ANN ARBOR – About half of Michigan’s hockey team was at Spartan Stadium last Saturday and witnessed one of the most memorable football games ever between the two in-state rivals.
They saw their Wolverines take a 16-point lead in the third quarter and then watched it evaporate after a Kenneth Walker-led surge from Michigan State.
Michigan’s 37-33 loss might not have any bearing on the hockey team’s season, but the players were acutely aware of how the top-10 showdown captivated both teams’ fervid fanbases.
While Michigan and MSU’s hockey team regularly meet more than once a year, and one regular-season game doesn’t carry as much significance as it does in football, it is still an intense rivalry on the ice.
On Friday, the Wolverines and Spartans met for the first time this season – just six days after MSU rallied to beat Michigan on the football field. This time the third-ranked Wolverines came out on top, skating to a 7-2 victory at Yost Ice Arena.
“I think watching that game and seeing how devastating that loss was, I think everyone was kind of fired up to play these guys,” said sophomore forward Matty Beniers, who scored Michigan’s first two goals Friday on his 19th birthday. “Especially the young guys coming in being their first time, watching that rivalry last week and saying, ‘Hey, like, we gotta do our job here.’”
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Of the 20 players in Michigan’s lineup Friday, twelve are either a sophomore or freshman, meaning they had never played MSU (4-4-1, 1-2 Big Ten) in front of a crowd before Friday. No fans were allowed in Big Ten arenas last season, and two of the four meetings between the rivals were canceled because of COVID-19.
Michigan (7-2, 2-1) took the ice Friday in front of a sold-out maize-out crowd. It was able to feed off the energy early as Beniers scored twice in the first 11 minutes for a 2-0 lead.
“It was a lot of fun,” Beniers said. “The game was a lot of fun that we played well. Walking out and onto the ice and seeing the maize out was pretty cool for the first time also. Pretty cool birthday present to have.”
Head coach Mel Pearson said he could feel the anticipation for this weekend’s two-game series building throughout the week. The two teams are back on the ice at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in East Lansing.
“Anytime you play Michigan State, your rival, it transcends all our sports,” Pearson said. “The intensity of this rivalry, how bad you want to beat them.
“I mean, just the talk before the football game and talk after the football game and how passionate people are about it, it brings attention to the rivalry, and we’ve got a healthy hockey rivalry, too. No doubt about it.”
Michigan leads the all-time series against MSU 167-137-24, including winning six of the past seven. They split the two games last season.
Physicality was on display for both teams Friday as they combined for 55 penalty minutes. Michigan scored twice on the power play, including a Mackie Samoskevich goal that gave the team a 5-2 lead at the 7:15 mark of the third period. The Wolverines went 3 for 3 on the penalty kill, including a 5-minute major against forward Garrett Van Wyhe.
“Just a solid effort,” Pearson said. “We have to clean some things up, but overall, anytime you beat Michigan State is a good feeling.”
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