EAST LANSING— The No. 2 Michigan State Spartans will travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes in a pivotal two-game series between ranked Big Ten foes.
The Spartans are the first team in the NCAA to reach 20 wins on the season, which they clinched against No. 4 Minnesota in their last series.
The Buckeyes have earned points in nine of their last ten games and have quietly risen to No. 3 in the Big Ten Standings.
This will be another tough test for the Spartans, who have beaten the No. 1, 3, 4 and 13 teams in the country this season.
MSU opened its Big Ten season against the Buckeyes, where they controlled both games on the way to a two-game sweep, outscoring the Buckeyes 8-3 over the weekend series.
However, those games were played on home ice for the Spartans at Munn Ice Arena. The Buckeyes are much more dangerous on the road, boasting a record of 9-1-1 at Value City Arena.
MSU goaltender Trey Augustine has been one of the best netminders in the country. In 19 starts, Augustine has a record of 13-3-3 with a goals against average of 2.07 and a save percentage of .928%.
Spartans’ defenseman David Gucciardi is coming off a great series against Minnesota, where the senior scored two goals and two assists. Gucciardi was recognized for this performance with the Big Ten Second Star of the Week.
With four remaining series and a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on the table, a sweep against the Buckeyes would boost the resume for the Spartans.
Game one of the series will start on Thursday, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.