EAST LANSING – After an impressive road series performance against Penn State, the No. 7 ranked Michigan State hockey team will face off against arch-rival No. 15 Michigan in a home-and-home weekend series.

MSU enters the series at the top of the Big Ten with 31 points and a 9-1-2 conference record. The Wolverines enter with a three-game winning streak and are currently fifth with 12 points and a 3-5-2 record. 

In the road series against Penn State, the Spartans swept the Nittany Lions with impressive performances in both games. In the first matchup, freshman goaltender Trey Augustine recorded 31 saves in the 5-0 shutout win.

The Spartans took the second matchup, 7-3. In the win, seven different Spartans recorded goals. Sophomore forward Joey Larson, the leading goal scorer for MSU, scored three times in the series to reach 14 goals on the season. Freshman forward Gavin O’Connell also contributed with three goals in the series.

O’Connell, who has scored in each of the last three games, will be a key player to watch in this series against the Wolverines. Sophomore Red Savage and freshman defender Artyom Levshunov, who leads the team in assists with 18 are also players to watch.       

The Wolverines are coming off a sweep in a home series against Stonehill. Michigan defeated the Skyhawks 12-4 in the first matchup and 7-1 in the second matchup. Sophomore forward Gavin Brindley scored five goals in the series.

Key players for the Wolverines include sophomore forward TJ Hughes, who has 11 goals on the season, and sophomore defender Casey Seamus, who leads the Wolverines in assists with 24.

The Spartans will open up the series against the Wolverines at Munn Ice Arena on Friday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.