MSU closed out its weekend against Notre Dame on a high note after a victorious night one, winning 4-3 on Saturday night and moving to 4-0 in conference play with the sweep. 

"It's obviously super challenging to sweep in college hockey," MSU head coach Adam Nightingale said postgame. "We have a ton of respect for Notre Dame and we knew they were going to push."

The first matchup of the series Friday between Notre Dame and MSU was back and forth for the first 20 minutes. The Spartans took off in the waning minutes of the second period, ending night one with a landslide 8-3 victory. It was the first time they scored eight goals against a Big Ten opponent.

After allowing six goals on Friday, Notre Dame goaltender Owen Say was benched for Saturday. Nicholas Kempf stepped into the crease for his fourth game of the season.

From the drop, the Spartans were all over the puck and created plays across the ice. 

"I thought we played north, we played behind them, we changed early and we weren't extending shifts," Nightingale said.

For the first five minutes of the first period, MSU limited Notre Dame to just a single shot on goal while firing five shots on goal. The relentlessness and the depth of the lineup was clear as the forward third line of seniors Red Savage, Tanner Kelly and junior Tiernan Shoudy were hot off the first draw of the game.

Continuing this depth trend, freshman forward Shane Vansaghi got the Spartans on the board first. He was quick to dodge around Notre Dame opponents just in front of the crease and ripped one to the back of the net for a lead.

"It's more about playing our Spartan hockey type of way, it's playing hard, it's not giving them any time and space and finishing our checks, making them turnover pucks and really putting pucks on their goalie," Vansaghi said.

Special teams continued to play a major role for both teams. With 21 seconds remaining in the first period, the Fighting Irish capitalized on a man advantage. But fresh off of the power play goal with just 0.6 seconds remaining in the first period, MSU junior defenseman Matt Basgall fired the puck into the back of the net to reclaim the lead. MSU was quick to respond on Friday and rolled that over to Saturday.

Playing to their identity, the Spartans came firing into the second period.

MSU sophomore forward Gavin O’Connell hopped into the scoring action just 76 seconds into the second period with a quick strike into the net that gave MSU a two-goal lead. But the Fighting Irish responded as the Spartans fought through two penalty kills, sending in a shot to make it a one-goal game. 

Then, MSU junior forward Daniel Russell netted his seventh goal of the season on a wrist shot, helping the Spartans re-take multiple goals into the final 20 minutes of play. 

MSU held strong on defense and special teams to end the period. Though it had a great look on a shorthanded opportunity, the attempt to take a three-goal came up short when Kempf stood tall on a breakaway.

After Kempf was called to the bench and Notre Dame's Axel Kumlin scored a goal, the Spartans still emerged victorious, 4-3. 

MSU continued its winning streak in Big Ten play with its second straight season sweep over a conference opponent.

MSU will head to Plymouth, Michigan for an exhibition matchup against the United States National Team Development Program on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.