This Friday and Saturday will mark the true beginning of MSU's hunt for a Frozen Four after coming one game short in March at the hands of its bitter rival.

“We’re fired up for a lot of reasons. Home opener, fans are coming out and we’re excited for that,” junior forward Isaac Howard said at a press conference Tuesday. “We owe these guys from last year, they’re a great team. It's going to be a great weekend and I can’t wait.”

The Eagles lost key pieces in forwards Will Smith and Cutter Gauthier, both NHL top 10 draft picks in their respective entry years, but the reigning Hockey East champions are still contenders at No. 2 in the country. 

BC shut out University of Michigan in the 2023 national semifinal before being shut out in the title game by University of Denver.

“That’s what college hockey is all about," Howard said. "You want to play the best opponents and when you got two teams who are really good playing each other it makes for exciting nights."

Before MSU suits up for the home opener, the Spartans were challenged in their first series of the season on the road against the Lakers.

The Spartans took a 2-1 victory on the first night on their trip up north. MSU's top line of junior forward Daniel Russell, Howard and junior Charlie Stramel produced throughout the full 60 minutes and the extra 39 seconds of overtime needed to win. But the team was plagued with penalties, holding it back from more scoring opportunities.

After shaking off the rust, MSU came into the second game swinging en route to a 5-1 victory. Howard produced three points in the first multi-goal game of his college career.

Last weekend on the road, there was confidence to regain and emotions to level out for MSU.

“We needed to take a breath. We were all jacked up to finally play and finally hit somebody that wasn’t our teammates,” senior forward Red Savage said. “We needed to take a deep breath and get our confidence back a little bit. We know we have the skill and depth in our room to play against anyone in the country.”

In October of 2023, MSU was swept by the Eagles. Then, the Spartans didn't lose a regulation game until late January. Savage said the biggest thing that was learned last season against BC is that MSU is not impenetrable.

“We can lose games and that’s okay, but we want to win every game,” Savage said. “I think taking that sweep was really eye-opening for us to be able to make sure that we really hunker down and do all the right things on and off the ice.”

The Spartan hockey mindset continues heading into a challenging weekend. Howard said MSU has a target on its back and won't sneak up on anyone this season, but are focused on preparing the same way every series. 

MSU will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Munn Ice Arena in front of what should be a jam-packed crowd. Puck drop on Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday, Oct. 12 is set for 6 p.m. Friday's game will be aired by Big Ten Network and Big Ten Plus will stream Saturday's showdown.