MSU's Howard Receives Huge Honor
Michigan State hockey has been elite as of late, propelling itself back into No. 1 in the nation.
One of the better stars for MSU this season has been junior forward Isaac Howard.
The Big Ten announced on Tuesday that Howard has been named the Big Ten hockey First Star of the Week, as his latest weekend on the ice was nothing short of spectacular. A leader since joining MSU's hockey program, Howard has been given his flowers thus far this season.
Howard scored two times against then-No.1 Minnesota in MSU's 5-3 comeback victory this past Saturday. He also earned a power-play assist on the Spartans' third goal in a 3-3 overtime tie the night before.
Howard has scored nine goals this season, improving his career-best, and leads MSU in scoring with 20 points on the year. He has also recorded 11 assists and, altogether, has increased his points with MSU over his two seasons in East Lansing to 62.
Howard's contributions have been well known, but it must be a great feeling for him to see his hard work pay off with deserved recognition. This is Howard's second star award in his collegiate career as the 2022 Tampa Bay Lightning first-round pick last landed this award back on Oct. 8.
The Spartans have many more games to be played this season, and given their strong start, they could be on their way to winning the conference for the second year in a row. After taking back the No.1 spot in the country, MSU made a statement that going forward, it is a force to be reckoned with.
Howard's star selection may have been his second of the season, but it is the first of any three-star spots to go to an MSU player since freshman forward Shane Vansaghi landed a Third Star of the Week selection back in mid-November. MSU, in total this season, has landed six different Stars of the Week selections over the first 11 weeks of the season.
Howard and the Spartans will lace up their skates to take on Nothern Michigan on Dec. 29. at the Great Lakes Invitational, which will be held at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Dominic Minchella holds a communications degree from Eastern Michigan University. He is a former MLB writer and joins our team ad an NFL/College team reporter on Sports Illustrated