EAST LANSING, MI—It’s going to be a cold weekend on the campus of Michigan State University, but that won’t stop the fun at Munn Ice Arena. Friday night will be the Teddy Bear Toss, where participating Spartan fans will throw stuffed animals of any variation onto the ice that will be collected and donated to charity. Saturday night will be Star Wars Night, and the Munnsters will be given green lightsabers to create a spectacular pre-game show.
The Spartans enter this series in third place on the Big Ten Standings after a dominant weekend spent in Madison. Michigan State sits seven points behind the first-place Michigan Wolverines, with two games to spare. This home series versus the Gophers could provide a crucial six points for Michigan State to throw them right back in contention for another Big Ten title.
Entering this series is a Minnesota squad that has played well below expectations so far this season. Sitting fifth in Big Ten standings with a 4-8-0 conference record is not where anyone expected the Gophers to be during the season, but some injuries and disappointing blue-line play have held the maroon and golf back significantly.
Another issue Minnesota is facing is production out of the top line. The three top performers so far this season include sophomore forward Brodie Ziemer, senior forward Brody Lamb, and freshman forward LJ Mooney. The three skaters have a combined –17 while out on the ice, despite having a team high combination of 60 points on the year.
In net for the Gophers is someone Spartan fans should recognize, junior Luca Di Pasquo. Di Pasquo, who sat behind junior goaltender Trey Augustine last season, is expected to start on Friday night.
As for the Spartans, the first-line brilliance continues. Senior center Charlie Stramel has recorded a team high 29 points so far this year, Freshman forward Porter Martone leads the team in shot percentage (.230), and senior forward Danniel Russell has been phenomenal dishing the puck with 16 assists through 22 games so far. The top-line forwards have combined for +65 on the season.
The Mike Ritcher Award for the best collegiate goaltender is slowly becoming out of reach for those not named Trey Augustine, as the veteran goaltender has had a stellar season so far. Augustine ranks second in the nation for both goals-allowed-average and save percentage, as he will look to move to the best in both categories this weekend against Minnesota.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday evening at Munn Ice Arena.
