As the regular season draws to a close, Michigan State University’s second-ranked hockey team is poised to finish strong with eight games remaining, including a two-game trip to Ohio State next. The Spartans have already defeated the Buckeyes twice in East Lansing, and Ohio State”ranked 11th”will be looking for a win to boost their chances of making the NCAA Tournament.
With a five-point lead over Minnesota in the Big Ten standings, MSU holds second place in the national pairwise rankings, trailing only Boston College. After recording a win and a tie against Minnesota over the weekend, the Spartans are in a commanding position, with no other team realistically competing for the regular season title.
Head coach Adam Nightingale expressed his concerns about the potential for complacency, given his team’s success thus far.We don’t want to get complacent, and it’s hard to deal with sometimes because of the outside noise and social media. We have to stay sharp, especially at this time of year,he said.If we do, it gives us the best chance to succeed.
With a 20-3-3 record and just three home games left, including matchups against Michigan and Penn State, the Spartans are looking to maintain their focus as they head into the final stretch of the season. Nightingale also spoke about the influence of fellow Spartan coach Tom Izzo, calling him a machine in the context of Michigan State overall athletic culture.
The Spartans next challenge comes on Thursday and Friday against Ohio State, with no game scheduled for Saturday due to a country music concert at the Ohio State arena.
