EAST LANSING– Michigan State Hockey has high expectations coming off a historic 2023-24 campaign.

The Spartans are led by head coach Adam Nightingale, who was hired in 2022. Nightingale turned the program around in his first two seasons, with a record of 42-29-5, the second-most wins over two years in program history.

Last season, the Spartans won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, along with a second-round appearance in the NCAA Men’s Hockey tournament.

For how great the last season was, the Spartans still believe they have unfinished business.

“We want to win a national championship, so we have a lot to work toward and something to prove,” said alternate captain Matt Basgall.

Heading into the new season, the Spartans are no longer a team flying under the radar. Both major polls have the Spartans as the No. 4 ranked team. 

Not only do they have the respect of the media, but they were also selected as the favorites to win the Big Ten by the coaches. 

Sophomore goaltender Trey Augustine is eager to face the challenge of meeting those high regards. 

“There are obviously a lot of expectations this year, and we know there’s a lot of work to be done. We look forward to the challenge and to seeing what we can do this year.”

Along with Augustine, junior forwards Karsen Dorwart and Isaac Howard were named to the All-Big Ten First Team.

Senior Red Savage was voted captain by the players, despite only being in his second season as a Spartan.

“He plays extremely hard, he plays winning hockey and I think he’s a great example for our young guys,” Nightingale said.

The Spartans are returning 17 players from the year prior, while also mixing in some new faces.

“You can expect us to look different this year – we have nine new players,” Dorwart said. “We have guys who are able and ready to step up into new roles.”

However, the Spartans did lose their star defenseman from the year prior Artyom Levshunov, who was drafted second overall in the NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Many other players had the opportunity to leave the Spartans for “The Show” but ultimately decided to come back for another year of collegiate hockey.

“We had four guys who had the opportunity to sign NHL contracts and decided not to,” Nightingale said.

Munn Ice Arena is celebrating a milestone 50th anniversary this season. Last season, Spartan fans showed out, ranking sixth in average attendance. 

The Spartans’ first series at Munn is a big one, facing off against the National Championship runner-up Boston College Eagles. This will be a top-five matchup as the Eagles are ranked No. 2 in the polls.

The Spartans will also have four games against in-state rival, the Michigan Wolverines. After winning the regular season series 3-1, the Spartans beat the Wolverines in an overtime thriller to win the Big Ten Tournament. 

Ultimately the Wolverines got the last laugh, eliminating Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Spartans will begin their season with a weekend against the Lake Superior State Lakers on Oct. 4 and 5.

Nightingale is quite familiar with Lake Shore State, beginning his college hockey career as a Laker before transferring to Michigan State in 2002.