EAST LANSING – After a series against No. 14 Michigan that saw many ups and downs for the Spartans, the No. 8 Michigan State hockey team will return to action to face off against No. 9 Minnesota in a weekend series at Munn Ice Arena.

MSU enters this series still at first in the conference with 34 points and a 10-2-2 conference record. The Gophers enter riding a five-game winning streak and are currently fourth in the Big Ten with 23 points and a 7-4-3 record.

The Spartans are coming off of a series split against the Wolverines last weekend. MSU was dominated in the first matchup, losing 7-1 on their home ice. In the second matchup in Ann Arbor, the Spartans rallied from a 4-1 deficit to win. Senior forward Nicolas Muller scored two goals in the comeback and three times in the series. 

The Gophers are coming off of a series sweep of the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend. In the first matchup, Minnesota beat the Buckeyes 5-2 with a hat trick by junior forward Rhett Pitlick, reaching 15 goals on the season. The Golden Gophers won the second matchup 6-3, with six different Minnesota players scoring goals.

Key players for the Gophers in this series include sophomore forward Jimmy Snuggerud, the leading goal scorer for Minnesota with 18 goals on the season. Freshman defenseman Sam Rinzel, who leads the team in assists with 22, and graduate forward Bryce Brodzinski are also players to watch out for. 

The Spartans will open up the series against the Golden Gophers at Munn Ice Arena on Friday night. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m.