After finishing last in the Big Ten a year ago, Michigan State hockey finished just two spots out from an at-large berth in the 16-team NCAA tournament field.
Jagger Joshua and Dylan St. Cyr were both named All-Big Ten honorable mentions Tuesday afternoon.
Contrary to most of the last decade, the likely end of the season doesn’t bring a sigh of relief after a long losing streak or a painful year, but rather a glimpse of hope for what’s to come in the Nightingale era.
Hovering at a .500 record, Michigan State still has a chance of making the 16-team NCAA tournament. But the Spartans won’t know their fate until Selection Sunday next week after the league's conference tournament winners are decided.
Puck drop is set for Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT in Minneapolis at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The semifinal game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Defeating the Gophers for the first time this season won't come easy, but the Spartans are confident they have what it takes to pull off the playoff victory.
This is the first time Michigan State has advanced in the tournament since the conference was formed in 2013-14.
The Spartans look to carry their scoring momentum into Sunday's tie-breaker matchup set for 6 p.m. at Compton Family Ice Arena.
Michigan State holds on to see another day as the Spartans and Irish head back to Compton Family Ice Arena tomorrow at 6 p.m. to decide the winner of the quarterfinals round.
The defeat pushes Michigan State's backs against the wall in a win-or-go-home Saturday evening matchup.
The loss brings MSU to 2-2-1 against Notre Dame on the year. Puck drop for the second game in the series is set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
The best-of-three series starts Friday at 7 p.m. at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend. Saturday’s game is set for 4:30 p.m. If necessary, a tie-breaker match will take place Sunday at 6 p.m. All games will be televised on FS2.
The Spartans finished 2-1-1 against Notre Dame in the regular season. The best-of-three quarterfinals round takes place March 3-5.
MSU sits at 34 points in the conference, where it will stay with no remaining series in the regular season. The Spartans no longer control their own destiny to host a Big Ten tournament game, but can still finish fourth place or higher depending on the results of next week's games.
Three different Spartans recorded three points in Michigan State hockey's return to the ice following Monday night's shooting.
The Spartans have one last item to check off their regular season to-do list, as they travel to Madison to take on Wisconsin. Puck drop is set for Friday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Michigan State has just two regular season games remaining and will need some help if it hopes to earn home-ice advantage for the Big Ten Tournament.
With the loss, the Spartans fall to 15-15-2 overall and 9-11-2 in the Big Ten.
An abundance of thrown punches, intense hits and fighting resulted in numerous stops and timeouts to review previous plays, therefore, extending regulation. In the end, it was 45 minutes longer than MSU’s game against Notre Dame last Friday.
The two rivals will go back at it Saturday night at Little Caeser's Arena in Detroit for the series finale.