EAST LANSING – No. 6 Michigan State hockey will travel to face off against No. 4 Wisconsin in a two-game weekend series with the Big Ten regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament on the line. The Spartans can clinch the title with a win over Wisconsin.

MSU enters the series at first place in the Big Ten with 49 points and a 15-5-2 conference record, while the Badgers are second in the conference with 47 points and a 15-6-1 conference record. 

The Spartans aim for their first-ever Big Ten regular season title, while Wisconsin is looking to win its second since the 2020-21 season. 

The Spartans are coming off of a series split against Ohio State. MSU fell 6-2 in the first matchup and won the second matchup 5-2. Freshman forward Gavin O’Connell led the Spartans with three goals in the series, with two of those goals coming on power plays.

O’Connell will be a player to watch for MSU in this series, along with sophomore forwards Karsen Dorwart and Daniel Russell who have scored two goals in MSU’s last two series. 

In the November series at Munn Ice Arena, the Spartans swept the series against the Badgers winning 4-2 in the first matchup and 3-2 in the second. Senior forward Jeremy Davidson and sophomore forward Joey Larson both scored two goals in the series for the Spartans. 

Wisconsin last weekend swept Penn State on the road, winning the first matchup 6-0 and the second matchup 3-2 in overtime. Sophomore forward Cruz Lucius scored two goals in the series and senior goaltender Kyle McClellan recorded his seventh shutout of the season in the first matchup.

Lucius and sophomore forward Simon Tassy, who have both scored 12 goals each on the season, are players to watch for the Badgers.

The Spartans will open up the series against the Badgers on Friday at the Kohl Center. Puck drop is set for 9 p.m.