"New coaching staff there and they're going to do a heck of a job," coach Adam Nightingale said. "We're going to focus on us. This is our first Big Ten road series as a group, right? And so it's tough to have success on the road, and that's our challenge."

Notre Dame is now led by head coach Brock Sheahan, a former Irish defenseman (2004–08) who spent two seasons as an assistant with the program prior.

MSU enters the series 7-1-0 overall, boasting a seven-game win streak. In contrast, Notre Dame is 3-6-1, losing its most recent contests on the road against a tough Minnesota team. The Fighting Irish nearly beat No. 2 Michigan, falling 2-1 in overtime just two weeks ago. 

The Spartans are coming off a sweep of then No. 3 Penn State, earning a 2-1 overtime victory and a 5-0 shutout with junior goaltender Trey Augustine recording 60 saves during the series. Augustine has earned three shutouts this season with a .944 save percentage. 

Both Augustine and senior forward Charlie Stramel earned Big Ten Stars of the Week following the team’s performance. Stramel marked a career-high in points during Game 2 (2-2-4).

Freshman forward Porter Martone continues to lead the team in points (4-7–11), while junior forward Tommi Männistö (5-3–8) and Stramel lead in goals (5-5–10). With the teams' depth all but three Spartans have tallied points this season. 

Notre Dame ranks third in faceoff win percentage in the NCAA, but Stramel was 13-19 (64.8%) against Penn State centers last Saturday.

The Spartans’ offense will face Notre Dame’s netminder Nicholas Kempf, who owns a .901 save percentage with a 3.08 goals-against average. Last season Kempf recorded a career-high 45 saves in a 5-2 loss against MSU in March. 

The Irish are led by forward Sutter Muzzatti (6-3-9), the son of former Michigan State goalie Jason Muzzatti (1987–91). Sutter was nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award during the 2023–24 season.

However, Notre Dame’s scoring is fairly distributed as nine Irish have tallied six or more points — including the team’s top goal-scorer from last season, forward Cole Knuble (2-5-7). Forward Evan Werner, a Michigan transfer, has also recorded seven (3-4-7). 

The Notre Dame series presents a different challenge than last week’s ranked matchup, but it offers another chance for the Spartans to build on their blend of youth and experience — and keep their momentum going.

"They have a great team over there," freshman forward Anthony Romani said. "Every team we play is gonna be good. So I think we're just kind of worried about ourselves right now, trying to play the best Spartan hockey that we can."