Last season, the Michigan State hockey team won its first Big Ten championship over archrival Michigan. In the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines ended the Spartans’ season. The most played rivalry in college hockey is as intense as ever, and the stakes are only growing.
Friday in Ann Arbor and Saturday in East Lansing, No. 10 Michigan and No. 1 Michigan State will resume their rivalry for the first time this season. The games are two of four meetings in 22 days, culminating in Feb. 8 at Little Caesars Arena’s Duel in the D. With each team licking its wounds in the aftermath of last season, this weekend’s opening series will be intense.
“Both teams remember pain from last season,” Michigan forward Phil Lapointe said Tuesday. “They took a championship away from us, and we ended their season. So there’s a lot of animosity between us.”
So much animosity that Lapointe could hardly speak through a grin. He shuffled back and forth, already juiced for the matchup. Though the Spartans played their emotions closer to the vest after Tuesday’s practice, the rivalry means a lot on both ends.
In the past two seasons, this rivalry is not only a feud between in-state rivals but also contenders for postseason glory. Last season’s postseason clashes were the manifestation of Michigan State’s turnaround under third-year coach Adam Nightingale, while Michigan continues to win on the heels of three straight Frozen Four appearances. It’s an even fight these days, and that only adds to the hype.
“We had some years where we were lean, they had some years where they were lean,” Nightingale said Tuesday. “I think those games still meant a lot to those schools.”
The rivalry also means a lot to the players themselves, many of whom learned about the rivalry while growing up in Michigan. Combining both rosters, 15 players hail from the state. Many played for the same youth programs, like the quartet of Little Caesars AAA teammates in Michigan’s Kienan Draper and Mark Estapa, and Michigan State’s Tanner Kelly and Tiernan Shoudy. All four played significant roles in last year’s rivalry games, both on the score sheet and in the physical fracas of the games.
There are also plenty of ties on the recruiting trail, as Michigan State star goaltender Trey Augustine was once a Michigan commit before joining Nightingale. He is 11-2-2 this season with a .931 save percentage and 1.97 goals against average. He also led Team USA to back-to-back gold medals in the World Junior Championship earlier this month.
Recent Michigan addition Will Horcoff is the son of Shawn Horcoff, a former Spartan who played 15 years in the NHL before joining the Detroit Red Wings’ front office in 2016. Will has four points in four games played since joining the Wolverines after a stint with the U.S. National Team Development Program, and he’s played a big role in revamping his new team’s power play.
As much as anything, players on each side know what the rivalry means to their season goals. The pain of last season’s shortcomings is still fresh on the mind.
“For us, it’s not about bragging rights,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “We could care less about that. It’s about Pairwise. It’s about Big Ten standings. It’s about beating the best competition, knowing that you know you should see their best. Every kid from Michigan, it’s Michigan or Michigan State. It’s recruiting, it’s alumni, it’s a lot. It’s important.”
The Spartans look to remain the top team in college hockey after taking four out of six points at Penn State. The Wolverines split a series at Notre Dame, including a 7-4 loss Saturday. Michigan State sits atop the Big Ten, while Michigan is fifth. In the national Pairwise rankings, the top-ranked Spartans are 11 spots ahead of the Wolverines.
“I think regardless of where teams are at, when they play that’s kind of what makes it special is (that) you know this is gonna bring out the best in everyone,” Nightingale said. “And that’s what you want for your team, right? We want to see their best, and they want to see our best, and I think that’ll be the case on Friday.”
With proximity — both in location, personal relationships and lately national prominence — this rivalry has only grown more intense. That’s not expected to die down this weekend.
“We’re expecting a war,” Lapointe said. “We don’t like each other, they don’t like us, so it’s all about who wants it more.”
No. 1 Michigan State at No. 10 Michigan
▶ Puck drop: 7 p.m. Friday, Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor
▶ TV/radio: BTN+/1240
▶ Records: Michigan State 18-2-2, 9-1-2 Big Ten; Michigan 13-8-1, 7-5-0
▶ All-time series: Michigan leads, 177-142-24. Last meeting: Michigan won 5-2 at the St. Louis NCAA regional final March 31, 2024.
▶ Last time out: An extra attacker goal led Penn State to a shootout win over Michigan State … Michigan allowed a season-worst seven goals to give Notre Dame its second Big Ten win of the season.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
