EAST LANSING – After securing their first Big Ten regular-season championship in program history, the No. 4 Michigan State hockey team will face off against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal on Saturday, March 16 at Munn Ice Arena.
The Spartans split their last series of the regular season with Wisconsin to clinch the Big Ten regular season title and secured a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. This is MSU’s first Big Ten Tournament semifinal since 2015.
In their last home series against the Buckeyes in February, the Spartans split the series, losing 6-2 in the first game and winning 5-2 in the second game. The Spartans were led by freshman forward Gavin O’Connell, who scored three goals in the series.
MSU scored four power-play goals in the series against Ohio State. Power plays will be the key for the Spartans in this series. MSU is ranked second in the Big Ten in power play percentage and hopes to take advantage of the Buckeyes’ defense on the man advantage, as Ohio State ranks last in the Big Ten in penalty kill percentage.
The Buckeyes upset the No. 2 seed Wisconsin Badgers in three games to advance to the semifinal. Freshman forward Max Montes and sophomore forward Davis Burnside led Ohio State with two goals each in the series.
Montes and Burnside, who scored in the last series against the Spartans, will be players to watch for Ohio State in the semifinal against MSU.
The Spartans will look to advance to their first-ever Big Ten Tournament final. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening at Munn Ice Arena.
