Michigan State Hockey Back on Top

Michigan State hockey proved it is still the best team in the country this past weekend.

Michigan State's head coach Adam Nightingale looks on during the third period in the game against Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at Munn Arena in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

After falling out of the No. 1 spot in the rankings last week, Michigan State hockey has the perfect opportunity to retain it with the new No. 1 team, Minnesota, next up on its schedule.

And the Spartans capitalized.

Michigan State earned 3 points out of a potential 4 in their away series with the Golden Gophers.

The Spartans tied Minnesota in a shootout on Friday, earning a point in the first game of the series. Then, on Saturday, Michigan State came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period, scoring three goals in 3 minutes to take the lead and never look back, ultimately winning, 5-3.

The Spartans are now ranked No. 1 again in this week's United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) Poll. They received 31 first-place votes.

Last week, Michigan State had fallen to No. 3, a result of its 4-0 loss to Wisconsin on Dec. 6, which it did redeem with an overtime victory over the Badgers the following night.

This week's USCHO Poll is as follows:

1. Michigan State

2. Boston College

3. Minnesota

4. Maine

5. Denver

6. Western Michigan

7. Providence

8. Colorado College

9. Michigan

10. UMass Lowell

11. Minnesota State

12. St. Cloud State

13. Boston University

14. Ohio State

15. North Dakota

16. Cornell

17. Dartmouth

18. Qunnipac

19. Arizona State

20. Clarkson

Michigan State has been away from home for a while and will continue to be before the new year. Its next game won't be until Dec. 29 when it faces Northern Michigan in the Great Lakes Invitational at Van Andel Arena. That will be the first of the Spartans two games in that invitational.

Michigan State will then finally return home on Jan. 2 to host Wisconsin but will then head to Chicago to face the Badgers again in The Frozen Confines at Wrigley Field.

The Spartans are 13-2-1 on the year thus far and are following up an excellent 2023-24 campaign with one that could end up being even better. But there is a lot of hockey left to be played and a lot of games to win in order for the Spartans to defend their Big Ten regular season crown.

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