Thursday, March 12, 2026

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Sports

SPORTS

Column: MSU improves individually despite results

If I told you the 3-10 MSU wrestling team (1-7 Big Ten) — which hasn’t won a dual in six straight attempts — was in the midst of an upswing, you might think I’d lost my mind. But the truth is, the Spartans have seen improvements in each of those duals and have given a couple ranked teams a run for their money.

ICE HOCKEY

MSU sees benefits from outdoor hockey events

More than a decade ago on a chilly Saturday in October 2001, 74,544 fans witnessed the start of a phenomenon. In an event historically catered to the NHL and the bright lights of a more prominent venue, Spartan Stadium hosted the Cold War hockey game between MSU and Michigan. The game, which ended in a 3-3 tie between the heated in-state rivals, set milestones for the largest crowd at an ice hockey game and paved the way for a culture embracing outdoor hockey.

Rebecca Ryan ·
FOOTBALL

Spartans revere the life of Zeke II

Football Saturdays at MSU are characterized by many iconic traditions, including Sparty, sounds from the “Michigan State Fight Song” filling the air and for much of the last decade, Zeke the Wonder Dog catching Frisbees at halftime. Zeke the Wonder Dog II, who performed at MSU football games from 2001 to 2007, died at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday from old age, said Zeke’s trainer Jim Foley. Jim and his wife, Terri Foley, rescued and trained the black labrador and pointer mix at their Holland, Mich., home. Zeke II was more than 16 years old when he died.

ICE HOCKEY

MSU splits with U-M, tied for No. 5 in CCHA

Fans raised signs and chanted their respective fight songs. Both benches clamored for the next shift and remained on edge as the puck seemed to volley from one end of the rink to the other. And each goal held the implications of victory and the weight of a series. Another typical weekend of college hockey’s fiercest rivalry between the No. 17 MSU hockey team and No. 4 Michigan.

Jeremy Warnemuende ·
BASKETBALL

Column: Spartans prove toughness in Buckeye upset

Tom Izzo walked off the Value City Arena floor Saturday without showing much emotion. If you didn’t know, you might not have guessed that moments ago his No. 11 MSU men’s basketball team upset No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 and moved into a tie for first place in the Big Ten.

ICE HOCKEY

Hockey falls to U-M in overtime, 3-2

Detroit – Even if the No. 17 MSU hockey team was cognizant of the past, it couldn’t stop history from repeating itself. In the shadow of in-state rival Michigan’s banner from the Great Lakes Invitational, the No. 17 MSU hockey team lost possession of the puck in front of its own net in overtime, and U-M forward Kevin Lynch scooped it up and scored to give the No. 4 Wolverines the 3-2 victory at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.