue moved to 17-7 and 10-5 in the Big Ten. For a Spartans group trying to steady itself in league play, the encouraging part was less about the final score and more about the level of resistance it brought against a ranked opponent on its home floor. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Are Stuck Waiting On A Bizarre Game-Day Limbo
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For Michigan State fans, it is the kind of off-field wrinkle that can overshadow the usual pregame routine, especially with the situation still unresolved and no clear timeline for a fix. The travel restrictions are affecting multiple college football teams, but for now the Spartans and their supporters are left waiting to see whether Washington can make the trip and how the schedule might hold up. [Read more 🡒]