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MSU postgame, Tom Izzo, Penn State

PREVIEW: No. 8 Michigan State set for two-game tilt with No. 20 Penn State

After splitting a two-game series in East Lansing in November, the Spartans and Nittany Lions are set to square off again this weekend in State College...

Big Ten play resumes for No. 8 Michigan State’s hockey team tonight when they travel to State College, Pennsylvania for a matchup with No. 20 Penn State. This will be the first conference action for the second place Spartans since early December. MSU is 13-4-3 overall with a 7-1-2 Big Ten record, and their 24 points in conference play is second only to Wisconsin (30).

The Spartans and Nittany Lions split the two-game series Michigan State hosted back in early November, with Penn State taking the first game in the shootout and MSU earning a 5-3 victory a day later.

Michigan State is coming off a second-place finish in the Great Lakes Invitational, followed by 5-2 exhibition game win against the United States National Team Development Program. During that stretch, the Spartans were without key players such as Maxim Strbak, Trey Augustine, Isaac Howard and Tommi Mannisto who were still competing in the World Junior Championships.

Howard led the juniors tournament in goals scored, while Augustine back-stopped the United States to a goal medal with 22 saves in the gold medal game. With these players returning, the Spartans are poised to make a run at a Big Ten championship in 2024.

If the Spartans can keep the momentum going from the World Junior Championships, they

should walk away with six points this weekend against the Nittany Lions. Penn State ranks 11th-worst in goals against in the country, while Michigan State is the third-best in scoring.

MSU sophomore Joey Larson, who has tallied the most goals for the Spartans this season with 11, will look to keep his hot stick against Penn State, and the Spartans will keep a close eye on Nittany Lion freshman forward Aiden Fink, who has five more points than his closest teammate, junior Ryan Kirwan. That duo combined for five of Penn State’s seven goals in their most-recent action against Army West Point.

The puck will drop at Pegula Ice Hockey Arena tonight at 7 p.m., with the second game of the doubleheader scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The Big Ten Network will carry the broadcast of the second game of the series.

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