MSU Hockey plays against University of Michigan in NCAA Championship regional finals

For the sixth time this season, the Michigan State University Spartans will face their in-state rival, the University of Michigan Wolverines, in men's hockey. This time, the incentive of the upcoming game will be the deciding factor in him advancing to St. Paul, Minnesota as one of the final four teams in the NCAA Championship, also known as the Frozen Four.

Who will the Spartans face on Sunday for a chance to head into one of the most important games of the season after defeating the Western Michigan University Broncos in a thrilling overtime comeback and earning a 5-4 victory? I had to wait. .

The Spartans continued their resistance against the Wolverines. After dropping the first game of the season series by a score of 7-1, they went on to dominate the next three regular season games, two of which were played at Yost Ice Arena (the first (January 20th, second game on February 9th). – and a game at Little Caesars Arena and the postseason Big Ten Championship Game, where Michigan State was crowned Big Ten Tournament champion for the first time in program history.

The last meeting between the rivals was in the Big Ten Championship Game, where the Spartans won on an overtime call for both teams and a snipe from the blue line by freshman defenseman Patrick Geary, giving them confidence to advance to the NCAA Championship. .

Michigan State got off to a slow start in the first 40 minutes of the first round of the Frozen Four Tournament regional playoffs, with the Spartans up 4-2 heading into the third period. Then, a goal from senior defenseman Nash Nienhaus and a tying goal from sophomore forward Carsen Dorwart sent the Spartans and Broncos into overtime. About eight minutes later, senior forward Jeremy Davidson scored the winning goal, sending the Broncos home.

The Wolverines also had to come from behind in a game against the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, advancing to the tournament with a 4-3 upset victory over the region's No. 2 seed.

The Spartans and Wolverines will face off at 6:30 p.m. at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The Spartans head to the Frozen Four in St. Paul looking for their fourth straight win against the Wolverines. Minnesota. The game will be streamed on ESPNU.