Quickly Previewing Michigan State Hockey's One-Game Trip to RIT

The Spartans are on the road this weekend for just one game, rather than two.

Michigan State forward Mason West skates up the ice vs. Northern Michigan at Munn Ice Arena on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026 | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State hockey is on the road for the first time this week, but only for just one game, rather than two.

The third-ranked Spartans have gotten off to a positive start with their 2026-27 season, taking down Boston College in a home exhibition two weeks ago and sweeping Northern Michigan with relative ease last week. This Saturday's game at RIT (1-2-1) will be the first look at how MSU's extremely talented, but young, team looks in a hostile environment.

How To Watch

Michigan State goalie Joshua Ravensbergen stands in net during a game vs. Northern Michigan at Munn Ice Arena on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Puck Drop: Sat., Oct. 17 @ 7:05 p.m. ET

Streaming Options: FloHockey OR Amazon Prime (links included)

What To Know About Matchup

Michigan State’s head coach Adam Nightingale calls out to players during hockey practice on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The major storyline for Saturday's game is that it is associate head coach Jared DeMichiel's chance to return to his alma mater. DeMichiel played hockey for RIT from 2006-10, making it to the NCAA Tournament there three times and making it to the Frozen Four in 2010, despite being one of the lowest-seeded teams in the tournament that year.

DeMichiel was inducted into RIT's Hall of Fame back in 2022. He played goalie for the Tigers, posting a 2.48 GAA and a .909 save percentage across his entire career there. DeMichiel actually broke the Division I record for single-season saves with 920 in 2010.

RIT goalie Jared DeMichiel will face Denver in the semifinal NCAA East Regional. The deepest RIT has been in the NCAA's since the program went to Division I. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"We've been riding him a little bit about it," Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale said about DeMichiel's return. "He's a Hall of Famer there, and we're wondering if he's going to drop the puck... Obviously, it's about the team, and he's not going to want it to be about him, but I do think it's awesome. He had a heck of a career, took their team to a Frozen Four, and he's definitely proud to have played there."

RIT goalie Jared DeMichiel was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2010 NCAA East Regional. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As for RIT's season up to this point, the Tigers began their season with a series split against Niagara. This was a home-and-home series for RIT, with Niagara winning Game 1 at its place before the two teams shifted to Henrietta, N.Y., and RIT was able to win its own home game. RIT traveled to No. 18 UMass last weekend, managing a 2-2 tie in Game 1 last Friday before falling 5-1 the following day.

Last season, RIT went exactly .500 at 17-17-2 overall. This was with a 10-4-1 mark at home, though, and one of those wins was over then-No. 8 Penn State. The Tigers finished up ranked 44th out of 63 Division I teams on the NCAA Percentage Index, the system used to determine at-large bids and seeding during the NCAA Tournament.