Michigan State's Ryker Lee moves the puck against New Hampshire during the first period on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing.Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State JournalThu, November 27, 2025 at 2:21 AM UTC·2 min readEAST LANSING – The No. 3 Michigan State hockey program looked to bounce back after a disappointing weekend against Wisconsin, coming into Munn Arena on short rest to face a tested Colgate program who had won three of its last four games.
The Spartans looked on a mission to show that the results against the Badgers were a fluke, scoring three goals in the first eight minutes against the Raiders, sending a message from the jump in an eventual 5-2 series-opening win.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMSU sophomore defenseman Owen West started the scoring just under four minutes in, firing a shot from the point that beat Colgate goaltender Reid Dyck. It was West's first collegiate goal after recording five total assists in 42 career games.
55 seconds later, MSU would double its lead on a nifty passing play. Defenseman Maxim Strbak jumped on a loose puck in the offensive zone and quickly fired a pass to sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi. Everyone on the ice thought Vansaghi was going to shoot, but instead delivered a pass through the crease to a wide-open Ryker Lee, who settled the puck and put it into an empty net for his fifth goal of the season.
MSU's second line was involved on the third goal as well, with Lee chipping the puck forward to Vansaghi to spring the Spartans on a 2-on-1 break. Vansaghi slid a pass to linemate Eric Nilson, who fired past a sprawling Dyck to put the Spartans up 3-0.
The Raiders would respond later in the first period when a shot from forward Jack Brandt ramped off an MSU defenseman's stick and over the shoulder of Spartan freshman goaltender Melvin Strahl.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStrahl made his second career start and first home start with the Spartans, on short rest, having last faced the Badgers on Nov. 22. Strahl made 29 saves on the evening, while his counterpart Dyck stopped 37 Spartan shots.
Junior forward Tiernan Shoudy had the only tally late in the middle frame, deflecting a shot from forward Tommi Mannisto past Dyck with just under two minutes remaining. Senior forward Charlie Stramel scored his sixth goal of the season in the third period to make it 5-1, and Colgate's Simone Dadie scored 22 seconds later in response.
MSU junior defenseman Patrick Geary and Colgate forward Ryan Sullivan were both ejected for fighting in the third period and given game disqualifications. Both players will be ineligible to play in the final game of the series.
What's next
MSU will host Colgate again on Nov. 28, with puck drop scheduled for 4 p.m.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at [email protected] and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State hockey rebounds with 5-2 win over Colgate
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