Howard, Augustine star as No. 2 Michigan State tops Notre Dame 1-0 in Big Ten Semis

howard battle — Michigan State's Tyler Howard battles in front of the Notre Dame net during the Spartans' 1-0 victory in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, Saturday at Munn Ice Arena. | Photo by Nick King | USA Today Network

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State got a good taste of one-and-done, postseason tournament hockey on Saturday night, and the Spartans passed the test. An Isaac Howard power play goal just :19 seconds into the third period was enough to give the Spartans a 1-0 victory over upset-minded Notre Dame in the single-elimination Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, at Munn Ice Arena. Michigan State will play host to the winner of the Ohio State-Penn State semifinal. “There was a ton of juice in the building and I thought they were really into the game,” said Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale said. “Obviously if you look at the score, there wasn’t a ton of events, but I think the quality of play was really good.”