While Saturday’s game gives the Spartans a bigger stage, both games are crucial to the Big Ten standings; it’s a fight for second place.

Both MSU and Penn State are 10-4-0 in the Big Ten. The Spartans have 30 points, trailing Penn State and Michigan who have 31. Michigan leads the conference with its 11-3-0 record. The Big Ten competition is tight and the race for the conference title is influenced by each game. 

“Our message is always, let's just focus on today. You know, tomorrow, it's going to worry about itself,” sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi said over a podcast on Wednesday. “Focus on today and do everything we can to get better practice today. And then on Friday night, like there's three points on the line, we're gonna go there and try and win a hockey game. And then Saturday will take care of itself.”

MSU enters the series after completing back-to-back sweeps — on the road at then-No. 2 Wisconsin and at home against Minnesota. Similarly, Penn State carries a seven-game winning streak after sweeping Wisconsin last weekend. However, the last time the teams squared off, the Nittany Lions saw their seven-game winning streak snapped.

Back in November, MSU swept Penn State on home ice, earning a 2-1 overtime win on opening night and a 5-0 shutout to close the series. Junior goaltender Trey Augustine allowed one goal on 61 shots that weekend and his excellence has continued throughout the season. 

Augustine holds the best goals-against average (1.730) in the country, as well as the second-best save percentage (.938). Penn State’s goaltender Joshua Fleming currently boasts the best save percentage in the NCAA with a .944 in 12 games. The Nittany Lions alternate goaltender, Kevin Reidler holds a .916 save percentage in 13 contests. 

“They're having a heck of a season,” coach Adam Nightingale said. “Got a really good team, a ton of depth. Their goalies are playing really well. Looking forward to the challenge of getting out on the road.”

Penn State’s offense is led by wingers Matt DiMarsico (14 goals, 15 assists), Gavin McKenna (10 goals, 19 assists) and JJ Wiebusch (13 goals, 13 assists). McKenna tallied a hat trick last weekend, as did forward Dane Dowiak. 

The Nittany Lions will be missing center Charlie Cerrato, a key component of their offense. Cerrato suffered an injury on Jan. 9 and Penn State coach Guy Gadowski told the media Cerrato will miss the rest of the regular season. Cerrato led the team in scoring at the time of his injury. 

While the Spartans’ first line of forwards — seniors Charlie Stramel and Daniel Russell and freshman Porter Martone — has the highest point production, the past few games have featured goals from skaters on every line, highlighting the team’s depth and maturity as the season has progressed. Both Stramel and senior forward Tiernan Shoudy have spoken about the team’s growth.

“I think in the past we wanted to play with too much skill, which isn't a bad thing. A lot of guys have a ton of skill, but you got to know when to use it, when to make the right play,” Shoudy said. “I think we've matured a ton at that. I would say this past weekend against Minnesota and Wisconsin, we've shown that. I think we just got to do that for 60 minutes.” 

While Penn State will sport new jerseys and special sticks for Saturday’s contest, MSU is treating this as it treats every hockey game. 

“I'm proud of our jerseys,” Nightingale said. “We get a chance to play on this stage, I want to make sure we represent. I think we got a lot of alums that are really proud of our jersey, the history of our jersey, Michigan State script, so we're gonna stick with that.” 

The Spartans had the opportunity to compete outdoors last year in The Frozen Confines at Wrigley Field, an experience Shoudy called unreal. However, he added that once the game started it was like any other hockey game, a mindset the team will emphasize headed into this weekend. 

“At the end of the day, when the puck drops, it's just playing hockey,” Nightingale said. “The puck's the same size, and the net’s the same size, the rink’s the same size. We got two blue lines and a red line, and you got two benches. At the end of the day, I think that's really important, to go out and focus on things that things that matter, focus on what we got to do to try to be a good team.”