After a five-point weekend and a near hat trick, No. 1 Michigan State hockey junior forward Tommi Männistö has been named the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week. This is the first time Männistö has earned a Big Ten weekly honor.
Männistö’s weekend performance (3-2–5) helped the Spartans earn a 4-0 shutout and 6-2 victory over Northern Michigan University on the road. Both Männistö and senior forward Tiernan Shoudy (2-3–5) led the conference in points and goals last week.
The Finland native scored the final goal in Game 1 of the NMU series and was dominant in Game 2. Männistö got the Spartans on the board early with a slapshot less than three minutes into the game. In the same period, Männistö increased the advantage to 2-0 with a quick shot right after a won faceoff.
"I feel way more comfortable," Männistö said after practice a few weeks ago. "I've been working a lot to get better at stick skills and puck handling and shooting. So I feel way more comfortable than previous years."
Männistö showcased his speed in the third period of Game 2, skating down the ice to prevent an icing call and controlling the puck before dishing it to Shoudy, who scored his first goal of the season. Männistö assisted Shoudy on another goal later that period.
On the defensive end, Männistö contributed to MSU’s penalty kill success, which went 13-14 in successful kills against NMU.
Männistö has tallied seven points this season — five goals and two assists — and leads the team with a .357 shooting percentage.
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