Michigan State University and Notre Dame University men’s ice hockey places watch for the puck at Munn Ice Arena on Nov. 16, 2024. MSU defeated Notre Dame 4-3.
A bye week doesn’t mean much when the final stretch of the NCAA ice hockey regular season is underway — especially for Michigan State University.
In the USCHO polls, after sitting comfortably in second place in the country following a long tenured run by Boston College, MSU climbed back to the No. 1 spot, reclaiming the top position after Boston College split its series with UMass on Feb. 14-15 and fell to Boston University in the Beanpot Tournament on Feb. 10.
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Spartans also hold firm at No. 2 in the Pairwise rankings, trailing Boston College by a single point.
While MSU rested, the race for the Big Ten regular-season title tightened. The Spartans barely held onto their lead as Minnesota and Ohio State lurked close behind. The Golden Gophers suffered a sweep against Michigan in Ann Arbor, dropping Friday’s game in overtime and Saturday’s in a shootout, earning just two of a possible six points. Meanwhile, Ohio State capitalized on its home ice, sweeping Wisconsin to collect all six available points.
With two series left, the Spartans must win out against Penn State and Notre Dame to lock up the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The final push begins on Friday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena, followed by Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. Both games will be streamed on Big Ten Network.
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