Michigan State Men’s hockey beat Notre Dame (0-3) on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena was a significant blow to the Irish fortunes coming down the final stretch of the season. Another chance for Notre Dame Hockey today! After a frustrating weekend away at Minnesota, Michigan State hockey made its way back to Munn Ice Arena in an effort to increase its Big Ten conference point total.
- Watch NCAA Men’s Hockey on GamePass Live
Here’s all about Notre Dame vs. Michigan State NCAA Men’s Hockey start time, team news, and how to watch the NCAA Men’s Hockey this weekend!
How to watch Notre Dame vs Michigan State men’s ice hockey
What: NCAA Men’s Hockey
Where: Munn Ice Arena (East Lansing, Mich.)
When: February 4, 4:00 pm ET (Game 2)
Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV Channel: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: Streaming on GamePass
The Irish’s performance in Friday’s game took a turn for the worst in the second quarter after they committed three penalties in the first five minutes (a total of four), which led to Jagger Joshua’s opening goal. Five minutes later, Erik Middendorf added a second Spartan goal, and Nicolas Muller sealed Michigan State’s victory with an empty-net goal with 51 seconds remaining.
We're dishing up some afternoon action this Saturday on @BigTenNetwork!
🆚 No. 17 MSU
⏰ 4 p.m.
📈 https://t.co/ZDD0HrW854
📻 https://t.co/dhUJa1ni0T
💻 BTN#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/2Ir9WBTWdX— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) February 4, 2023
Notre Dame vs. MSU Hockey preview
Saturday will mark the 63rd all-time meeting between the two schools, with the Fighting Irish leading the Spartans with a 29-22-10 record. Their first weekend set back in October saw Notre Dame grab a regulation win, with MSU picking up two points with a shootout victory.
Their sweep last week has righted somewhat righted the ship, but there is still work to do. Once again their leading man was in net, with Ryan Bischel making 55 saves on the weekend while allowing 4 goals. He has now been added to the Hobey Baker ballot with his performances this season, joining Trevor Janicke and Nick Leivermann (you can vote daily until March 5 here). Bischel leads the country in saves at 879 and is fifth with a .928 SV%. It is tough in a league as offensive and talented as the Big Ten, but shot suppression needs to be a priority for Notre Dame in order to keep Bischel fresh for the remainder of the season.
The last time the Irish and Spartans met was in South Bend in October. They split that series with Notre Dame winning big in the first game and Michigan State edging by in overtime in the second. Notre Dame has now moved ahead of Michigan State in the conference standings with 26 points, two ahead of the sixth-place Spartans. This series will go a long way to determining how these two teams will be set up for the final two weeks of the season.
