Spartans Prepare for Big Ten Championship Tilt

The Michigan State Spartans prepare for their second-straight conference tournament championship contest, trying to win the last four championships in Big Ten hockey over the past two seasons. They will face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday night.

Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale watches a play against Michigan during the first period of Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 1 Michigan State Spartans (25-6-4) are just days away from competing in their second-consecutive Big Ten conference championship as they prepare to face the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes (24-12-2).

Michigan State defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a low-scoring overtime bout last Saturday. Big Ten Player of the Year winner, junior forward Isaac Howard, netted the only goal of the game early in the third period to help lift the Spartans to their second-consecutive tournament title game.

The Spartans are trying to make it two straight seasons of championship sweeps as they took home the regular season and tournament titles last season. They defeated bitter rival, Michigan, in the tournament final with a thrilling 5-4 win in overtime. The Wolverines are not involved this year.

For the Buckeyes, they managed to gut out best-of-three series with the Wisconsin Badgers in the tournament Quarterfinal round. After losing Game 1 and having their backs against the wall, Ohio State replied with back-to-back wins to move into the Semifinals.

Since the Spartans won the Big Ten outright and were the No. 1 overall seed, they were given a bye through the Quarterfinal series.

Ohio State then had to face the No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions last weekend, escaping a red-hot opponent in a 4-3 overtime winner. Buckeyes senior forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine netted the game-winning goal to give his group an opportunity to win their first conference tournament since 2004.

The Spartans are 3-1 this season against Ohio State, outscoring them 14-8 in those four meetings this season. Howard and junior forward Daniel Russell combined for six points against the Buckeyes this season and will be the two biggest keys for the Spartans in search of another trophy.

Face-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich. Head coach Adam Nightingale is seeking to cement his legacy as one of the most dominant head coaches in the early going of his tenure, looking to win a four championship in the past two seasons.

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