MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – If you're looking for evidence that Trey Augustine has a heartbeat, he'll tell you where to look.
“4:30” on January 19th and 20th.
“I think it was the first series against Michigan…that bothered me a little bit,” the Michigan State freshman goaltender said.
You may remember those tough times for the Spartans. They lost 7-1 to the Wolverines at Mann Ice Arena and were down 4-1 after 30 minutes that night at Yost.
Something happened during a timeout seconds after MSU fell behind by three points. Augustin skated directly to the bench, tired of being hung out to dry. No one was happy on MSU's bench.
No matter what I was told or how deep a breath I took, from that point on, some things have changed. The Spartans won his 7-5, and he also beat Michigan three times. That includes his Big Ten Tournament Championship at Mann a week ago.
They'll be tasked with doing it again Sunday night (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in the NCAA Tournament regional finals with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line.
That January series appeared to propel MSU forward. The Spartans were really good before. But for those four-and-a-half years, the Spartans, who were outgunned and outgunned, needed to grow if they wanted to achieve what they had.
The same goes for Augustin, the youngest goaltender in college hockey. “In just one more year, he could be our youngest goaltender,” MSU coach Adam Nightingale said of the freshman netminder, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Feb. 23. I mean, what he's doing, there's not a lot of true freshman goalies that are going to make an impact like he does, and he's going to continue to get better. ”
His growth and poise were evident Friday night in MSU's NCAA Tournament first-round game against Western Michigan. That's when he scored three straight goals, two on screens, but still found the back of the net, giving the Broncos four points. Leading by 2 points in the 2nd period.
“At 4-2, we had a lot of chances to make it 5-2 and we just didn't do it,” WMU coach Pat Farschweiler said.
More important than a shutout is a goaltender who can shut the spigot. That Friday, Augustin did just that, giving his team a chance to come back and win 5-4 in overtime.
“It takes a lot to get that guy's heart rate up,” teammate Red Savage said. “He's probably the calmest guy I've ever played with. … We're confident that he's going to stay calm and collected, and going into these big games, he's going to be the calmest guy I've ever played with. He's played in a lot of games, he's already played a lot at the World Juniors, he's played at the (U-)18 Worlds, he's dominant in those types of games. He's been great all year. He was a key part of our team.”
On Friday, Augustin participated in the offense for the first time, recording his first assist of the season on Jeremy Davidson's game-winning goal in overtime.
He quickly informed Nightingale, who joked that Augustin would probably ask to be part of MSU's power play from now on.
The relationship between Augustine and Nightingale created this wonderful situation for both of them and for the Spartans. Augustine was originally committed to Michigan. He might be on the other net in this game. He changed his commitment to the Spartans in September 2022, choosing to play under new MSU coach Nightingale, who played for the U.S. National Development U-18 team when he was 16 years old.
“Obviously, I didn't know I was going to get this job. We just had a good relationship,” Nightingale said of Augus, who was selected by the Red Wings with the 41st overall pick in last year's NHL Draft. I talked about Ting. “I knew he had a good relationship with (USNTDP program strength coach) Will (Morlock, now at MSU). He's a Spartan. He's a low-maintenance guy. He's a humble guy. . He doesn't want any special treatment because he's a teammate. He just wants to be coached and take responsibility.
“When a guy like Trey says, 'Hey, I want to do this,' I want to be a part of something. I'm not just going to be a hockey zombie and go somewhere cool. I want to be a part of it and create something” — I mean, that’s great. I respect him very much. ”
That includes Augustin's performance in four and a half periods against Michigan in January.
“I don't think Trey needs to say anything,” Nightingale said. “I think it showed that the goalie believed in him by keeping him there.
“It means a lot that he reacted the way he did.”
They'll need it from him again on Sunday.
“Take nothing for granted and leave nothing to chance,” Augustine said.
Please contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
