Lethemon's 40 saves can't save Michigan State hockey against Badgers

MADISON, Wis. – The Michigan State hockey team fell to Wisconsin 3-0 on Saturday night at the Kohl Center in Madison. Michigan State (6-9-1, 2-5-1-1) goaltender John Lethemon kept the Spartans within striking distance all night, making stops on several quality Badger chances and finishing with a season-high 40 saves – one shy of tying a career high.

Wisconsin held on to a 1-0 lead most of the game, not adding to it until the third period when K’Andre Miller scored 57 seconds into the stanza.

 “Johnny (Lethemon) kept us in it, we had chances right until the end to make it a game and their goalie made a lot of good saves in the third,” MSU head coach Danton Cole said. “If something could have snuck in, it would have been good. Lose a game, don’t lose a lesson; we have to be better.”

Wisconsin (8-7-3, 4-3-3-1) got on the board 2:36 into the opening period with a power-play goal. Sean Dhooghe got the puck in the left circle off the rush and snapped a shot that went over Lethemon’s shoulder.

Lethemon made 18 stops in the opening period, including six on two more Badger power plays. His biggest save of the period came in the closing seconds as he got over to his right to stop Miller on an odd-man rush with his right pad.

Lethemon made 11 more stops in the second period to keep the Spartans’ deficit at just a goal.

“John was great. He gave us a chance tonight,” Cole said. “He was good, came up, stood tall, was really calm and was really good. We should have scored a few goals for him.”

Wisconsin denied MSU from creating many quality scoring chances in the second period as the Spartans’ best opportunities came on their 44 seconds of power play time just over five minutes into the stanza.

The Badgers started the third period with 48 seconds of carryover power play time. While the Spartans were able to snuff out the remainder of the power play, UW was able to keep the puck in the MSU zone following the expiration of the penalty and Miller put a one-timer into the net from the right circle at the 57-second mark to make it 2-0.

The Spartans had a pair of power play chances in the third period, but just weren’t able to connect to get on the board.
 
“Their defensemen were able to get pucks through to the net and our D weren’t,” Cole said. “I thought early on we turned down a lot of chances we had to attempt shots. We were a little better in the third but not good enough.”

UW’s Seamus Malone added an empty-net goal with three seconds remaining to cap the scoring.
 
The Badgers outshot the Spartans 43-21 and went 1-for-5 on the power play. MSU was 0-for-3.

The Spartans will next take on the U.S. National Team Development Program U-18 Team in an exhibition game at Munn on Saturday, Dec. 15.

— MSU Athletic Communications