The No. 14 MSU hockey team is tired.

That's not a knock, but an expectation from a roster full of student-athletes. With a tough schedule since the start of the season - and the semester coming to a halt - the Spartans have had little time off.

And this weekend is no exception. The Spartans (7-4-1 overall, 6-3-1 CCHA) host Wayne State (2-4-2, 1-3-0 CHA) in an nonconference series tonight at 7:05 and Friday at 7:35 p.m.

Despite Wayne State's not-so-impressive record, the Spartans can't look past the Warriors, as they hail from the same conference as Findlay. In the Spartans' first game of the season, Findlay - of the CHA - entered Munn Ice Arena and handed MSU its first loss of the year, 4-3. Wayne State was invited to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Spartans stayed home. It's this scenario that has the Spartans not looking past the nonconference series because of the importance it has to the Spartans' postseason participation.

"Even though it's out of conference play, you've got to take them serious because you can't take those games lightly and shoot yourself in the foot," freshman goaltender Dominic Vicari said. "Even though they're not in our league, those games will come back to haunt you when we're trying to make the tournament."

With the MSU-Wayne State series ending Friday, Spartans head coach Rick Comley has granted his players Saturday and Sunday off to rest. Junior forward Mike Lalonde said the time away from hockey will aid the Spartans in several areas, including injuries and school.

"You can look at it as one extra day off for whatever reason," Lalonde said. "A couple injuries and an extra day helps some guys get back from bumps and bruises. But other than that, getting away from the rink Saturday and Sunday at a time like this - to get refreshed - is good for a player."

The Spartans' rest will be better served with two wins this weekend. Missing the chance at two wins last weekend in Oxford, Ohio, the Spartans need the weekend's four points. Beginning next weekend, the Spartans enter a tough stretch, playing Wisconsin and Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase, followed by a home-and-home series against No. 7 Michigan before finals week. This makes the Wayne State series as important as any game up to this point.

"A lot of the guys haven't been home in a couple of months and I think a lot of the guys are tired," said junior captain Jim Slater. "I think it's a great thing to have Saturday and Sunday off because we got Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan after that, so it's going to be four real tough games.

"It's good to have a break, but we're going to take that wisely because we're going to be playing hard Thursday and Friday."