Shane Vansaghi gave Michigan State exactly what it needed twice on Thursday night, but it still wasn’t enough to get the Spartans out of Notre Dame with a win.
No. 4 Michigan State dropped its Big Ten opener 3-2 in overtime at Compton Family Ice Arena, with Notre Dame’s Sammy Nelson ending it 21 seconds into the 3-on-3 period. The Spartans did leave with one point in the conference standings, while the Fighting Irish grabbed the extra one for the overtime victory.
Michigan State is now 6-3-0 overall and 0-1-0 in the Big Ten. Notre Dame improved to 5-6-0 and 3-2-0 in league play. The teams meet again Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
Vansaghi matched his career high with two goals, repeating the two-goal night he had at Notre Dame on March 1, 2025 during his freshman season. Eric Nilson and Jack Hextall assisted on both of his goals, giving Nilson his second multi-assist game of the season. All three skaters finished at plus-2.
Michigan State also got a strong night from freshman goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen, who stopped 30 of 33 shots. The Spartans outshot Notre Dame 35-33 and controlled the second period in particular, finishing with a 16-7 edge in that frame.
They also won the faceoff battle 29-26, with sophomore forward Cayden Lindstrom leading the way with nine wins at the dot. Both teams went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.
Still, the opening period set a frustrating tone for Adam Nightingale’s group.
"First period I thought we kind of wanted to do our own thing and we're not a good enough team where we can do whatever we want out there," said Michigan State Head Coach Adam Nightingale. "We've got to play with detail and at the end of the day that's my responsibility. I thought we were a lot better in the second (period) and had some good sequences where we controlled the play and gave ourselves a chance, but at the end of the day not enough to get a win in our conference.
The Spartans thought they had struck first 9:30 into the game when Vansaghi redirected a shot past the Notre Dame goalie, but officials waved it off after review for a high stick. The sequence started with Nilson winning the faceoff and sending the puck back to Chase Reid, whose shot created the deflection.
Michigan State had a power-play chance later in the period, but Notre Dame killed it off. Ryker Lee got a look from the left dot, but his shot was blocked in front.
Vansaghi didn’t wait long to make up for the lost goal. Just 1:56 into the second period, he lifted a puck over the Notre Dame goalie after Nilson left it for him at the point and he drove toward the net. Notre Dame answered less than two minutes later with a goal from the back post to tie it 1-1.
The Spartans kept pushing in the middle frame, and Anthony Romani had a pair of dangerous chances. He first had a shorthanded look during Notre Dame’s only power play of the period, then later set up Cullen Potter on a 2-on-1, but Potter’s shot missed wide.
Michigan State’s pressure showed up in the numbers too. The Spartans piled up 16 shots on goal in the second period, including 13 over a four-minute stretch late.
Vansaghi struck again at 7:43 of the third period, finishing a one-timer after Nilson made a sharp pass from behind the net. Nilson took a hit along the boards but still found Vansaghi with the feed between his legs.
Notre Dame answered again. A shot rang off the post at 10:50 of the third, creating a scramble near the crease, and the Irish scored moments later off the restart when a point shot deflected in front and was finished to make it 2-2.
Michigan State had a late surge in regulation, throwing a flurry of shots at the net in the final minute, and Vansaghi nearly completed the hat trick when a shot slipped through the crease in the closing seconds. But the Spartans couldn’t land the knockout punch.
Then came the quick finish in overtime, with Sammy Nelson scoring 21 seconds into the extra session to send Notre Dame home with the win.
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Michigan State Lets Rival Slip Away In Painful Overtime Loss
Shane Vansaghi gave Michigan State exactly the kind of lift it needed in a tense, back-and-forth night against Notre Dame, scoring twice as the No. 5 Spartans tried to extend a long run of success in the rivalry. The game had the feel of a heavyweight matchup from the start, with lead changes, timely stops from both goaltenders and neither side able to separate until the final stretch.
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