With continuous hard work and a season unlike any other, the Michigan State Spartans hockey team is the regular season Big Ten champions for the first time in conference history. Here is a summary of MSU's last weekend of regular season play and what is in store for the team as it heads into the Big Ten Tournament.
Night one of the Michigan State and Ohio State series brought a tough loss, as the hungry Buckeyes fought for the win more than the Spartans. But, the roles quickly flipped on night two as MSU came in hot for an incredible 5-2 win and a position to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten with a big upcoming weekend.
After a tough 6-2 loss to the Buckeyes on night one of the series, Michigan State's hockey was on the prowl for a comeback win on Senior Night to take down its visitors once and for all. Three goals in the second period helped the Spartans beat Ohio State 5-2 on the second and last night of the team's final home series this season.
After a bye week for the Spartans, the men's hockey team was back at Munn Ice Arena for the final home series of the regular season to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. OSU is currently ranked last in the Big Ten with just a lone three conference wins, but after a prior weekend sweep against the Wisconsin Badgers, the Buckeyes kept their hot streak alive and took a dominating 6-2 win over the Spartans.
The time had finally arrived for the last home series of the regular season for the Michigan State Spartans, and another opportunity at a big sweep against the Ohio State Buckeyes, but MSU took a quick fall in the second period which resulted in a 6-2 loss in night one of the two-game series.
In the blink of an eye, the Michigan State Spartans' successful hockey season has flashed by and the last home series of the regular season has arrived as the team prepares to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes for a chance to fight for the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten.
Being sixth in the polls after a sweep of their in-state rivals, the Michigan Wolverines, the Spartans went to the bye week in high spirits, and even without play, the team continued to make big moves as the Spartans jumped to fourth place in both the USCHO and USA Hockey polls. This is the highest rank the Spartans have received in the polls since the team ranked third place back in their 2007 season.
After a huge sweep for the first time since the 2019 season, the Spartans took down No. 14 Michigan and landed themselves tied at No. 5 in the USA Hockey polls, as well as No. 6 in the USCHO, jumping three spots from their previous No. 8 and No. 9 rankings, respectively.
The Michigan State Spartans went into the rivalry weekend against the University of Michigan Wolverines with the same end goal in mind they've had all season: to sweep their opponent. In a harshly fought battle, the Spartans did just that as they concluded the weekend with a 3-2 victory of the Duel in the D matchup, Michigan State's first win since 2016.
The Spartans were in a hunt for a win after an incredibly dominant performance at Yost the night prior and the Spartans became the 2024 Duel in the D champions for the first time since 2016 after winning 3-2 against the University of Michigan Wolverines.
With the final rivalry weekend of the season underway for the Michigan State hockey team, the Spartans finished night one of a two-game series with an absolutely dominant 5-1 win over the Michigan Wolverines. One goal came in the second period and four more — two of them being empty net goals — came in the third period.
As the crowds amped up and the players fled onto the ice, puck drop was soon approaching as the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines were back for the final meeting of the season at Yost Ice Arena to hunt for a big win. The Spartans took a dominating victory over their rivals with a final score of 5-1.
After just a few weeks since the last series between the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines on the ice at Munn Ice Arena and Yost Ice Arena, the in-state rivalry is set for round two as the Spartans travel back to Ann Arbor as well as head to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit for the annual Duel in the D.
After a hard loss during night one of the Michigan State-Notre Dame series on the road, where the Spartan hockey team took a tough 4-1 defeat, the team bounced back for night two and took a dominating 4-0 win.