Dec. 29, 2005

Detroit, Mich. - Senior Colton Fretter scored the game-winning goal 13:59 into overtime and lifted the Michigan State men's ice hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Michigan Tech in the semifinals of the 41st Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich. The Spartans advanced to the title game of the GLI for the third straight year and the ninth time in the last ten years.

The Spartans blistered out of the gate, out-shooting Michigan Tech 24-6 in the opening period. Michigan State needed all 24 of its first-period shots to beat Husky goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak; freshman forward Tim Crowder (Victoria, B.C.) notched his seventh goal of the season, on MSU's last shot of the period, to give the Green and White a 1-0 lead. Linemates Justin Abdelkader (Muskegon, Mich.) and David Booth (Washington, Mich.) picked up assists on the play.

Midway through the second period senior defenseman Corey Potter (Mason, Mich.) was whistled for his second checking-from-behind game misconduct in his last three games. The penalty put the Spartans at a two-man disadvantage for 1:33. Michigan State killed off the five-on-three advantage, but surrendered a power-play goal at 14:50 of the second period when Tyler Shelast re-directed a Lars Helminen shot past Spartan goaltender Dominic Vicari.

Michigan Tech nearly added a second goal during the major penalty but Vicari stopped husky Chris Connor from point-blank range at the top of the crease; Connor collected his own rebound and snapped a second shot off the post.

The Spartans went down 2-1 on Shelast's second goal of the evening with 2:41 remaining on the clock. Shelast got the puck off of the half-boards and skated to the slot where he fired a wrist shot over Vicari's right shoulder.

The Spartans had the last quality scoring chance of the second period when Chris Mueller (West Senaca, N.Y.) outfought a Husky defenseman in the corner and got a shot from the left face-off dot. Teslak stopped Mueller's shot, then another shot when Abdelkader tried to bang home the rebound.

Teslak made another great stop at the 9:20 mark of the third period when he flashed the left pad and smothered a shot by sophomore Jim McKenzie.

Abdelkader pulled the Spartans even at 10:04 of the final period when his wrist shot found its way through a screen and under the arm of Teslak. The goal was Abdelkader's fifth of the season, while Drew Miller (East Lansing, Mich.) and Colton Fretter (Harrow, Ont.) assisted on the play.

Michigan State outshot the Huskies 48-28 through regulation, but the game remained tied at two goals each and the game advanced to sudden death overtime.

Michigan Tech nearly scored early in overtime when Chris Conner lead a two-on-one break with freshman Derek Kitti, but Kitti's shot sailed just wide past an open left half of the net. The Spartans answered with a chance of their own when Fretter one-timed a Tyler Howells feed, but Teslak answered the call for MTU with a terrific left-pad save.

In a game that featured spectacular goaltending on both ends of the ice, sophomore forward Chris Mueller made the defensive play of the night. Mueller dove over a fallen Vicari and swatted a loose puck off the Michigan State goal line to preserve the 2-2 tie, setting the stage for Fretter's heroics.

Fretter's game-winner was the product of hard work below the goal line by his linemates. Mueller and Miller kept the puck alive in the corner and threw the puck to the front of the net. A Spartan shot drifted just wide, but Fretter collect the puck behind the net, walked out in front, and put a backhand shot right under the crossbar.

Michigan State plays the winner of the Michigan/Colorado College semifinal match-up in the championship game tomorrow. The puck drops at 8:05 p.m. from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Spartan Notebook: - Michigan State is making its 31st appearance this season in the 41st edition of the annual Great Lakes Invitational. The tournament is considered by many to be the most prestigious and competitive of the holiday tournaments.

- The Spartans fired 24 first period shots, a season high, in the opening period of Thursday nights contest vs. Michigan Tech. The last time MSU had more than 20 shots in a single period was Feb. 11, 2005 when they sent 21 shots on goal in the third period of a 6-5 overtime loss at Alaska Fairbanks. MSU ended regulation with 48 shots, a season-high single-game total.

- Tim Crowder continues to pace all Michigan State freshmen with seven goals and nine points. Crowder is also the only first-year skater to play in every game this season for the Spartans.

- The second period goal by Michigan Tech's Tyler Shelast snapped junior goaltender Dominic Vicari's shutout streak at 107:38, stretching back to the third period of MSU's 4-2 loss at Bowling Green.

- Freshman forward Justin Abdelkader's third period goal gives him five for the season and extends his goal-scoring streak to three games. With a first period assist, Abdelkader also collected his first career multiple-point game.

- Wednesday night's 3-2 victory vs. Michigan Tech was the Spartan's eighth overtime contest of the season. MSU is 2-1-5 in overtime games this season, after having skated in just nine overtime games (3-2-4) all of last season, two of which took place in last year's Great Lakes Invitational.

- Michigan Tech goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak made a tournament record 57 saves. The old tournament record was 46 saves, set by Geoff McMullen of Colgate University in 1970.

- Fretter's overtime winner marked the second-straight time he has collected the sudden-death winner in the GLI. Fretter scored the overtime tally in Michigan State's 2-1 win over Michigan in the championship game last year.

- The overtime winner also gives the Spartans overtime victories in three straight GLI games. In addition to the win against Michigan last year, the Spartans also needed an extra session to defeat New Hampshire in the semifinals last year. Jim Slater's goal gave MSU a 4-3 victory.

- Shelast's second goal at 17:09 of the second period marked the first time the Spartans had trailed in 157:09, dating back to MSU's Dec. 3 game at Bowling Green where the Spartans lost 4-2.

- Fretter now leads the Spartans with two game-winning goals. Six additional MSU players have tallied one game-winner.