Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State University
Michigan
No. 2/2 Hockey Preps for Road Showdown with No. 1/1 Michigan
2/5/2026 3:16:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
| No. 2/2 Michigan State (21-5-0, 12-4-0 B1G) at No. 1/1 Michigan (22-4-0, 13-3-0 B1G) | |
| Dates/Location | Friday, February 6, 7:00 p.m. | Saturday, February 7, 6:30 p.m. Yost Ice Arena & Little Caesars Arena | Ann Arbor, Mich. & Detroit, Mich. |
| Radio | MSUSpartans.com | Michigan State Athletics App | WVFN 730 AM Scott Moore (PxP) & Rob Woodward (Color) |
| Stream | Friday - FS1 | Saturday - BTN |
| Live Statistics | Click Here |
| Game Notes | Click Here |
NOTES TO KNOW:
• Michigan State maintained the No. 2 spot in both the USA Hockey Poll and the USCHO.com poll this week following a sweep over then No. 5/5-ranked Penn State on the road last week. MSU has not been ranked lower than No. 4 in either poll this season.
• MSU swept then No. 5/5-ranked Penn State last weekend by scores of 6-3 and 5-4 (OT). Michigan State was led on the weekend by a pair of hat tricks from Anthony Romani and Charlie Stramel. It's the first time MSU has gotten hat tricks in consecutive games since October 2023 when Joey Larson (at Air Force) and Daniel Russell (vs. Canisius) did it. There are no modern instances of MSU players doing it in the same series.
• The Spartans are 9-3-0 against ranked opponents this season. All ranked opponents on MSU's schedule to date have been ranked in the Top 10. Michgan is the sixth Top 5-ranked series on Michigan State's schedule. Other MSU opponents, New Hampshire and Michigan Tech have made later appearances in the rankings.
• This is MSU's second series against the Wolverines this season after both teams won on the road in early December. Anthony Romani had a pair of goals in a Spartan win at Yost on December 6 and Porter Martone scored an empty net insurance goal.
• Michigan State is 5-1-0 against the Wolverines when ranked No. 2 in the polls and the series is knotted up at 30-30-1 when the Spartans are ranked.
• Michigan State's top line forwards Daniel Russell - Charlie Stramel - Porter Martone have generated 99 points this season on 41 goals and 58 assists, and are a combined +72 on the ice with Stramel leading with a +26 to Russell's +25 and Martone's +21.
• Stramel has set a new career-best in single season points with 35 (16g-19a-35p) this season, topping his 27 from his junior campaign in just 21 games (set 1/15 at Wisconsin).
• Stramel is #2 nationally in face-off wins (331), #25 in assists per game (0.73), #14 in goals per game (0.63) and #8 in points per game (1.35). His six game-winning goals this season are tied for the national lead.
• Martone ranks #10 nationally in goals per game (0.63) and #17 in assists per game (0.79), making him #4 in points per game (1.42) to rank second on the team in points with 34 (15g-19a-34p).
• Russell ranks #20 nationally in assists per game (0.77) and #24 in points per game (1.15). He's sixth among active skaters in career points (110).
• Junior goaltender Trey Augustine is among the best in the country ranking #4 in shutouts (3), #4 in goals against average (1.87) and #3 in save percentage (.934). Augustine leads all active goaltenders in career wins (61) and has played in 14 less games than the #2 goaltender.
• Freshman forward Anthony Romani joined Martone (4g-10a-14p), Russell (6g-7a-13p) and Stramel (6g-6a-12p) as a point per game scorer in the month of January with a line of (5g-3a-8p) in eight games.
• Michigan State ranks #2 nationally in scoring defense (1.88), #7 in scoring offense (3.65) and #3 in scoring margin (+1.77). MSU leads the Big Ten in scoring defense and is second in scoring offense.
• Under head coach Adam Nightingale, Michigan State is 6-2-1 against consensus No. 1-ranked teams. Earlier this season MSU swept #1/1 Boston University (4-2, 4-3 OT) and split with #1/1 Michigan (0-3, 3-1). The Spartans went 1-0-1 in 2024-25 against #1/1 Minnesota (3-3 T, 5-3 W) and won the game one shootout to pick up the extra point in the B1G standings. MSU was 2-0-0 against top-ranked Wisconsin in 2023-24 (4-2 W, 3-2 W). Michigan State was 0-1-0 in 2022-23 (Nightingale's first season) falling to #1/1 Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
