Michigan State scored three times in the first seven minutes Saturday and never looked back as the Spartans defeated Colorado College, 4-1, at the Broadmoor World Arena.
 
John Lethemon had 35 saves and Patrick Khodorenko posted three assists as Michigan State and CC both moved to 2-2 this season.
 
Jerad Rosburg put the Spartans on the board just 1:15 into the contest with a wraparound that went through the legs of CC goalie Matt Vernon. Cole Krygier doubled the lead at the 4:39 mark with a shot from the left point and Gianluca Esteves completed a give-and-go with Tommy Apap at 6:48 for a 3-0 advantage.
 
Following Esteves' goal, CC head coach Mike Haviland pulled Vernon in favor of Ryan Ruck, who held MSU off the scoreboard for the rest of the period with eight saves.
 
Ben Copeland cut the deficit to 3-1 with a 4-on-3 power-play goal with 35 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Copeland rifled a shot from the high slot that cleanly beat Lethemon. Bryan Yoon collected his third assist of the weekend and Josiah Slavin posted his first career point on Copeland's second tally of the season.
 
The Spartans extended their lead to 4-1 when Nico Muller put a rebound past Ruck at the 7:24 mark of the second period.
 
The Tigers had a 5-on-3 opportunity for 1:04 early in the third period but couldn't capitalize and Logan Lambdin closed out the scoring at the 6:29 mark of the third.
 
What Head Coach Mike Haviland Said
"We have to learn that it is a series. The team across the hall (Michigan State) was not happy. They came out and played like that. We came out and played like we wanted an easy game."
 
"We lost the game in the first five minutes. You chase the game all night and you can't play like that. We have to prepare better. That goes back on me. (The players) have to take some accountability on that too. We are all in this together."
 
"We were standing around a lot. Give them credit. They were skating and moving and we were watching. That goes back to back to being ready to play, They were ready and we weren't. We chased the game the whole night."
 
Three Stars of the Game
1. John Lethemon, Michigan State (35 saves)
2. Patrick Khodorenko, Michigan State (3a)
3. Gianluca Esteves, Michigan State (1g,1a)
 
Colorado College Notes
Chris Wilkie led all players with seven shots, on shy of his career high
Yoon has four assists in his last three games and tied his career high with a three-game point streak
Grant Cruikshank had five shots and is tied with Wilkie with a team-high 17 for the season
Freshmen Chad Sasaki and Connor Mayer each blocked two shots
The Tigers had a season-high 36 shots on goal
 
CC was 1-for-5 on the power play
 
Michigan State Notes
Khodorenko led all players with a +4 rating
Lambdin led the Spartans with five shots
Michigan State was 0-for-1 on the power play
 
Up Next
Colorado College opens play in the NCHC with a two-game series against Western Michigan on Friday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m., at the Broadmoor World Arena.