It takes overtime, but Gophers hockey advances over Michigan State in Big Ten tournament

Six times this season, a Big Ten opponent had scored first against the Gophers men's hockey team, and six times the opponent won the game, the only blemishes on Minnesota's record. It was a trend that concerned coach Bob Motzko, who described an uneasy look that his team would get when it fell behind.

So, when Michigan State had the only goal through 55 minutes of Sunday's Big Ten tournament quarterfinal, would the trend continue?

Bryce Brodzinski and Sampo Ranta made sure the answer was an emphatic "no."

Brodzinski scored with 4:59 left in the third period and Ranta fired home the winner 10:35 into overtime as the second-seeded Gophers edged the seventh-seeded Spartans 2-1 in South Bend, Ind. Minnesota (21-6) averted an upset loss to Michigan State (7-18-2) while going through an experience that could be beneficial come NCAA tournament time.

"It's a high percentage this is the game you'll see," said Motzko, whose team played its first overtime contest of the season. " … Tonight, was the night we got a little lesson thrown at us, and I liked how we stuck with it."

The victory moves Minnesota into Monday's 7:30 p.m. semifinal against No. 3 seed Michigan, a 4-0 winner over No. 6 Ohio State.

Sunday's game was a grind for the Gophers, thanks to goalie Pierce Charleson, a freshman making his third start on a hunch by Spartans coach Danton Cole. Charleson made 48 saves, including 12 in overtime, and received help from 28 blocked shots.

Frustration, though, didn't enter the Gophers' mind. "You just have to keep pushing," Ranta said. "We knew it was coming. It was just a matter of time."

With Michigan State leading 1-0 since 10:39 of the first period on Dennis Cesana's power-play goal, Brodzinski finally made the play to tie it. He found space in the MSU zone and whistled a shot through traffic.

"There was lot of the far side of the net open, so I just threw it over there," Brodzinski said. "Luckily, it went in."

The Gophers turned it up a notch in overtime, outshooting the Spartans 13-3. Goalie Jack LaFontaine (22 saves) denied Tommy Apap with a pad save five minutes into OT to keep the score tied.

Then came Ranta's winner. Jaxon Nelson got the puck at the Minnesota blue line, sped down the right wing and fed Ranta. The Finn finished it with a blast past Charleson.

Afterward, the Gophers were relieved and thankful for a lesson learned.

"We hadn't played an overtime game yet this year, and I'm sure it's not going to be our last," Brodzinski said. "It was really big for our team to get the feel for it. … Everyone's playing for their season now."

• In the final minute of the second period, Gophers defenseman Brock Faber, a finalist for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, slid headfirst into the boards and was assisted off the ice. He did not return to the game, and Motzko said he is doubtful to play Monday.