Michigan
16-12-2, 10-9-1
Michigan State
22-5-3, 13-4-3
Michigan Settles For Split With MSU, Drops Second Straight Duel in the D
2/8/2025 11:39:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Tyler Duke scored for U-M in the same net where his brother scored earlier in the day for Tampa Bay.
» T.J. Hughes collected the only assist on Duke's goal to extend his point streak to 13 games.
» Michigan has lost two Duels in a row after rattling off six straight wins from 2017-23.
DETROIT, Mich. -- The 13th-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team dropped a 6-1 decision to second-ranked Michigan State on Saturday night (Feb. 8) in their annual "Duel in the D" at Little Caesars Arena.
The rivals stormed out the gates with fast-paced action until Tyler Duke was assessed a minor penalty for high-sticking while defending an oncoming MSU forward at 3:19. Michigan State (22-4-3, 13-4-3 Big Ten) took full advantage of the early power-play chance by scoring 54 seconds later from the netfront area off a rebound opportunity to make it 1-0 for the second night in a row.
Cameron Korpi made his first big stop of the night near the six-minute mark when the nation's leading goal scorer was set loose for a breakaway chance. The young netminder jutted out his left leg to jettison the puck out of harm's way and keep the deficit at one.
After one period of play, Michigan (16-12-2, 10-9-1 Big Ten) trailed 1-0 in addition to lagging behind in both shots on goal (13-7) and faceoffs (13-11).
Following the halfway point of the game, Garrett Schifsky laid a heavy check inside the blue line to extend an offensive-zone possession for the Wolverines. His teammates made it worth his while when T.J. Hughes collected the puck and passed it to Duke. The junior defenseman caught the pass and roared into the slot before ripping a shot that found twine to tie the game 1-1 at 11:26.
Tyler's goal came just hours after his older brother, former Wolverine Dylan Duke, made his NHL debut in the same building during a matinee for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The brothers scored on the same end of the ice on the day that Dylan became the 120th all-time Wolverine to skate in the NHL.
With the lone assist on Duke's tally, Hughes extended his point streak to 13 games -- the longest active streak in the nation.
MSU responded forcefully with a pair of goals over a span of 2:07 to make it a 3-1 contest.
The third period saw MSU extend its lead to 4-1 at 1:15 when a broken play led to a puck trickling past Korpi during a delayed penalty. Seven minutes later, the Spartans tacked on a fifth goal off a play in transition to balloon their lead to four goals.
Michigan embarked upon another power-play attempt near the middle of the period, but the unit failed to generate enough chances to create a second goal before the offender exited the box.
Following a fracas between the benches, a total of 41 penalty minutes were handed out to the teams, with Michigan picking up an extra handful, including a major penalty on Michael Hage, to give MSU a 5-on-3 power play.
The Spartans converted on the two-man advantage with a one-timer from a hard angle near the goal line at 14:48 that iced the game at 6-1 and resulted in the advantage being halved to a 5-on-4 power play for the duration of the major.
Korpi, who earned the win last night in net for Michigan, shouldered the loss this evening with 34 saves.
Following the final buzzer, Michigan State collected the Iron "D" trophy for the third time in nine tries.
