Michigan State hockey clinches Big Ten Championship appearance

Michigan State hockey beat Ohio State 2-1 on Saturday night to advance to the Big Ten title game against Michigan.

The amazing season for Michigan State hockey just keeps on getting better. The Spartans played host to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and defeated the Buckeyes 2-1. This marks the first postseason win in East Lansing since the Big Ten formed a conference.

The Spartans also clinched their first-ever appearance in the Big Ten tournament title game which will take place in East Lansing next weekend.

Game summary

As the regular season champions, the Spartans were the 1-seed in the Big Ten Tournament with a home-ice advantage. They also had a first-round bye and learned last weekend that they’d be playing last-place Ohio State.

The Buckeyes, who were awful all year, had really turned it on in the last few weeks, even beating MSU in East Lansing three weeks ago. So this wasn’t an easy game.

After a scoreless first period, the Spartans got on the board first just 82 seconds into the first period. The goal, scored by Daniel Russell, sent Munn Ice Arena into an absolute frenzy.

Go to the net, they say. Good things happen when you go to the net.

Russell tips this home for the 1-0 Spartan lead. pic.twitter.com/4p6plHDD0X

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 16, 2024

That is all the action for the second period as the Spartans took a 1-0 lead into the third period. The Buckeyes then tied the game 1-1 just two minutes into the third period, but that didn’t last for long. Just 13 seconds after the Buckeye goal, captain Nash Nienhuis took the lead back for MSU.

Nienhuis rips this one from the hash to put MSU back on top just 13 seconds after OSU scores the equalizer. Kelly out of the corner with the apple. pic.twitter.com/1sygNEbemA

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 17, 2024

The drama didn’t end there as moments later Ohio State thought they tied the game up again, only for the goal to be disallowed after a review revealed they were offside. Ohio State kept the pressure up the rest of the period, but Trey Augustine in goal proved why he’s the best in the conference and kept the Buckeyes out of the net.

What’s next for Michigan State?

Michigan State hockey heads to its first Big Ten Tournament championship game in program history next Saturday. Since the Spartans are the 1-seed, they will once again host the game at Munn Ice Arena. Their opponent? The Michigan Wolverines.

The Wolverines are the 4-seed in the tournament and defeated 3-seed Minnesota on Saturday 2-1. This will mark the fifth game between the in-state rivals this season, with Michigan State winning three out of four games this year. Michigan, however, is desperate, as they may need to win this game just to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Can the Spartans continue their magical season? Only two teams have won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament championship in the same season, so a win would be nothing short of historic. The Spartans will take on the Wolverine Saturday night in East Lansing with the chance to make history and potentially keep their rival out of the NCAA Tournament.