ANALYSIS: Tiernan Shoudy lifts No. 1 Michigan State past No. 3 Penn State, 2-1 in OT

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Some of the old timers who have watched more than a thousand games at Munn Ice Arena said Friday night’s Michigan State vs Penn State tilt might have staged more top end talent in a college game than the 51-year-old barn had ever seen.  But it was a pair of character grinders who decided the thing. Senior fourth-line center Tiernan Shoudy wristed the game-winner past Penn State goalie Kevin Reidler 2:21 into overtime to give No. 1-ranked Michigan State a scintillating 2-1 victory over No. 3 Penn State before another sellout crowd at Munn Ice Arena. Shoudy is a dogged little 5-foot-9, 180-pound fourth-line center from Marysville, Mich. He has pumped Michigan State with adrenalin and grit for four years. He sent Spartan fans home happy when he received a pass from his long-time left-winger, speedy Finnish flyer Tommi Männistö, and buried it.  Männistö might be the fastest player on the team. This year, his stick work is catching up to his great skating ability and he surprisingly leads the team in goals with five.  Männistö (6-0, 205, Riihimaki, Finland) had a chance to win this one when he presented himself as a shooting threat from close range. Reidler and a Penn State defender went to the ice to try to block a shot that never came. Männistö opted to pass to Shoudy, standing by himself near the doorstep on the left side. Michigan State players - 13 of whom have been drafted by NHL teams, an all-time program-high - mobbed Shoudy in the corner as more than 6,000 fans erupted. “It was so loud, I couldn’t figure out what was going on,” Shoudy said. (MORE inside SpartanMag. Join SpartanMag now - $1 for the first week - and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.)