Michigan State defends Great Lakes Invitational title with win over Michigan Tech

Michigan State’s men’s lucky squad is heading into nan caller twelvemonth coming disconnected different Great Lakes Invitational championship.

The third-ranked Spartans defeated Michigan Tech, 4-1, successful Monday’s GLI title crippled successful beforehand of 5,024 fans, who braved a wintertime large wind and icy roads to scope Van Andel Arena successful Grand Rapids.

PHOTOS: See our assemblage from nan 2025 GLI title game

MSU has now won nan past 2 GLI titles, and nan Spartans person 14 championships successful nan event’s 59-year history. Monday’s triumph gave them their first repetition title since winning 4 successful a statement from 1997 to 2000.

Senior guardant and Minnesota Wild first-round draught prime Charlie Stramel earned tourney MVP honors aft tallying 4 goals successful nan two-game tournament, pinch 2 coming against Michigan Tech successful nan finals and different 2 against Ferris State successful nan semis. Stramel besides added an assistance successful each of nan 2 tourney games, finishing nan GLI pinch six points.

After a scoreless first period, MSU freshman guardant and Vancouver Canucks’ sixth-round draught prime Anthony Romani gave nan Spartans a 1-0 lead midway done nan 2nd stanza, pinch Colin Ralph and Daniel Russell providing nan assists.

The Spartans went up 2-0 pinch 1:54 near successful nan 2nd period, erstwhile Stramel scored his first of nan nighttime acknowledgment to assists from Patrick Geary and Russell.

Stramel made it a 3-0 crippled 3 minutes into nan 3rd period, this clip getting an assistance from Romani, and though Michigan Tech trim its shortage to 3-1 connected Carson Latimer’s extremity pinch 11:12 left, MSU added immoderate security pinch Tommi Mannisto’s unassisted empty-net extremity pinch 1:05 near successful regulation.

MSU goalie and Detroit Red Wings’ second-round draught prime Trey Augustine made 32 saves and vanished nan GLI pinch 53 saves connected 56 shots.

Michigan Tech netminder Owen Bartoszkiewicz stopped 27 shots from nan Spartans and vanished nan tourney pinch 53 saves connected 58 shots, including a 26-save effort successful Sunday’s 5-2 semifinal triumph complete Miami (OH).

Neither squad capitalized connected nan powerfulness play, pinch MSU going 0-2 and Michigan Tech 0-3.

The Spartans controlled nan faceoff circle, winning 39 of 60 draws, led by elder Tiernan Shoudy, who won 15 of 19.

MSU (14-4) returns to action Sunday for an accumulation crippled against nan U.S. National Team Development Program, earlier resuming Big Ten play astatine Ohio State connected Jan. 9.

Michigan Tech (11-6-2) is backmost connected nan crystal Friday successful Tempe, Ariz., for nan Desert Hockey Classic, wherever nan Huskies will commencement their four-team tourney tally against Air Force.

Patrick Nothaft is simply a newsman for MLive.com and covers section sports successful Grand Rapids. Patrick writes astir various topics, pinch a superior attraction connected precocious schoolhouse sports. He besides has acquisition covering collegiate...