The Detroit News’s Connor Eargood posted a story about Red Wings prospect and Michigan State University goaltender Trey Augustine. Eargood suggests that Augustine has become the rock upon which MSU rebuilt its hockey program:
Augustine’s commitment [to Michigan State] was, frankly, program-defining for Michigan State. If [Spartans coach Adam] Nightingale is the architect of the Spartans’ ascent from the Big Ten basement to college hockey’s penthouse, then Augustine is the foundation. He’s the basis for everything this program has built since, whether that be the stops he makes on the ice or the easy sell of a recruiting pitch when asked to play in front of one of the world’s top goaltending prospects.
“It just kind of comes down to the culture part of it and what you want to be a part of,” Augustine said. “Obviously this place in the years before I was here wasn’t the best. Obviously, Coach Nightingale and the whole staff did a great job kind of getting back going the right direction the year before I came in. But I really thought I could be a part of change and make this place what it once was — a hockey powerhouse.”
Last season, Augustine backstopped the program’s first ever Big Ten regular-season title. He played a heavy hand in an overtime Big Ten Championship game win over the Michigan team he once committed to. He won Michigan State’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2008. This season, Augustine is a top candidate to win the Mike Richter Award as college hockey’s top netminder, a 14-4-3 record, .926 save percentage and 2.12 goals-against average all top 10 among goalies who have played 20 or more games. He hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game all season.
“Sometimes young hockey players, they just follow the crowd, right?” Nightingale said. “And he saw what this place could be.”
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