What: No. 3 Michigan State (9-3-0, 4-2-0 BIG) vs. Colgate (5-7-2, 3-2-1 ECAC)
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 26, 4 p.m. Nov. 28
Where: Munn Ice Arena
TV/Radio: Both games can be streamed on BTN-plus or listened to on WJIM 1240-AM.
All-Time series: This will be just the fourth and fifth all-time meetings between MSU and Colgate. The Spartans have won all three prior matchups, last sweeping the Raiders in a home series in October 2007.
Coaches: MSU’s Adam Nightingale is 78-38-9 in his fourth season behind the Spartan bench. Mike Harder is 39-38-9 in his third season coaching his alma mater, where he is the program’s all-time points leader.
MSU Update: The Spartans are coming off being swept by Wisconsin, falling 5-4 and 2-1 in overtime on Nov. 21 and 22. The Spartans fell to No. 3 in the USCHO poll, now behind No. 1 Michigan and the Badgers, who jump all the way up to No. 2.
“I know our group will grow from this, and that’s what this is all about. We need to be excited about and understand this is about getting better,” Nightingale said. “Obviously, we have a lot to work on still, and that’s our job as coaches to make sure they continue growing.”
Freshman forward Porter Martone continues to be a standout every shift for the Spartans, and his two-goal, one-assist weekend against Wisconsin puts the latest Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick up to 18 points on the year (10 goals, eight assists). Martone is third in the Big Ten in goals behind Michigan’s Will Horcoff and Penn State’s J.J. Wiebusch.
Martone and his linemates, seniors Charlie Stramel and Daniel Russell, are among the top group in plus-minus rating, with Stramel and Martone both sitting at plus-13 and Russell at plus-12. Martone is also tied for second nationally with three game-winning goals.
Scouting the Raiders: Colgate’s record may not stand out, but the Raiders have challenged themselves with a difficult non-conference schedule, having tied then-No.3 Boston University on the road and splitting a series at No. 10 Maine. Colgate has gone 3-0-1 over its last four games, all in league action.
Like MSU, Colgate will be playing on short rest, having last skated to a tie against Union on Nov. 22.
“Usually you have to wait a whole other week, but we get a chance to bounce right back and show what we can do,” Martone said. “Colgate’s a good team, and they’re going to want to come in here strong and play hard, but we’re going to continue to fight. We knew this season wasn’t going to be straight away, win every game. I think it’s good for our group to go through this right now, and I have a lot of faith that we will respond.”
Senior forward Simon Labelle (five goals, six assists) and junior forward Ryan Sullivan (two goals, nine assists) lead the Raiders with 11 points in 14 games. Sophomore forward Jack Brandt has added five goals, while sophomore forward Tyson Doucette has netted four for Colgate. Sophomore defenseman Isaiah Norlin (two goals, eight assists) is the leading blue-line scorer for the Raiders.
Freshman goaltender Reid Dyck has started 10 of Colgate’s 14 games, including the last four, and has a .892 save percentage while allowing 2.73 goals per game.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey looks to regroup in non-conference clash with Colgate
Reporting by Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
