No. 3 Michigan State ready for Friday night showdown at No. 1 Boston University (ESPN2)

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State head hockey coach Adam Nightingale says he wants to schedule some of the top opponents in the country in the non-conference season in order to get a gauge of where his team is, early in the season. He will get quite a reading this weekend when the No. 3-ranked Spartans clash with No. 1 Boston University.

The two hockey powerhouses will play at 7 p.m. on Friday night (ESPN2) and Saturday at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) at 6,300-seat Agganis Arena in Boston.

“I feel thankful that ESPN is supportive of college hockey,” Nightingale said. “I think that’s what we’re all excited about the game, and trying to grow it, and for our program to be in a position where it’s seen as a program you’d want to put on that, and obviously B.U. is as a heck of a program, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Michigan State is 1-1 after a split with New Hampshire last weekend. Boston University is 2-0-1, coming off a 1-0-1 weekend against Colgate. 

The Spartans allowed just 13 shots on goal in the series finale as junior goaltender Trey Augustine cruised to his seventh career shutout. Senior Charlie Stramel (1-2-3) and freshman Porter Martone (0-3-3) were Michigan State’s points leaders last week.

“The schedules are done four or five years out, so this was one we had added,” Nightingale said. “They’ll come to us the following year, and that’s what you want. I think that kids come to Michigan State to try to play the best teams, and for us as coaches and our team, we want to find out about our team.

“You don’t really find anything out until you play the best, and they’re certainly at the top of the list. And so that’s the goal going out there. We want to go out there and, A, number one, play our best. But B, I think, is we’ve got to figure out some things about our team, and there’s no better place to do that than out there.” 

“I never question our guys are going to work and compete, but I think we can execute at a higher level. And that takes practice, and intent. And then hang on to the puck a little bit more offensively. 

“I think that (lack of execution is) going to happen early in the season, where you chuck the puck around a little bit. And we’ve got to really value having it, and especially playing a good opponent here. They’re going to create enough on their own, and we don’t want to create chances for them.

“I think that we’ve got a group of guys that are hungry to get better, and don’t think they have all the answers. Obviously we want to win every game we play, but it’s about getting better every game.”

Boston University leads the all-time series 9-8.

The Terriers advanced to the National Championship Game last year in the Frozen Four before losing to Western Michigan, 6-2. 

Forward Cole Eiserman leads BU in goals (5) and is second in the country in goals/game (1.67). He was selected in the first round, No. 20 overall, by the New York Islanders in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Ryder Ritchie leads the Terriers with four assists (#10 nationally). He was a second round draft pick, No. 45 overall, by the Minnesota Wild in 2024.

Goalkeeper Mikhail Yegorov is No. 23 nationally in save percentage (.933) and No. 19 in goals against average (1.95). He was a second round draft pick by the New Jersey Devils in 2024, No. 49 overall.

DAVE ELLIS’S TAKE

A thank you to longtime Michigan State hockey insider and expert Dave Ellis for his three things he will be looking for during this weekend series:

Here’s what I want to see.

1) Can Michigan State freshman Ryker Lee really run the power play? He’s going to drop back to the point and they’ll run four forwards, so he has to also be responsible if they lose the puck.

2) BU is a creative team with players who can beat you one-on-one. State has to play good team defense and avoid individual rushes, because the Terriers have speed and talent on the rush.

3) The Michigan State defensive corps is not built to join the rush a lot. Who can activate and get up in the play to be available as a trailer? Matt Basgall and Owen West are the best options, can someone else also step up?

I’m also curious to see how the new players deal with the most hostile crowd they will see before the Big Ten season.