With the same chip on its shoulder since being knocked out of the 2024 regional portion of the NCAA tournament, MSU looks to continue its hunt back to the tournament, welcoming Lindenwood University for its last home series until the new year.

Ranked No. 1 for the first time since beating Boston College in the 2007 National Championship, MSU's spot in the polls is just noise that the team and Nightingale continue to block out. During a press conference Tuesday, Nightingale said his team is focused on the things that matter: getting better as a program and taking the correct approach every day, not rankings. 

"I do think in sports if you don’t choose to remain humble, you’ll get humbled pretty fast," Nightingale said. "We've got a lot to work on as a group and that has been the message since we got here, and the guys have bought into it."

With the depth MSU has shown throughout the season, recognizable in many different aspects — defensive scoring, line depth and its goalie tande — the chance for an MSU player to jump into the lineup depends on their work ethic. 

For MSU sophomore goaltender Luca Di Pasquo, the chances to see the ice playing behind one of the nation's top goalie, sophomore netminder Trey Augustine, is a challenge. But Di Pasquo has seen action in three games of the season: Canisius and two exhibitions against Windsor (ON) and the U.S. National Team Development Program. The staff's trust in Di Pasquo has begun to shine throughout his season appearances.

"Luca wants to play. He's a really good goalie and he just happens to be behind a really really good goalie," Nightingale said. "I think Luca has done a heck of a job finding the balance between waving the white flag and still competing for the spot and every day we see him compete."

Since becoming a Division I hockey team in fall 2022, Lindenwood has made adjustments to become a high-end DI team, hiring Bill Muckalt, a former associate head coach for the University of Michigan’s hockey program.

Facing a newer program, the Spartans have made playing with maturity a focus of their 2024-25 campaign thus far, making it clear that MSU will continue to play its style of blue-collar hockey, no matter the opponent.

"One thing we talked about as a group is, it’s never about the opponent, it’s about us," junior forward Karsen Dorwart said. "Every weekend is the same, the way we prepare, we know what we have to bring to play our best."

After winning their first game of the season against the Big Ten's Wisconsin Badgers, Lindenwood enters the weekend 3-10-1. Their seven-game winning streak on the line, the Spartans welcome the Lions to Munn Ice Arena on Friday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. with a chance to keep riding the No. 1 spot. 

"We treat every weekend the same, it's a huge opportunity for us to have two games on home ice," junior defenseman Matt Basgall said. "We always want to take care of home ice. Losing or winning every game is just as important, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing."