Gophers-Michigan State men's hockey preview: Minnesota 4-0 vs. Spartans entering Big Ten semifinal

Minnesota has outscored the Spartans 25-6, but Michigan State is coming off a strong first-round series against Notre Dame.

March 11, 2023 at 4:15AM
The Gophers swept Michigan State twice this season, winning by scores of 5-0, 6-3, 8-0 and 6-3 (pictured on Jan. 28 at 3M Arena at Mariucci. (Brian Peterson, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

GOPHERS MEN'S HOCKEY GAMEDAY

8 p.m. Saturday vs. Michigan State * BTN, 103.5-FM, 1130-AM

Big Ten tournament semifinals

Gophers update: Minnesota (25-8-1) won the Big Ten regular-season title by a record 19 points and had a bye last weekend while the rest of the conference played best-of-three, first-round series. The Gophers, No. 1 in the PairWise computer rankings, have won four consecutive games and seven of their past eight. They swept the season series against Michigan State by a combined 25-6 as the top line of Matthew Knies-Logan Cooley-Jimmy Snuggerud combined for 13 goals and 15 assists. Goalie Justen Close posted two shutouts against the Spartans and stopped 112 of the 118 shots he faced. … A victory would move the Gophers into the March 18 Big Ten championship game against the Ohio State-Michigan semifinal winner.

Michigan State update: The Spartans (18-17-2) advanced in the Big Ten tournament for the first time by beating Notre Dame in three games, falling 1-0 in the opener before winning by scores of 4-2 in the next two games. Goalie Dylan St. Cyr, a transfer from Notre Dame, made 37 saves in the series clincher in South Bend, Ind., and received help from his teammates, who blocked 22 shots. Forward Nicolas Muller had two goals and three assists against Notre Dame and leads the Spartans in scoring with nine goals and 25 assists. Senior Jagger Joshua is MSU's leading goal-scorer with 13.

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about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

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