Michigan State vs Minnesota Series Preview

The Michigan State Spartans are currently ranked No. 3 and are 12-2 this season. They Travel this week to play the Minnesota Golden Gophers who are ranked No. 1 in a highly anticipated Big Ten battle.

The Spartans are coming off a series split with the Wisconsin Badgers. In their last game, they took Wisconsin to overtime and won 3-2.

The Golden Gophers have been great this season with a 15-2-1 record to secure the No. 1 ranking.

In their last series, Minnesota held Michigan scoreless in both games. They defeated the Wolverines 2-0 in their last game.

These two teams meet very often since they are both in the same conference. In their 57 matchups, Minnesota has won 37 games, while Michigan State has won 12. The teams have tied eight times.

The last time they played was January of last year when the Golden Gophers bested the Spartans by a score of 5-1.

For Minnesota, the answer has been their ability to score.

The Golden Gophers have averaged 4.1 goals per game. Along with scoring, they have also kept the puck out of the net as they have only allowed an average of 1.8 goals per game.

Their leading score is Jimmy Snuggerud. The captain has 22 points (9 G, 13 A) in 22 games played.

A player to watch for Minnesota is Sam Rinzel. The sophomore defenseman has 19 points (8 G, 11 A) in 18 games played. He has been great for the Golden Gophers.

In net, we will see either Nathan Airey or Liam Souliere. Both goalies have been good this year. Airey has posted a .918 Save Percentage and 1.99 GAA in 10 games played.

Souliere has been better than Airey. The Penn State transfer has posted a .943 Save Percentage and 1.39 GAA in nine games played.

Michigan State hasn’t scored at as high of a rate as Minnesota. They have averaged 3.4 goals per game this season.

They’ve kept the puck out at a similar rate as they have only allowed an average of 1.7 goals per game.

They are led in scoring by Lightning prospect Isaac Howard. He has 17 points (7 G, 10 A) through 14 games played this year.

This team has plenty of NHL talent on it.

One of these players is their goalie Trey Augustine. So far this season Augustine has been one of the best goalies in college hockey. He has a .933 Save Percentage and 1.85 GAA.

Augustine is a Detroit Red Wings prospect and will likely be the starting goalie for USA at the World Junior Championship at the end of the month.

Both of these teams could take this game. They both have great rosters with plenty of NHL talent.

It is always a great time when you have a top-five matchup.

Both games will be played at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minnesota. Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Andrew Matz is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email atm5759@psu.edu