MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Among the many talents that have allowed this Michigan State hockey team to accomplish everything this season, they don't panic.
Even when you probably should.
On Friday night, they trailed by two points in the third period and were still down by one with a minute left in regulation, but the season was on the line and they kept pushing.
“We just have to keep doing what we've been doing all year long,” said MSU senior forward Jeremy Davidson, who scored the winning goal 11 minutes into overtime.
Easy peasy.
However, that is not the case.
Most teams don't do this. Most teams will return home Saturday instead of preparing for Sunday night's NCAA Tournament regional finals.
The Spartans' 5-on-4 overtime win over Western Michigan on Friday night outside St. Louis was just the latest feat in a renaissance season that MSU fans have been dreaming of for more than a decade – the winner. Excellent talent and its trajectory. Calm down. Advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Related: Michigan State hockey rallied for a thrilling overtime win over Western Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The last time MSU won an NCAA Tournament game 16 years ago, the current coach was working at a construction site and the star defenseman and goaltender (both touted as NHL prospects) were toddlers. Ta.
Perhaps it was for the best that Spartans fans didn't know how long the wait would be, but this team is doing their best to make it worth it.
They will play Michigan for the sixth time this season on Sunday. MSU's games against the Wolverines this season — four wins, one improbable comeback, a tense overtime thriller in the Big Ten Tournament Championship a week ago, and a humiliating game at home dating back to January. The unpleasant loss played a big role in the Spartans' path to becoming a team. A team that doesn't sweat, overreact, or give in.
Related: Michigan hockey's ferocious finish takes away North Dakota in NCAA opener. Next up is a clash with MSU.
On Friday night, we showed that calm determination all the way to the goal. An example of this was when MSU freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov ran down the right side of the ice, evaded three defenders who were paying too much attention to him, and found teammate Carsen Dorwart wide open in front of the goal. Ta. He scored the tying goal with 55.8 seconds left.
“I was trying to do something,” Levshunov explained.
That assist would be worth something. It was a play as legendary as anything the soon-to-be top-five NHL draft pick had ever seen in his sensational freshman season.
“Great players find a way to elevate themselves when the stakes are at stake,” MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. “And he certainly did.”
MSU's late-game vigor, seen this season against Minnesota, Michigan and in the win over Wisconsin that clinched the Big Ten regular-season title, is largely due to a combination of ability, confidence and conditioning.
After taking the game to overtime, I was out of breath as I headed to the locker room. Likewise, he still had the same composure that he had when he was in a losing position.
“It helped that we had the exact same score in the OT game last week,” sophomore center Tiernan Shordy said. “Everyone's like, 'Hey, the job's not done.' We still have to go out there and finish it.” We knew it had legs, but , it felt like it was going to fall off a bit. It goes back to the training that (strength and conditioning coach) Will Morlock gave us all summer and last year as well. ”
Find games where MSU performed well this season. Introducing players who are credited with Morlock.
Morlocks work for the long term. He had just over 6 minutes left on the bench, at which point MSU lost a goal, his staff coaching him was preparing for the Spartans' goal in real time.
When MSU took to the ice to challenge a non-call in hopes of a five-minute major penalty against WMU, they knew they would lose a timeout if the challenge failed. The review break will be the last time to give instructions to the players. So assistant coach Mike Towns considered MSU's plan to play 6-on-5 in case the goaltender needed to be delayed.
Sure enough, a minute after MSU pulled goalie Trey Augustin, Dorwart's goal after receiving a pass from Levshunov made it 6-5.
No details were given.
They trust this staff. They believe in their own abilities. They believe that something good will happen. Because they've seen it happen over and over again. And it's Friday again.
This was a huge win for the program. It's a win as big as the win at Wisconsin for the Big Ten Championship or last week's win against Michigan for the Big Ten Tournament title.
This MSU team was supposed to just make the NCAA Tournament and take the next step for this program. Instead, the Spartans took so many next steps this season. This includes winning an NCAA Tournament game in exhilarating fashion.
“It definitely feels unrealistic,” Shordy said. “I'd like to get the next one, but this one's kind of monkey, right?”
All that's left for this team and a revitalized program is to get to Frozen 4 and swing there.
“Going back three years, I never thought I would be here,” Davidson said.
No matter what happens on Sunday, I'm sure of this. They won't panic.
Please contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
