The men’s ice hockey team continued on its torrid pace, winning its sixth straight game Friday night.

The No. 4 Spartans (7-1-1 overall, 6-1 CCHA) seized first place in the CCHA by sweeping No. 12 Northern Michigan (5-3-3, 3-3-2) this weekend at Munn Ice Arena.

The teams entered the weekend tied with Michigan atop the CCHA standings with eight points each. But the Spartans’ sweep, coupled with a Wolverine loss, has left MSU alone in first.

“We’re exactly where we want to be right now,” said senior left wing Damon Whitten, who scored his first three goals of the year against Northern. “We were hoping we could take all four points.”

Whitten paced the Spartans’ offensive charge, notching the game-winning goal in Thursday night’s 3-2 win and scoring MSU’s first two goals in a 4-1 victory Friday.

MSU head coach Ron Mason said Friday’s contest was the best game the Spartans have played all year.

“The game was pretty well-played by both teams,” Mason said. “We played with a little more step tonight and dictated the tempo of the game. You’re not going to see better college hockey than that anywhere in the country.

“Not too many teams are going to sweep this Northern Michigan team.”

Sophomore goaltender Ryan Miller won both games in net for MSU. The two-time defending CCHA Defensive Player of the Week made 21 saves Thursday and 18 saves Friday for the wins.

Junior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson assisted on all four Spartan goals Friday, a career high. Sophomore defenseman Brad Fast also made his presence felt on the scoresheet by notching three assists.

“Our defense was just what the doctor ordered tonight,” Mason said. “They made the right plays and got the puck deep. We generated more opportunities than we have recently.”

Whitten opened the scoring 1:18 into Friday’s game, taking his own rebound and slapping it into a wide-open net.

Mason said Whitten’s recent scoring touch is the result of confidence.

“You have to get your first (goal) and then you start to think the puck’s going to go in the net,” Mason said. “It’s like a home-run hitter who gets that home run he hasn’t hit in awhile and all of a sudden he has the confidence.”

Whitten’s second goal of the game came during a delayed Northern penalty, as the Spartans kept the puck away from the Wildcats for about 20 seconds. Skating 6-on-4 with Miller out of the net, MSU generated three quality scoring chances before Whitten finally tipped a Hutchinson point shot past Northern goaltender Craig Kowalski.

Kowalski, a true freshman, had never lost in his collegiate career before this weekend, boasting a 4-0-1 record. He dropped both decisions to the Spartans.

Leading 2-1 after two periods, senior right wing John Nail gave MSU some breathing room 54 seconds into the third by slipping a 50-foot wrist shot past Kowalski.

Freshman center Jeremy Jackson completed the scoring, tallying a power-play goal in the final minute of the game.

With the power-play goal, 15 of the past 21 Spartan goals have come on special teams.

“We created so many chances on the power play tonight,” Whitten said. “Both units were phenomenal.”

Not to be outdone by the offensive fireworks, Miller brought the Munn crowd of 6,904 to its feet midway through the second period, stoning Northern team points leader Chris Gobert, a center, on a short-handed breakaway. He turned away both the initial shot and a rebound with his left pad, keeping the score tied at 1-1.

Miller has not allowed more than two goals in a game since surrendering four to Alaska-Anchorage on Oct. 13.

Nationally, the Spartans will probably climb from their fourth spot in both major polls because two teams ranked ahead of MSU lost last week. No. 1 Boston College fell 4-3 to Yale on Tuesday and No. 3 U-M lost 5-4 to Ferris State in Big Rapids on Saturday.

“We’ve gotten a lot better as the season goes along,” Hutchinson said. “We don’t want to plateau too early in the season, but I don’t think we will. We have a talented team, our team chemistry is good and everyone knows their role.”

The Spartans will continue their four-game home stand, the longest of the season, when they battle No. 13 Western Michigan at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Munn. The Broncos (8-1-1, 3-0-1) swept Niagara during the weekend and have won seven straight games.

“They’re ripping it up right now,” Whitten said. “It’ll be interesting to see how they’re putting all those points on the board.”