MSU hockey faces high-powered Penn State in seniors' last regular season home series

EAST LANSING -- On Jan.12, the Michigan State hockey team defeated Penn State 6-4 on the road – the spark of a midseason run that saw the Spartans earn 14 points in a seven-game stretch, putting them in the thick of the fight to host a home playoff series in the Big Ten Tournament.

Despite dropping both games against Michigan this past weekend, MSU got as much help as they could have hoped for from their other Big Ten opponents.

"We can't lose any of the swagger, the momentum we had before last weekend," MSU coach Danton Cole said. "We need to play better, a more complete game this weekend. We still have a chance to do some really big things and we've put ourselves in a good position."

Penn State (16-10-2) swept Minnesota, which sat in second place prior to this past weekend. Ohio State, who's running away with the Big Ten regular-season crown, swept Wisconsin to keep the Badgers in last place.

MSU (10-15-5) sits in sixth place with 24 points, just six points back of second-place Michigan. The Nittany Lions are riding a three-game winning streak heading into this weekend at Munn Arena.

MSU's penalty kill has been a big reason why the Spartans have had success, as they have extinguished 18 of the last 19 opponent power plays. 

MSU's defense will be challenged, as Penn State ranks first nationally in goals (131), goals per game (4.68) and shots per game (39.68). The Nittany Lions do, however, allow the most goals in the Big Ten at 3.64 per game, and commit the second-most penalties in the conference, averaging 9.32 penalty minutes per game.

"The odds are in our favor, everyone loves playing here and we know what Penn State likes to do," senior defenseman Zach Osburn said. "It's just going to be another night where we come out and do our thing and outbattle, outwork them."

Seniors say goodbye

Three MSU seniors – forwards Brennan Sanford and Cody Milan, as well as  Osburn – will be playing in their last regular-season hockey game on Saturday at Munn.

Hosting a home series in the Big Ten Tournament remains a real possibility despite the two losses last weekend.

"Every year we've been picked to finish last in the Big Ten, and this year we're finally making our statement that we can play with anybody," Osburn said. "We've beaten some really good teams this year and we are certainly in position to get a home playoff game.

"It's not far-fetched, and in years previous people said some not so great things about our team. But this is the best team I've seen here, and this team has a chance to really make an impact."

This class also included defenseman Jerad Rosburg, who is currently a redshirt junior. Former MSU forward Mason Appleton also came in with the three graduating seniors, but left after his junior season to sign with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets.

"These guys, they will always be my best friends," Sanford said of his classmates. "Hopefully, we will have weddings together and our kids can grow up and play hockey together. I'm gonna reach out to everyone, the coaches and everyone who helped me along the way here after I'm gone."

The Spartans host Penn State at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The senior night ceremony will begin Saturday prior to puck drop at approximately 6:45 p.m. Both games are available on BTN Plus and the Spartan Sports Radio Network.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott.

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