EAST LANSING, MI. – Michigan State men’s hockey begins its campaign for the NCAA Ice Hockey National Championship against the UConn Huskies in the Regional Semifinals on Thursday. The Spartans earned a No. 1 seed (No. 3 overall) after a strong regular season and were placed in the Worcester Regional alongside Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Dartmouth.
This matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between Michigan State and UConn.
Michigan State enters the contest following an upset loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes on home ice in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Following the conclusion of the Big Ten Tournament, the Spartans received a plethora of conference awards.
Head coach Adam Nightingale was awarded Big Ten Coach of the Year, his second time earning the honor during his tenure at Michigan State.
The Spartans’ defense was stellar throughout the regular season, with senior captain Matt Basgall earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and junior goaltender Trey Augustine being named Big Ten Goaltender of the Year.
Both Basgall and Augustine were named to the All-Big Ten First Team, alongside teammates freshman forward Porter Martone and senior center Charlie Stramel.
As for the UConn Huskies, Selection Sunday was far more stressful following a loss in their conference championship game, leaving them reliant on the selection committee for a chance to make a run at the program’s first NCAA national title.
Head coach Mike Cavanaugh has guided the Huskies to just their second NCAA Tournament appearance in his 12th year at the helm.
UConn has quietly put together a successful season, ranking No. 23 nationally in scoring offense at 3.11 goals per game and No. 11 nationally in goals allowed per game at 2.38. The Huskies have also been a very disciplined team, averaging just 8.41 penalty minutes per game compared to Michigan State’s 16.31.
Michigan State will be looking to avoid a repeat of last year’s NCAA Tournament, when the top-seeded Spartans were upset by Cornell in the first round.
Michigan State enters the game as a heavy favorite at -235, while the over/under is set at 5.5 goals.
Puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
