Rivalry weekend: Spartans, Wolverines to play for Big Ten hockey title

Matt Jaworowski
·2 min read
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — There are no better stakes for a rivalry game. The Spartans and Wolverines will meet on the ice this weekend to decide who will skate away as the Big Ten hockey champions.

Top-ranked Michigan State will host Michigan on Saturday, looking for a decisive win to end the conference tournament and gear up for a run at a national title.

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The Spartans (23-9-3) are the top seed in the Big Ten tournament and are ranked No. 5 in the Pairwise rankings, while the Wolverines (21-13-3) finished the season fourth in the seven-team conference. Still, thanks to solid play against top competition, Michigan is ranked 10th in the Pairwise rankings and is also expected to make the 16-team NCAA tournament.

Both teams will enter the game with strong offenses. Michigan is ranked fourth nationally in goals scored, while MSU is seventh. The Wolverines have the hardest scoring punch with Gavin Brindley, Dylan Duke and TJ Hughes, who have 24, 21 and 18 goals, respectively, but the Spartans have plenty of depth, with 12 players scoring at least six goals on the season.

Both teams also have reliable goaltenders. Michigan’s Jake Barczewski has posted a 2.78 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage, including wins in five of his last six games.

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Freshman Trey Augustine has proven to be a solid starter for the Spartans, with a 2.86 GAA and an impressive .919 save percentage — 13th best in the country. He is coming off a 37-save performance in a 2-1 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten semifinals.

Michigan forward Dylan Duke celebrates with his teammates after a Wolverines goal.
Michigan forward Dylan Duke celebrates with his teammates after a Wolverines goal. Duke is the team’s second-leading scorer with 21 goals this season. (Nick Wosika/Getty Images/Icon Sportswire)

Adam Nightingale’s Spartans held a decisive edge this season, going 3-1 against the Wolverines. Michigan won the first match of the season, a 7-1 win at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, but dropped the back end of the home-and-home. The Spartans took both games in the follow-up series, including a 3-2 win at Little Caesars Arena in the annual Duel in the D.

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Puck drop for Saturday’s Big Ten championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

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