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Michigan State completes sweep of No. 1 Boston University with 4-3 win in overtime

On3 imageby: Jason Killop10/19/25KillopOn3

No. 3 Michigan State faced a stiff non-conference road matchup against No. 1 Boston University this weekend, but the Spartans passed the test with flying colors. They completed a sweep with a 4-3 overtime win over the Terriers on Saturday.

“Heck of a weekend,” Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale said postgame. “I thought tonight was about as good of a college hockey game as you’re going to see. Really good response out of BU. Obviously they’re a really good team. We knew they would be a lot sharper the second night, and I thought we did a lot of good stuff.”

Matt Basgall delivers game-winner

Captain Matt Basgall (5-10, 185, Lake Forest, Ill.) sealed the deal, nailing the game-winning goal with 1:12 remaining in overtime. It marked the Spartan defenseman’s second goal of his fourth year with the program.

Michigan State forward Shane Vansaghi (6-2, 215. St. Louis, Mo.) set up Basgall’s goal with a stick save late in the contest. Boston’s Cole Eiserman nearly scored, but Vansaghi stopped the puck from clearing the line. Vansaghi then recorded an assist on the game-winner. The Philadelphia Flyers selected Vansaghi with the 48th pick in 2025 NHL Draft.

Michigan State freshmen give Spartans early lead

A pair of Michigan State freshmen both logged the first goals of their collegiate careers, as forwards Ryker Lee (6-1, 185, Wilmette, Ill.) and Porter Martone (6-3, 210, Peterborough, Ontario) gave the Spartans an early 2-0 lead, which they took into the third period.

The Nashville Predators selected Lee with the 26th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Flyers drafted Martone with the sixth pick of last year’s draft.

“Both have been really good,” Nightingale said of his freshmen. “I think the first weekend, Ryker might’ve hit four or five posts, so it was good to see him put one in. Porter is a hockey player. I think he does a lot of good things outside of just scoring in helping our team be a good hockey team.

“We have a lot of youth on our team, for sure. But I think, as you look around the country, a lot of teams do. We just have to keep helping the guys get better.”

Boston fights back

After Boston scored early in the third, Michigan State junior forward Tommi Mannisto (6-0, 205, Riihimaki, Finland) extended the Spartan lead to 3-1. It marked Mannisto’s second goal of the season.

But a pair of goals from Boston forwards Kamil Bednarik and Conrad Fondrk in the third quarter sent the game to overtime. While pleased with the victory, Nightingale will look to improve on Michigan State’s third-quarter play.

“I think we see an image of how we need to play to beat a good hockey team – we have to be on our toes, we have to be on top of teams and we have to play physical,” Nightingale said. “I also think it’s understanding how to put teams away, managing the puck. They scored a shorty. We have to take care of the puck there.

“Those are all lessons you would rather learn winning a game than losing a game. We have a group of guys who understand that and we have to get better.”

Michigan State junior goalie Trey Augustine (6-1, 194, South Lyon, Mich.) logged 31 saves. The Spartans and Terriers each totaled 34 shots on net.

Michigan State will head to Marquette, Mich., for a pair of matchups with Northern Michigan next weekend. The Spartans will then begin conference play against Penn State in early November.

“I think we do have a confident group, but I don’t think we are over our skis,” Nightingale said. “We understand we still have a lot to work on. We still have another weekend of non-conference and we have to try to play better than we did this weekend. That’s the goal every weekend. We are less worried about whether we’re in conference or non-conference, we’re just trying to get better every weekend. I thought we were better this weekend than last weekend, and we have to do the same next week.”

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