Spartans Forward Conference Honors

The No. 2 Michigan State Spartans (19-3-2) saw one of their star players take home a major conference award this week after his performance in last Saturday's 4-1 win over hated rival, No. 10 Michigan. Junior forward Charlie Stramel was the key to a much-needed win with a dominant night.
After the Spartans were upset by their rival in Ann Arbor the night before in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in overtime, Stramel led the way at Munn Ice Arena with a pair of goals, one being shorthanded, while adding an assist to his stat line as well. For his efforts, earned the Big Ten Second Star of the Week, as announced by the Big Ten on Tuesday.
The three stars are given out to the top three players of the week around the Big Ten and Stramel's performance in the second game of the series definitely qualified him for the award. It marks his second time winning the award this season and the seventh different Spartan to do it this year.
It was quite the response from the Wisconsin Badgers transfer as he was held silent in the loss on Friday with just two shots and a penalty. Stramel rebounded quickly and proved why he is regarded as one of the best players on the number one team in college hockey.
After his three-point night and earning another weekly conference award, Stramel is second on the team in points (21), second in assists (13), and third in goals (8). He has already surpassed the career stats he posted in two seasons with the Badgers with eight goals, 12 assists and 20 total points.
The Spartans are the nation's top team for a reason and Stramel is just one of several different playmakers for this team. In any given game, more than a handful of Spartan skaters can change the contest in a winning way, just like Stramel did with a bounce back performance on Saturday night.
Leading the Big Ten standings by just one point, the Spartans prepare to face the other top team in the conference, the Minnesota Gophers (19-5-2), this weekend at home. The Gophers trail Michigan State by just one point in the standings, making this series extremely critical.
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