As we start to reach the dog days of summer, Michigan State hockey is starting to give fans a reason to feel a chill. That chill only comes from the idea of a late fall weekend spent at Munn Ice Arena. Per X, the Spartans officially released their full non-conference schedule for the 2025-26 season.
The excitement is only growing for the season to start now as this new look Spartan hockey team looks to continue the momentum from the past two seasons.
Let’s go through the schedule and take a look at these matchups.
University of Windsor* (Oct. 3)
The Spartans will kick off their non-conference schedule with an exhibition game. Michigan State hockey and the University of Windsor have become regular opponents in these exhibition matchups. These two teams also played an exhibition game last season at Munn Ice Arena where the Spartans skated away with a 5-0 victory.
Though it is only an exhibition game, with important new faces joining the program like Cayden Lindstrom and Porter Martone, it will be a good way to introduce these guys to college hockey. For the returning players, this should be a great way to also shake off the rust from the summer.
University of New Hampshire (Oct. 9-10)
Next up, is a foe that the Spartans have not seen in a decade. The Spartans and Wildcats last played in 2015 where MSU pulled out a series sweep in East Lansing. All-time, these two teams have played each other a total of fourteen times, with MSU winning the previous three. New Hampshire is not considered one of the power houses of the Hockey East conference, like another school we will discuss.
The team has not been extremely competitive compared to their consistency in the 1990s and 2000s. The Spartans definitely can’t overlook this Hockey East school though. This series will be a great early season test to gauge where the Spartans are at and if the guys are gelling.
These early games are a great way to look at chemistry and build up for a deep run in March.
at Boston University (Oct. 17-18)
This matchup in Boston is by far the marquee matchup for the non conference schedule. After a great series split with Boston College last season, the Spartans take on another team from Boston with championship aspirations. Boston University is coming off of three consecutive Frozen Four appearances and a trip to the National Championship last season. The team is stacked with future NHL talent including 1st round picks Cole Eiserman (2024), Tom Willander (2023), and Sascha Boumedienne (2025).
The series in Boston will be a strong early season test, similar to the Boston College series. It will be a great indicator to see if this team really can keep up with teams that are built to win championships. This is a BU team that dismantled Ohio State last season in the regional semifinals in Toledo. The Spartans will need to bring their best if they want to pull this series out. Historically speaking though, these teams have played each other very close. Boston has the edge 8-9 but most of the recent games have been very back and forth. If you only watch one series, this should be the one.
at Northern Michigan (Oct. 24-25)
A familiar foe from the CCHA, the Spartans and Wildcats will be going at it again in Marquette this year. These two teams met up last season in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Invitational in Grand Rapids. The Spartans were able to win 2-0 in a very hard fought battle with a Northern team that was mostly written off. Expect an improved Northern Michigan team this season looking to knock down the Spartans. Historically, the Spartans and Wildcats have played each other very close with a record of 38-32-4 in favor of the Spartans.
Though on paper, the Wildcats should not be an issue, this team had exceptional chemistry last season. They also return a number of the guys who kept them afloat last season. This series should be a great opportunity to build momentum going into the tough Big Ten schedule and a great trip for the team to work on building their own chemistry.
Colgate University (Nov. 26 & 28)
An opponent that Michigan State hockey has not seen since 2002, Colgate is another school that will provide a solid mid tier opponent for the Spartans. These schools have only faced off on the ice three previous times. The Spartans have won all three games. The most recent being at a tournament in Denver back in 2002. The Raiders will be looking to replace a number of seniors who will not be returning that led the team in scoring. This series should be a great way to spend the Thanksgiving break and provide some reprieve from Big Ten play. All that being said, the ECAC is another high quality conference which should provide some resistance to the Spartans.
Great Lakes Invitational (Dec. 28-29)
The Great Lakes Invitational will once again be held at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. The Spartans are coming into this years tournament as the defending champions. They knocked off the eventual National Champion Western Michigan Broncos to seal their first GLI championship since 2009. This year the Spartans will be facing off against Ferris State on the 28th and either Miami University or Michigan Tech the next night. This tournament is always a great measuring stick getting into the latter part of the season. While the field may not be as strong as in past seasons, these participating schools all have a strong hockey culture and history.
United States National Team Development Program* (Jan. 4)
The final non-conference game for the season will be the annual game against the USNTDP based out of Plymouth. This game is always exciting when considering the future, more than the score. With the proximity to Plymouth, many NTDP members stay in state for college. It always gives off the feel of a high school game between the seniors and the freshman. It really doesn’t matter who wins, its nice to see the future though.
This season the name to watch will be Brody George who is committed to MSU for the 2026-27 season. George is a forward from Pennsylvania who is looking to factor on the U-18 team this season in the USHL.
Overall thoughts
After the disappointing end to the season last year for the Spartans, any news about the schedule brings hope. This non-conference schedule provides a great challenge for a Spartan team that is looking to maintain the upward trajectory that they have been on. Each season under coach Adam Nightingale, this team has gotten better. The challenge will be replacing holes like Isaac Howard who signed with the Edmonton Oilers. The future is bright though for this team and I think that this team will continue on this upward trend.
Stay updated on what is going on with Spartan Hockey and all sports by following me @ikerss98 and @MSUShadowsPod on X.
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