Michigan State hockey prepares for top-3 showdown with No. 1 Minnesota

After splitting a series with Wisconsin last weekend, No. 3 ranked Michigan State hockey (12-2-0) is heading to the Twin Cities to take on the No. 1 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-2-1). This will be the last series for the Spartans before heading on break for the holidays. It will be crucial for the Spartans to come out strong this weekend against a very good Gopher team.

Let’s break down this matchup before puck drop in Minneapolis.

Matchup history

These two schools know each other very well. This weekend will mark the 205th and 206th all-time meeting between the Gophers and the Spartans. They have played each other so often in fact that only the University of Michigan has played more games against Michigan State. History has not been kind to the Spartans in this matchup, though.

In the previous 204 games, the Spartans have only won 51. It speaks volumes to the quality program that the Gophers have had for a very long time.

The series last year between these two teams were a breath of fresh air for Spartan fans. Over the past 10 matchups, the Spartans have only won two games against the Gophers. Both of those games happened last season. These teams only played each other 4 times and it resulted in a split for both series. If this is any indicator for this season, the Spartans will be looking to keep the series tight as they go up against a very good team. It does help that the team going into this series has already seen some top talent with teams like Boston College. This will hopefully allow the team to better prepare for these games.

Minnesota overview

When you are the No. 1 ranked team in the country, there aren’t many weak spots. When looking at the Gopher roster, there are no glaring deficiencies for this team. The main goal needs to be to shut down the explosive Gopher offense led by junior Jimmy Snuggerud. He is a former first-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He currently leads the team in points with 22 on the season (9-13-22). What makes Snuggerud so dangerous is that he has an excellent shot, including a one-timer that makes him lethal on the powerplay.

If the Spartans are able to shut him down this weekend, the team will be very happy.

Outside of Snuggerud, there are a few other players of note including Sam Rinzel and the goaltending duo of Liam Souliere and Nathan Airey. Rinzel is a defenseman who was drafted two picks after Snuggerud in 2022 at pick No. 25 by the Chicago Blackhawks. He currently leads defensemen in scoring for the entire NCAA (8-11-19). The more impressive part is that he is only the fourth-highest point scorer on the team behind forwards Snuggerud, Matthew Wood, and Connor Kurth. Rinzel has the ability to take over a game which is helping him with the ability to make plays happen. He will also provide a tough challenge for the Spartans as they try to finish the semester off on a high note.

As for the goaltenders, the Gophers have elected to use a 1A and 1B system for goalies where they pretty much split them for every game. Both Souliere and Airey have been nearly unstoppable this season. Last weekend against Michigan, they were able to shut out the Wolverines in both games. That is impressive in any game, let alone a matchup with a top 10 school. Both of these guys are very solid in net and don’t see too many high quality shots. This is why both of them are allowing less than two goals per game. Souliere is leading the nation in goals per game at 1.37. These two are very dangerous when they are hot, and will need to be pelted with shots if the Spartans hope to win.

Michigan State hockey keys to success

The Spartans have a rare opportunity to take back the No. 1 ranking with a good weekend against Minnesota. It is rare to find two top-three teams in a face-off like this midseason. It is going to be crucial to at least find a way to split this weekend to keep up in the standings.

One specific thing that the Spartans need to avoid is taking too many penalties. While the Spartans are ranked in the top 20 for penalty killing, it is better to not take a chance. The Gopher powerplay has done relatively well for itself this season sitting at a .227 on the powerplay. Last weekend the team ended up taking some bad penalties that allowed Wisconsin to capitalize. That can’t be the same case with Minnesota. The Spartans need to find a way to limit their trips to the box while maintaining their gritty edge.

It has been said a few times that the Minnesota offense is very good. Obviously, when it comes to that it is important to have good goaltending and defense. Trey Augustine will likely be the deciding factor in this series against Minnesota. That is a lot to put on one player, but Augustine is a guy who thrives in those situations. He seems to only get better when the stakes are raised. The defense has also done a fantastic job lately when it comes to limiting chances at 5-on-5 and on special teams.

The biggest thing that has stood out has been the blocked shot totals. The Spartans are one of the best shot blocking teams in the country and will need that against the Gopher offense. Look for Trey to have a stellar pair of performances this weekend and a continuation of strong defensive play to help lead MSU to a pair of victories this weekend.

Where to watch/listen

Both games this weekend will be coming from 3M Arena at Mariucci. Puck drop on Friday will be at 8 p.m. EST and on Saturday at 6 p.m. EST. The Friday game will be on the Big Ten Network and the Saturday game will be streamed on BTN+. The games will also be available to listen on the Spartan Media Network through their website.