One wants to continue playing hockey while the other wants to become a surgeon.

The two graduating seniors for the Spartans hockey team couldn't be going on a more different path after finishing their careers at MSU.

Defenseman Joe Markusen and forward Steve Swistak will be honored in tonight's Senior Day festivities before facing off against Michigan at 8:05.

Markusen, a general management major, doesn't have definite plans of what he'll do, but hopes the plans include playing hockey somewhere - wherever that might be.

"Hopefully, I can get picked up somewhere, do that for a while and see where it goes - other than that, I guess I'm really not sure," the Park River, N.D., native said.

Markusen said it's a little "nerve-racking, but at the same time exciting" to not know what he might be doing.

"It'll be fun to see what happens, where I'll end up. It'll be a good experience to go through that," he said.

As an underclassman, Markusen was coached by current MSU athletics director Ron Mason for the first two years and played with the likes of Adam Hall, John-Michael Liles, Ryan Miller and Brad Fast - all staples in the university's hockey program.

Head coach Rick Comley said Markusen has had to adjust with not playing with those upperclassmen once they left MSU.

"Joe has been, maybe, impacted by this 'evolution' more than anybody else - he came in surrounded by very good players and was involved in some of the championships the team competed for," Comley said. "So I think he had a comfort zone as a player to begin with."

Markusen credits four defensemen he played with for molding him into the type of player he is today -?Fast, Liles, Andrew Hutchinson and Jon Insana.

"Those four guys were here for two years with me, from the time I got here until they were all gone," Markusen said. "All of them brought something different to the table as far as what they did, how they played."

Markusen isn't an offensive player - he has 28 points in 149 career games - but he's given the Spartans' young blueline a veteran leadership. The defense consists of three freshmen, two sophomores and Markusen.

"He's been steady - a good defensive player," Comley said. "He doesn't add a lot of points, and isn't going to, but he's had a chance to play in some power-play situations, which he hasn't had up until this year."

Swistak sat out the entire 2000-01 campaign as a redshirt. After just playing nine games in his first two years and recording zero points, Swistak has suited up in 22 contests this year and has four points. He tailed his first two collegiate goals Oct. 31 against Ferris State.

"With Swiss, it's been nice the way this year has turned out for him," Comley said. "He's a good person, tremendous student. He's always put school first and played the game because he loves it."

Swistak graduates in May as a physiology major. He is one of 10 students in MSU's Medical Scholars Program, guaranteeing him admission to medical school.

Swistak said it will take him about nine years before he actually becomes a surgeon, four years of medical school followed by years of residency, then three years of specialization - a lot of work on long nights that the West Bloomfield Hills native hopes will pay off in the end..

"It's pretty strenuous during the week, a lot of times at the library being a big geek," Swistak said. "It's what I have to do, so I schedule my time pretty well to get things done.

"I'm told it'll all be worth it."

Swistak will be on the roster for the Spartans' final regular-season home game against the Wolverines due to the game disqualifications of freshman forward Drew Miller and junior forward Kevin Estrada. It hasn't hit him yet, Swistak said, that he'll be graduating.

"School's still a long ways to go so from that aspect, it's a long way from over," Swistak said. "But I think after the ceremony, it'll kick in in the middle of that. A lot of emotions will be there."

Markusen said as of now, it hasn't hit him that his days as a Spartans hockey player is winding down.

"This year's been hectic - it's been getting down to the wire, so with all that, you kind of don't have time to think about it," Markusen said.

"I think, when the season's over and the guys are starting workouts for next year right away, and when I'm not going to those with everyone else - that's when I'll realize that my career's done here."

After the pregame festivities are over, the duo's lone focus will be gaining four points over MSU's archrivals.

"At the end of the season, you know what kind of team you are. A lot of it is just realizing what's at stake and laying it all out on the line this weekend," Markusen said. "We just need to all realize (it) - every guy in the locker room - and push each other and be mentally ready for it."