Series preview: Gophers men's hockey vs. Michigan State
7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday, 3M Arena at Mariucci; TV, radio: BSN Extra, 103.5-FM, 1130-AM both days
Gophers update: Minnesota (18-7-1, 12-3-1 Big Ten, 37 points) sits atop the conference standings, is No. 1 in the PairWise Rankings and No. 2 in the U.S. College Hockey Online and USA Hockey/USA Today polls. … Freshman forwards Jimmy Snuggerud (13 goals, 18 assists, 31 points) and Logan Cooley (12-19-31) lead the Gophers in scoring, with sophomore linemate Matthew Knies (15-12-27) right behind. Goalie Justen Close is 15-7-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. … The Gophers swept Michigan State 5-0 and 6-3 on Dec. 2-3 in East Lansing.
Spartans update: Michigan State (13-11-2, 7-7-2, 24 points) ended a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Penn State on Cole Krygier's goal 3:36 into overtime, followed by a 4-4 tie against the Nittany Lions. Pacing the Spartans offense are freshman forwards Karsen Dorwart (7-15-22) and Daniel Russell (7-15-22) and senior forward Nicolas Muller (3-17-20). Goalie Dylan St. Cyr, who spent four years at Notre Dame and one at Quinnipiac before transferring to Michigan State for his final season, is 12-11-2 with a 2.62 GAA and .921 save percentage.
