Spartans capture the first Iron D trophy
Beating Michigan is always fun… winning a trophy is just an added bonus
As an MSU Spartan, there’s nothing we love more than beating Michigan. I mean seriously nothing more. So naturally when our underdog hockey team pulled out a win over the ranked Michigan team last Friday at a sold out Joe Louis arena in Detroit, we went nuts.
This was the 54th meeting for the Spartans and Wolverines at the Joe, adding to it being the most played rivalry in college hockey. Not only was it a big game because of the rivalry, it was a crucial win for the team because it was conference play and the brand new Iron D trophy was at stake.
Members of the hockey student section, known as The A-Team, gathered late Friday afternoon to board a bus that would take them to the game in Detroit. While the bus ride may have been quiet, the arena certainly wasn’t once we got there.
Angie and Me before puck drop
While the majority of the 20,000 fans were Michigan, MSU still brought a strong crowd to cheer on the Spartans. The Spartan Brass came to play the fight song and competed against the Michigan Hockey Pep Band.
Following puck drop, the Spartans played a solid, even-strength first period to keep the score at 0. At the end of the first, there was still no score. For the intermission entertainment, 2 MSU and 2 U of M people were chosen to do the musical bean bags on the ice. Just by chance, Angie and I were chosen to represent Michigan State!
Going down to the ice
Selfie before we hit the ice!
Not many people can say they have gotten to go on the Joe Louis ice, let alone have 20,000 fans yelling at you while you compete against Michigan. Unfortunately in a close battle, the Michigan girl reigned as winner on the final bean bag. While this might have discouraged us, we knew a victory in the actual game would make up for it.
Views from the ice
The Spartans came out strong once again in the second period. On a play moving down the ice, a Michigan player hooked one of ours, resulting in the referee blowing his whistle. Fans went wild when when Joe Cox was awarded a penalty shot and made it to make the game 1-0. Michigan responded with a goal a few minutes later to tie things up.
Michigan got on the board in the 3rd period to take their first lead of the game, 2-1. The Michigan chants from fans seemed to be completely engulfing the arena. MSU needed to come back quick in order to keep our momentum going. On another swift play down the ice, Mackenzie MacEachern found Joe Cox who, once again, hammered the puck past the Wolverine’s goalie. The game was tied 2-2 as regulation time came to an end.
The buzz of excitement from the MSU fans was overtaking the arena. Chants of “Go Green, Go White” were being shouted, while Michigan fans tried to get in their “Go Blue” chant. As the overtime period began, the arena was louder than ever. A goal by State’s Matt DeBlouw 3 minutes into the overtime period gave the Spartans the win!
The Iron D trophy was presented to captain Michael Ferrantino and the team following the game on the ice. Winning against Michigan on such a big stage brought an unforgettable memory for the members of the team, as well as the beginning history of the trophy!
The team with the trophy
The captains accepting the Iron D