Right now, Michigan State hockey is one of the best collegiate teams in the country. The Spartans sit comfortably at No. 2 with a 24-6-4 record. They're good — Big Ten champions good. If you haven’t watched them yet, you’re missing out. Their upcoming postseason run is well worth your time.

I could spend my time explaining why they’re good, but my colleague Madilynn Warden — The State News hockey reporter — already does an amazing job doing this. Instead, I’m going to take a different angle with this column: the fans that cheer this team on. 

The Munnster maniacs

No discussion of MSU hockey fans is complete without the Munnsters. Widely regarded as one of the best and loudest student sections in all of college hockey, they bring Munn Ice Arena to life. Their chants, energy and unwavering passion make the arena electric. For some, like environmental engineering junior Addison Swanson, being part of it is a privilege.

"I’ve had the experience of watching games from general admission and watching games from the actual student section, and I can say that it's a completely different experience," environmental engineering junior Addison Swanson said. "(The student section) is a more concentrated passion in a smaller area. It’s not something that you fully comprehend until you're actually immersed."

Swanson has been in hockey skates since she was four years old, inheriting her love for the game from her father. All her life, hockey has been her passion, but when she purchased Munnster tickets during her freshman year, she didn’t know what to expect. This was because when Swanson first called herself a Spartan, it was head coach Adam Nightingale’s first year on the job. In previous years, the Spartan hockey team had not lived up to expectations, displaying losing records and uneventful games.

Upon arrival, Swanson carried the preconceived notion that MSU didn’t fit in. Teams like the 2007 MSU squad were things of the past, and what replaced them as national contenders were powerhouses like Denver, Boston College and Minnesota.

But, of course, things have changed. This expectation Swanson once carried has dwindled into nothingness. She now knows where this team belongs. "Top five," said Swanson with confidence, and I agree. What Nightingale has done for this team sounds like a broken record, but to understand what being a fan means, it first must be understood what the team means to the fan.

"We have a lot of talent on this team, but I think that there are other teams that may be more skilled than we are," Swanson said. "But I think the team chemistry Nightingale has created — and there's no doubt in my mind that it’s him — has taken away all bad shift changes. They're very aware of one another and they're undoubtedly cohesive in how they play."

Nightingale has created a team chemistry that no other team in the country has, and with this has flipped a regressing program back onto its feet. As MSU rapidly progresses from what it once was, Munn Ice Arena sells out, prompting the win-hungry Munnsters to roar with every slap of the puck.

This is what makes the student section so special, unlike any other in the country. I’ve had my fair share of Munnster experiences, but Swanson can explain it best, as three years of Munnster mania isn’t something to overlook. When in the pit, there’s a job, and that job is to cheer, chant, and do anything to throw the opponent off their game. Swanson believes that by doing this, it not only boosts our Spartans, but rattles the opposition.

"We’re there because we believe in the program and the spirit of the game," Swanson said. "Our sphere of energy absolutely permeates in the rink, and (the players) pay attention. Obviously, they're locked in, but they feel that."

Return of the alumnus 

There are more than half a million people across the globe who call themselves Spartan alumni. Each has their own experiences, stories and tastes. For alumni Darby Lexcen — a 2024 MSU graduate — something keeps calling her back to her former school.

That something is MSU hockey.

"I am a Spartan alumni, and I bleed Spartan green, so I gotta follow my team," Lexcen said. "With this team being so special, I do still follow them and I will watch as many games as I can."

Like Swanson, Lexcen grew up a hockey fan, inheriting it from her father. Unlike Swanson, when Lexcen arrived at MSU, she knew what to expect: bad hockey. Lexcen first arrived at MSU when Danton Cole was head coach. It was the same era of losing records, uneventful games and bleh student sections that I previously discussed. Yet, upon arrival, Lexcen didn’t care. In fact, she embraced it, saying "If we’re gonna be trash, I don’t care. I still get to watch hockey."

Lexcen's experience as a student was nothing short of what Swanson described her own experience as, calling it "electrifying."

So why does someone like Lexcen come back to watch? I pondered this question for a while before Lexcen finally helped me come to a truthful realization. Hockey is fun, it’s a great sport to watch, and when someone like Lexcen carries pride for a team like the Spartans, there’s no turning them away from the Munn gates.

"Being at Munn is very special," Lexcen said. "It’s such a really cool environment to be in. Now that we're so good, it feels a little more like basketball and football. It’s just the place to be."

Lexcen believes that the future is brighter than it already is for MSU hockey, but she encourages help from other fans, particularly alumni. Lexcen thinks that if alumni like her continue to show up and support this team and teams in the future, Spartan hockey will be known as a dynasty, with many national championship banners to show for it.

A life of sticks and pucks

There are hockey fans, and then there are hockey fans. I’m talking about the type of die-hard fans that can name every starter of the 1994 Detroit Red Wings or can tell you how many national championships the University of Denver has. Michigander George Schrink is this hockey fan, as the sport has been a major segment throughout his life.  

It all started in 1974 when a young Schrink was introduced to hockey by his next-door neighbor. This neighbor had a hockey rink, prompting Schrink to learn the game, play the game, and love the game.

"Hockey's a bigger sport than people realize, especially back then, so when I first got into it, it was just a blast," Schrink said. "It’s a great sport, a fun sport, and I love to watch it."

Unlike Swanson and Lexcen, Schrink did not — or does not — attend MSU. Instead, he attended Michigan Tech. It was there that Schrink found a deeper passion: college hockey.

During this time, Michigan Tech was a national contender in Division I college hockey. It was the only sport with Division I status, making it the biggest and most attention-drawing sport at the university. Because of this, Schrink developed an even deeper love for the game, one he has carried with him throughout his life.

While Michigan Tech is still his home team, he now often finds himself rooting for the Spartans of MSU. Why? Because what he’s seen from this team has galvanized him. 

"They’re all good, and that’s what makes it fun," Schrink said. "They have a great goalie, which means something. I’m a little worried because they lost (Red Savage), but other guys can certainly step up and take care of business. I'd like to see them get to the Frozen Four, and I’m rooting for them to win the national championship."

This season, Schrink has been to three MSU games and has been impressed with how they move the puck. With tickets to Toledo to hopefully watch MSU play in the first round of the NCAA tournament, he hopes to watch more Spartan hockey.

Like anyone, Schrink just wants to witness good hockey, and when watching MSU, he feels he gets a good sense of that. With a conference championship under the Spartans' belt, he is intrigued to see how they finish and has his fingers crossed that they’ll bring home some hardware to end it all. I, like Schrink, am also crossing my fingers.