Michigan State hockey faces Western Michigan in its first NCAA Tournament game since 2012
The Michigan State hockey program earned a No. 1 seed in the Maryland Heights, Missouri, regional, marking the Spartans' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012.
MSU (24-9-3) hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since 2008 but will have a chance against Western Michigan (21-15-1) on Friday. MSU has had postseason success in the St. Louis area; it won the 2007 NCAA title there.
"We've earned an opportunity to play a really good opponent in Western Michigan who is very well-coached with a lot of experience," MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. "They're battle-tested and play with a lot of physicality."
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The Spartans will take the ice at the Centene Community Ice Center – the home arena of host school Lindenwood. The rink seats 2,500 spectators but could accommodate up to 3,100 with standing-room-only tickets. For comparison, Munn Ice Arena's capacity is over 6,000.
With passionate fan bases like the two teams in the other regional semifinal – North Dakota and Michigan – the venue sold out within minutes and tickets have been hard to come by, selling for over $1,000 on secondary markets. The small arena should make for a raucous atmosphere.
"We're expecting the environment to be great, and obviously we would like to have as many of our fans there as we could," Nightingale said. "From our perspective, our job, it doesn't matter where we are playing – big rink, small rink, outdoor rink – we have to be ready to play."
The Broncos are led by senior forward Luke Grainger, who has 14 goals and 33 assists this season. Forwards Sam Colangelo and Dylan Wendt are big threats to score, both tying for a team-high 23 goals on the year.
Western Michigan is one of the most veteran teams in college hockey, a stark contrast to the youthful Spartans.
"I think with experience comes calm, and I like calm and I think calm succeeds when perceived pressure is on," Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler said. "Our guys are equipped to handle any situation. Michigan State is a good team who plays a lot like us and have some uniquely talented kids."
Much like MSU, Western Michigan has done an excellent job acquiring key pieces in the transfer portal. Along with Colangelo, who transferred from Northeastern, forward Matteo Costantini came in from North Dakota and has put up 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists). Four other transfer players are in the Broncos' top 10 in scoring.
Senior goaltender Cameron Rowe, who transferred to Western Michigan from Wisconsin before last season, has started all 37 games for the Broncos, posting a .905 save percentage while allowing 2.41 goals per game.
MSU and Western Michigan will drop the puck at 5 pm Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and can be streamed on ESPN-Plus.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey vs. Western Michigan in NCAA Tournament Friday at 5 p.m.
