“Everybody’s being a Spartan,” senior forward Chris Mueller said. “There are no rookies, and we just look like a hockey team right now.

“Our guys just rallied together…This was definitely playoff hockey.”

Junior goaltender Jeff Lerg’s sprawling performance shut down Notre Dame’s offense and kept the Spartans in the game early on. The Irish out shot MSU 14 to eight in the first period.

“I thought we played pretty well for the most part,“said Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson. “We’re getting the chances, we’re just not finishing.

“(Michigan State) has a really good defensive team, and they transition extremely well.”

And while the win is “a step in the right direction” for the Spartans, the team has to maintain that intensity to be successful Sunday in South Bend, Ind.

“It was something we needed to do, something for ourselves,” said junior forward Nick Sucharski, who scored an empty net goal in the third period. “We had to prove it to the league, we had to prove it to the nation, exactly where we stand. This is the first game in a while that’s really been a test for us.

“That was a battle…We just have to make sure we keep on this track.”

MSU posts a 5-0 record when playing on the road so far this season.

Junior forwards Matt Schepke and Justin Abdelkader chipped in the Spartans’ other two goals.

“The rivalry’s there,” Sucharski said. “We really enjoyed it, at the same time, we hate their guts.”

The Spartans head to South Bend, Ind., Sunday to take on the Irish. The puck drops at 4:05 p.m.