Michigan State Wins 2024 GLI

For the first time in 15 years, Michigan State is the Great Lakes Invitational champion. The Spartans defeated Western Michigan, 3-1, on Monday night at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. in the 2024 title game.

Joey Larson scored the game-winning goal, then set up an insurance marker by Isaac Howard in the third period, to lift top-ranked MSU to its first GLI crown since 2009 at the now-demolished Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. GLI MVP Luca Di Pasquo stopped 29 shots for the Spartans, one night after making 16 saves in a 2-0 opening-round victory over Northern Michigan. 

WMU had advanced to this year's championship contest by besting Michigan Tech, 4-3, in overtime on Sunday. MTU then won the consolation game, 4-3 in OT, over NMU yesterday.

MSU has now won 13 GLI titles all-time dating back to the tournament's start in 1965, second behind only former participant Michigan's 17 crowns. Next year's GLI field, the fourth straight that will be played at the VAA in West Michigan, will again feature co-hosts MSU and MTU, plus Ferris State and Miami (Ohio).

Northern Michigan Shutout Streak Ends

Atte Tolvanen and Northern Michigan University's shutout streak came to an end on Friday, with a 5-3 loss to Minnesota State. It only took five games—and nearly a month.

The string began with 15:49 remaining in the second period of a 6-1 win over Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 20. It continued with a 4-0 blanking of UAA the following day, followed by 3-0 and 2-0 wins at Bowling Green on Feb. 3-4. A second two-step sweep of Alaska (Fairbanks) came on Feb. 10-11, by identical scores to the BGSU series, before the streak ended 3:26 into Friday's game against MSU.

Tolvanen, a sophomore from Finland, was in net for all six of those contests, and stopped more than 30 shots in each of the five shutouts. In all he had 196 saves over those five outings, and posted a total shutout string of 339:15. The NCAA Division I consecutive shutout minutes record is 375:01, set by Lake Superior State's Blaine Lacher in 1994.

NMU, which itself has been blanked five times this season, is now 11-18-4 overall, and in seventh place in the WCHA with a 9-13-3 mark.