The top-ranked Spartans await a surprising Ohio State squad after a dominant upset.
WHO: No. 1 Michigan State Spartans (25-7-2, 16-6-2) vs. No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (13-20-2, 8-15-1)
WHERE: Munn Ice Arena — East Lansing, MI
WHEN: Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 PM EST
WHAT: Big Ten Tournament Semifinals
WATCH: Big Ten Network
We’re down to the final four in the Big Ten Tournament.
Wednesday night brought the expected results in two of the quarterfinal matchups. No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Penn State both advanced with wins over No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 6 Minnesota.
However, in what was supposed to be the tightest game of the night, No. 5 Ohio State completely flipped the script, blowing No. 4 Wisconsin out of the water in a stunning 7–1 victory.
Now the stage is set.
Michigan and Penn State will square off Saturday, while the Ohio State Buckeyes head to East Lansing to face a rested Michigan State Spartans squad that has been waiting to see who would emerge from the first round.
With four teams remaining in the bracket, only two will survive to play for the Big Ten championship next weekend.
Michigan State earned its third straight Big Ten regular-season title in its final series of the year, securing the crown with a dominant win over Minnesota. That victory locked the Spartans into the No. 1 seed and gave them the luxury of a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
Instead of battling through the opening round, the Spartans spent the week watching and waiting to see who would earn the right to face them.
Late Wednesday night, that opponent was revealed.
Ohio State.
And if the regular season taught us anything, it’s that this matchup is far from predictable.
Regular Season Matchups
These teams have already faced each other four times this season, and the results suggest Saturday night could be another tight battle.
The first series came shortly after several Spartans returned from the World Junior Hockey Championships. While those players were away, the rest of Michigan State traveled to the west side of Michigan and captured the Great Lakes Invitational.
Once the roster was fully reunited, the Spartans headed to Columbus for two games against Ohio State.
Michigan State looked sharp in Game 1, controlling the pace and skating away with a convincing 6–2 win.
Game 2, however, told a very different story.
The Spartans’ offense suddenly went quiet. Michigan State managed just one goal, while goaltender Trey Augustine did everything he could to hold the line between the pipes. Unfortunately, two Buckeye goals were enough to hand MSU a loss. At the time, that defeat knocked Michigan State out of the No. 1 spot in the national rankings — a position they wouldn’t reclaim until later in the season after a series split with Michigan.
Fast forward a few weeks, and the teams met again in East Lansing.
Game 1 was rough for the Spartans.
Ohio State came out swinging, landing punch after punch against Michigan State from the opening puck drop. The Buckeyes dominated the first period and set the tone for the entire game, eventually skating away with a convincing 5–1 win. The result left Spartan fans a little uneasy about the team’s pursuit of a third straight Big Ten title.
The following night was much tighter, but it wasn’t much less stressful for Michigan State fans.
Neither team would give an inch, and the game eventually required a shootout to decide the winner. That’s when unlikely hero Colin Ralph stepped up, scoring the game-winning goal in the 13th round of the shootout.
The victory pushed Michigan State to the brink of the Big Ten regular-season title — a milestone the Spartans officially secured the following week against Minnesota.
Now the two programs meet again for the fifth time this season.
Each team has two wins against the other, setting up a true rubber match with a trip to the Big Ten Championship on the line.
At this stage of the season, standings and seedings can quickly lose their meaning. Once the puck drops, it becomes about execution, composure, and who is willing to leave everything on the ice.
Michigan State may not be fighting just to get into the NCAA Tournament, but the Spartans are absolutely battling for another Big Ten Tournament title. Meanwhile, Ohio State likely needs to win the conference tournament to reach the NCAA field, meaning the Buckeyes have nothing to lose.
Both teams will go down swinging.
The only question is which one is still standing when the final horn sounds.
Prediction
This game should deliver exactly what fans hope for from a semifinal matchup.
In fact, both Big Ten semifinal games should be excellent hockey. There are no easy matchups left, and every team still standing has proven it belongs here.
Michigan State brings one of the most dangerous offenses in the conference, led by players like Porter Martone, Charlie Stramel, and Ryker Lee. Add in one of the nation’s best goaltenders in Trey Augustine, and the Spartans have the kind of balance that makes them extremely difficult to beat.
Ohio State has already shown it can crack the Spartans’ armor this season, but in a high-stakes game like this, the deeper and more complete team usually finds a way.
And that’s why I’m leaning toward Michigan State.
Michigan State - 4
Ohio State - 2