Michigan State hockey entered this season with 13 new players, and still won the Big Ten Conference.
The Spartans established an identity over their 34 regular-season games, winning the Big Ten regular-season title for the third straight year — and outright this season. MSU finished the regular season 25-7-2 overall and 16-6-2 in the Big Ten. The team showed resilience, created an offensive identity, improved defensively and finished strong in high-stakes games — simulating situations it could face in tournament play.
Proved Resilience
MSU showcased its ability to respond early and repeated it throughout the season. The team dropped its season opener on a buzzer-beater and responded the next day with a shutout.
The Spartans were blanked 3-0 by then-No. 1 rival Michigan on home ice back in December. And the team responded with a win the next day, despite trailing at the start, too. MSU has only lost consecutive games one time this season, and the second loss came in overtime.
“We've responded every single time we lost a game this year,” senior center Tiernan Shoudy said last week. “That's what our program is built on, getting above the mat when things don't maybe go your way.”
The Spartans have also proved an in-game response, starting with their second opponent of the season. In their series finale against Boston University, MSU led 3-0, gave up three straight-goals, and then earned a 4-3 overtime win to sweep the then-No. 1 team in the country.
MSU responded to adversity throughout the season, forcing overtimes and finishing games with poise. While the team often leads, it has also found ways to win when trailing and coming back. It never shied away from tough opponents, high-stakes games or big stages.
The Spartans’ biggest wins came in the last two months against then-No. 5 Penn State and then-No. 1 Michigan. MSU swept the Nittany Lions on the road, including an overtime win at Beaver Stadium, fueled by a resilient team effort and a pair of hat tricks.
It was a big-stage game that was crucial for the Big Ten standings at the time. MSU was third, just behind Michigan and Penn State. It felt like a playoff game, senior center Charlie Stramel said. Stramel scored the game-winning goal in overtime en route to his first hat trick.
