EAST LANSING, Mich. --- The University of Maine men's ice hockey team skated to a 4-4 tie with Michigan State on Thursday night at the Munn Arena in East Lansing, Mich. It was the second straight tie for the Black Bears who move to 1-0-2 on the young season. Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) led the Black Bears with a pair of goals.
Michigan State grabbed a 1-0 lead with a power play goal by Dustin Gazley just 5:08 into the first period.
Maine tied the game at 11:21 of the first period. Will O'Neill (Salem, Mass.) had a shot from the blueline that hit the post. Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) collected the rebound and beat MSU goalie Drew Palmisano for his second goal of the season. Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) also assisted on the goal.
The Black Bears took the lead just over two minutes later at 13:24. Theo Andersson (Gothenburg, Sweden) had a shot that Palmisano stopped, but on a scramble in front of the net, Mike Cornell (Franklin, Mass.) fired the puck into the back of the net. It was the first career goal for Cornell. Klas Leidermark (Gavle, Sweden) also assisted on the goal.
The Black Bears extended their lead to 3-1 at 15:59 of the first period. Spencer Abbott (Hamilton, Ontario) had a shot from the blueline that Palmisano stopped, but he was unable to control the rebound. Adam Shemansky (Robbinsville, N.J.) took the puck behind the net before finding Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.), who beat Palmisano for his third goal of the season.
MSU pulled to within one goal at 8:23 of the second period when Daultan Leveille fired a shot from the blueline. Maine goalie Shawn Sirman (Blezard Valley, Ontario) got a piece of the shot, but was unable to control it before it crossed the goal line. Derek Grant and Gazley each assisted on the goal.
Maine added to its lead at 14:00 of the second period. Josh Van Dyk (Woodstock, Ontario) found Abbott on the blueline. Abbott rifled a shot that went through the defense that Dee tipped into the back of the net. For Dee, it was his second goal of the game.
The Spartans got a power play goal at 17:40 of the second period to pull to within one goal once again. Brett Perlini notched the goal from Gazley. MSU tied the game at 4-4 at 1:53 of the third period with a short-handed goal. Trevor Nill and Mike Merrifield teamed up on an odd-man rush. Merrifield was able to beat Sirman to tie the game at 4-4.
Maine killed off two penalties late in the third period. The Black Bears then went on a power play with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Neither team was able to score in overtime and the game ended in a 4-4 tie. Maine held a 41-38 advantage in shots in the game. The Black Bears were 3-for-5 on the power play, while MSU finished 2-for-8.
Maine goalie Sirman made 34 saves in the game. He moves to 1-0-1 on the season. Palmisano made 37 saves for the Spartans. He moves to 0-0-1.
The two teams conclude their two game series on Friday, Oct. 15. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:42 at Munn Ice Arena.