Coming off of a split weekend against rival University of Michigan -- losing 7-1 at home and winning 7-5 away -- the Michigan State Spartans have been moved around in the USA Hockey Polls as well as in the USCHO rankings.
According to the USCHO rankings, Michigan State dropped from seventh place, the ranking the were last week, back to eighth place, the ranking they were just two weeks ago. The team is now just behind Quinnipiac and ahead of Minnesota, the team they are playing this upcoming weekend. In the USA Hockey polls, the Spartans dropped from fifth place to seventh place, but maintained an impressive top ten spot.
The split weekend also resulted in Michigan State dropping in the PairWise rankings from third place to seventh place. But, having a hopeful sweep on the upcoming weekend could result in more movement for them.
While the Spartans did fall in the polls, the team received a Big Ten Star of the Week: fifth year forward Nicolas Müller. He notched five points on the weekend with three goals and two assists, as well as putting a stop to a near shutout for the Friday game against the Michigan Wolverines with their lone goal on the night. On Saturday in Michigan State's comeback win at Michigan, Müller scored two goals and dished two assists.
The Spartans are back in action against the Minnesota Golden Gophers for their second to last home series of the season. The two teams will play Friday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. with streaming on Big Ten Plus, as well as Saturday, Jan. 27 for a 4 p.m. afternoon game that will be streamed on Big Ten Network.
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