Michigan State stakes claim in Minnesota as nation's top hockey team

The Gophers blew a 3-1 lead in the third period as the Spartans roared back with four goals in the final 17 minutes.

Gophers vs. Michigan State / University of Minnesota Athletic

The weekend battle between Big Ten powerhouses Minnesota and Michigan State lived up to the hype, but it was the road team leaving with the State of Hockey with some bragging rights.

The No. 3 Spartans beat the No. 1 Gophers in a shootout Friday night and then won 5-3 Saturday night at Mariucci Arena. The strong series leading into the holiday break gives Michigan State a strong argument to return to the No. 1 ranking in the USCHO.com poll when it is released on Monday.

The Gophers will likely drop to No. 2 or No. 3, with the only real threat to take No. 2 over them being Boston College, which swept UMass in the past week and beat the U.S. Under-18 National Team 7-5 in an exhibition game Friday.

Saturday's battle between the Gophers and Spartans looked like Minnesota was running away with a win after Brody Lamb's power-play goal put the Gophers up 3-1 at 3:21 of the third period, but a brutal three-minute stretch later in the period spelled doom for the maroon and gold.

Isaac Howard scored to trim the deficit to 3-2 with 8:52 remaining. And then with 6:54 to play the Spartans tied the game on a goal by Maxim Strbak.

They took a 4-3 lead when Minnesota Wild draft pick Charlie Stramel scored just 53 seconds later.

The fifth goal came with an empty net with 36 seconds to go.

The Gophers (15-3-2) are now off for final exams and the holiday break. They return to the ice Jan. 3-4 at home against Mercyhurst.