Michigan, Michigan State to Cap Season Series with Duel in the D

Friday, February 14

East Lansing, Mich.

6:00 PM

Michigan

Michigan State

Dakota Raabe (Michigan Photography)

Michigan, Michigan State to Cap Season Series with Duel in the D

2/12/2020 5:54:00 PM | Ice Hockey

By: Kristy McNeil

• Complete Notes (PDF): Feb. 14 | Feb. 17
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Update: Michigan took the first game of the series, a 5-1 decision at Munn Ice Arena on Friday night (Feb. 14). Senior Jake Slaker scored twice and sophomore Strauss Mann stopped 26 of 27 shots he faced. » Recap

The University of Michigan ice hockey team will resume its in-state rivalry with Michigan State this week with a two-game split series. First, the Wolverines will travel to East Lansing for a Friday (Feb. 14) matchup against the Spartans at 6 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena. The second matchup will be Monday night's (Feb. 17) Duel in the D game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit.

The Series

Michigan owns a 161-132-24 advantage in the all-time series with MSU dating back to the 1924-25 season. State has the upper hand at home with a 69-50-11 record against the Wolverines while U-M leads, 37-21-8 on neutral ice.

The Iron D trophy was created in 2016 with Michigan State winning it first. Michigan has claimed the last three titles.

MSU won both of its early-season meetings with Michigan. In Game 1 (Nov. 14) at Yost, Michigan held a 3-1 lead before the Spartans scored three straight for a 4-3 win. On. Nov. 16 in East Lansing, the Wolverines earned a 3-0 shutout.

Wolverine Bites

• One of the hottest teams in college hockey, Michigan is 6-1-1 since Jan. 1 and most recently is coming off a sweep of Wisconsin that saw 13 goals come off the sticks of the Wolverines.
• The Michigan defense is ranked eighth in the nation and is backstopped by Strauss Mann in net. He ranks fifth in the nation in save percentage at .932 and is 10th in goals-against average (2.07).
• Jake Slaker is Michigan's leader in goals (10), assists (11) and points (21). He was named Big Ten First Star of the Week and the NCAA's Second Star after a five-point weekend against Wisconsin. Will Lockwood adds 16 points (6G, 10A), while Nick Pastujov and Cam York have 14 points apiece. Eight other skaters are in double digits in scoring.

Scouting the Spartans

Michigan State is in a three-way tie for second place in the Big Ten standings with 31 points on a 10-7-1 record. The squad sits just two points out of first place and is 14-13-1 overall. The Spartans have split their last four series including last weekend's set at Minnesota. Patrick Khodorenko paces the offense with 31 points, scoring 15 goals (21 percent of the MSU's goals) and 16 assists. Mitchell Lewandowski adds 19 points and defenseman Dennis Caesana has 18 points. Sam Saliba and Jerad Rosburg follow with 15 points apiece. John Lethemon leads the nation with a .942 save percentage and is seventh in goals-against average at 1.93.

Up Next

Friday, Feb. 21 -- vs. Notre Dame (Yost Ice Arena), 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 22 -- vs. Notre Dame - Maize Out/Senior Night (Yost Ice Arena), 4 p.m.