East Lansing, Mich.. –    Freshman Patrick Geary (Buffalo, NY) cemented his name in Spartan hockey history when his shot from the left point found the back of the net at 13:47 of overtime to send Michigan State to a 5-4 victory over archrival Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. 
 
The fifth-ranked Spartans (24-9-3) earn their first-ever Big Ten Tournament title just three weeks after capturing the program's first-ever regular-season crown, and will await their NCAA Tournament fate when the field is announced on Sunday evening at 6:30 pm (ESPNU).  MSU will make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012.  The Spartans, who captured their first regular-season conference title since 2001, earned its first postseason title since 2006. 
 

Hang it in the Louvre.

Patrick Geary cements his spot in Spartan hockey lore.

His OT game-winner makes MSU just the third regular-season and tournament champion in the same season in B1G history. #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/8x39jzNNpd

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 24, 2024

 
The win was the fourth straight over the Wolverines for Michigan State.  After losing its only regular-season matchup with the Wolverines at Munn (7-1), MSU rallied from a 4-1 deficit the next night to score six straight goals and take a 7-6 win.  In the February meetings, MSU earned a 5-1 Friday night win at Yost followed the next night by a 3-2 Duel in the D win at Little Caesar's Arena on Feb. 10. 
 
Geary's game winner came on a quick shot from the left point, getting the puck from Reed Lebster down the half-wall. Geary's shot made its way through bodies in front and beat Michigan goalie glove-side.  Geary finished his night with a goal and an assist, as the Spartans got offensive contributions from 11 different players, including two assists each from Tiernan Shoudy and Nicolas Müller.
 
The Wolverines jumped on the board in the first minute of play on a Frank Nazar goal, but Tanner Kelly tied it up at the midpoint of the frame to send the teams into the intermission tied at 1-1.  The second period was a back-and-forth affair with five goals scored, starting off with Daniel Russell's finish off a pair of rebounds.  Dylan Duke and Marshall Warren scored the next two for a 3-2 Wolverine lead, but MSU scored twice in the final 90 seconds – including Kelly's go-ahead goal with 0.7 seconds remaining, which he tipped off a shot from the point by Matt Basgall – to take a 4-3 lead into the second break.  Nazar's second goal of the game – a deflection in front – tied the game 2:54 into the final frame, and the teams battled through another 30 minutes before a hero – Geary – emerged. 
 
Tournament Most Outstanding Player Trey Augustine made 33 saves for the Spartans, stopping 13 shots in the first period as the visitors outshot MSU 14-6.  His counterpart Jake Barczewski made 30 stops. 

The All-Tournament team consisted of Michigan's Gavin Brindley, Rutger McGroarty, and Seamus Casey; Russell, Nash Nienhuis and Augustine earned the three spots for MSU. 
 
 
 
 
 STATISTICS OF NOTE
 

• Patrick Geary had his first career game-winner.
• Tanner Kelly had two goals on the night, his third and fourth against the Wolverines this season.  
• Both Artyom Levshunov and Nash Nienhuis had two assists on the night.  
• Tiernan Shoudy had his second multiple-point game of the season – and both have come against Michigan. 
• Nicolas Müller had an assist and had a combined 3-4-7 against Michigan this season.
• Daniel Russell scored in his second straight game and now has a career-best 12 goals on the year. 
• Senior Jeremy Davidson tied his career best with his 11^th goal of the season, and blocked a team-high three shots. 
• MSU has won four straight against Michigan, its longest such streak since four straight from Oct. 25, 1997 – February 21 1998. 
• MSU is now 2-2 all-time in Conference championship games against Michigan, with the previous three meetings coming during the CCHA era. 
• The Spartans prevented Michigan from a third straight Tournament championship. 
• MSU now has a six-win improvement over 2022-23 (18 wins), which had been a six-win improvement over 2021-22 (12 victories).
• The Spartans are now 4-2 in Big Ten Tournament games under Adam Nightingale. 
• MSU's tournament championship leaves Ohio State as the only school without a postseason crown.  MSU's regular-season title leaves Michigan as the only school never to win it. 
• MSU had its most blocked shots (19) since its dramatic 7-5 win at Yost on Jan. 20. 
• MSU is now 18-0-2 when entering the third period with a lead.
• The Spartans earned their first overtime win of the season (1-1-3). 

 
 
First Period:   The Wolverines jumped on the board before the game was a minute old, as Josh Eernisse brought the puck up the left side and dished to Frank Nazar III, who skated in on Augustine and backhanded it past the goalie for his 15^th goal of the season.  MSU got the equalizer from Tanner Kelly, who lifted his eighth goal of the year over Barczewski.  The Wolverines held a 14-6 edge in shots in the frame, but other than the early first goal, Augustine was up to the task.
 
 

Tanner Kelly with his eighth of the season - he gets the assist from Tiernan Shoudy below the goal line. Tie game, 1-1. pic.twitter.com/N900lJw8Hv

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 24, 2024

 
Second Period:   Danny Russell gave Michigan State its first lead of the night at the 10:48 mark of the period.  Nash Nienhuis had the initial shot from the hash marks, which was saved by Barczewski – Isaac Howard had a swat at the rebound from the right side, but it was Russell who final redirected it and popped it over Barczewski for his 12^th goal of the season.  The lead was short-lived as the Wolverines got a goal on the power play at 12:50.   Seamus Casey found Rutger McGroarty in the right circle, and Augustine made the save on his offering – but Dylan Duke was on the doorstep to redirect it into the left side of the net for his 22^nd of the season.  Michigan retook the lead under five minutes remaining, on a sharp-angle shot by Marshall Warren from just above the goal line to the right of the goal cage, as he flipped the puck over Augustine.  MSU stormed back with two goals in the final 90 second of the period – Jeremy Davidson poked home his 11^th of the season under the leg pad of Barczewski – a call that was reviewed before awarding the Spartans the tying goal.  With just 0.7 seconds remaining in the period, Matt Basgall's blast from the right point was tipped by Kelly en route, and it beat both Barczewski and the clock to send the Spartans into the locker room with a 4-3 lead. 

 

Daniel Russell with the putback of a  Isaac Howard putback off a Nash Nienhuis shot. Russell's 12th of the season. pic.twitter.com/lSQlsMBGed

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 24, 2024

 
 
Third Period:   With under three minutes expired in the final period, a shot by Nick Moldenhauer deflected off a pair of Wolverines in front, and redirected off of Nazar III in front for the sophomore's second of the game.  The teams battled into the final minutes, looking for the big goal, with MSU outshooting their rivals 14-7 in the frame and making Barczewski work to keep his team in it. 
 
 
Overtime:  Each team had six shots in overtime, but it was that sixth from Geary that sent the Spartans to the title.  Muller picked up the primary assist as he took it from Lebster at the half wall, and he pushed the puck up to Geary for his shot from the left point.