Michigan State hockey becomes the No. 1 team in the country

We knew coming into this season that Michigan State hockey had its sights set on a historic season. We are still really getting into the season, but the first major accomplishment came earlier on Monday.

As of Monday afternoon, Michigan State hockey became the No. 1 ranked team in the country per the USCHO Poll.

This week’s https://t.co/2QgdyNoa0Z Division I Men’s Hockey Poll is here! pic.twitter.com/6xXkjLYvvM

— USCHO.com (@USCHO) November 25, 2024

Monday marks the first time since 2001 the Spartans were ranked No. 1 during the regular season. While obviously rankings and individual awards are nice, the big prizes are still to come. The biggest being the team’s first national championship since 2007.

The Spartans have started off the 2024 season 9-1-0 with it’s only loss being against Boston College back on Oct. 11. They were shut out by the then-second-ranked Eagles, 3-0. The Spartans avenged that loss the next night, beating Boston College 4-3. Since then, they have logged series sweeps against Canisius, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. They also won exhibition games against The University of Windsor and the US National Team Development Program.

This current start to the season has been pretty remarkable. The Spartans are playing complementary hockey. Offensively, they are getting scoring up and down the lineup. Of course on the back end, sophomore goaltender Trey Augustine has been absolutely rock solid. He continues to prove why he’s arguably the best goalie in the nation right now.

The Spartans will be back on the ice this upcoming weekend. They have one more series in East Lansing playing Lindenwood on Friday and Sunday. After that, they will spend their next two weekend sets on the road in tough environments. First, they will travel to Wisconsin to play the Badgers on Dec. 6-7. After that, a series at current No. 3 Minnesota on De. 13-14 before the holiday break.

There will be plenty of adversity to go through for the Spartans. The Big Ten has a lot of quality hockey teams in it MSU will have to play. Not to mention I’d be willing to be a decent amount of the roster will be selected by their respective national teams to play in this years World Junior Championships in Canada. A lot can happen between now and the end of the season but from where we are now, these guys will have a lot to play for come March and April.

This team so far has showed the make up of something special. It will be fun to watch the rest of the season. Make sure you check them out in person if you get the chance to. They are must-see for all Spartan fans. I, for one, can’t wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. Go Green.