Wolverines' Home-and-Home Series vs. Spartans to End in Maize Out at Yost

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The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team (6-5-2, 2-2-1-1 Big Ten) continues its Big Ten schedule on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) in a home-and-home series with Michigan State (5-7-0, 1-3-0-0 Big Ten). Saturday's game is a Maize Out -- fans are encouraged to wear maize-colored clothing to show their spirit and support for the student-athletes.

The Michigan State Series

Michigan and Michigan State will meet for the 315th time, with U-M holding a 159-133-22 record over MSU in the all-time series. The two teams first met on Jan. 24, 1925, when the Wolverines defeated the Spartans, 6-3. On the road, the Wolverines trail 50-67-11 in the all-time series, while holding a 74-44-4 record at home.

Last season, U-M went 3-1-1 against the Spartans. The Maize and Blue split the first weekend series last December, with both teams earning a win at home. The teams then met at the Great Lakes Invitational, where U-M came out victorious, 6-4. Last February, the teams played to a 1-1 tie in East Lansing with Michigan earning the shootout win; and the next night the Wolverines earned a 3-2 win in Detroit in the "Dual in the D."

Scouting the Spartans

The Spartans are led by head coach Danton Cole, who is in his second season behind the bench for Michigan State. From 2010-17, he coached the U.S. National Team Development Program with the U-17 and U-18 teams. Prior to that, Cole spent three seasons in the NCAA as the head coach of Alabama-Huntsville, where he went 23-59-12.

Michigan State was picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten this season in the 2018-19 Big Ten Preseason Poll. Michigan State comes into this rivalry series following a weekend split against Minnesota (Nov. 23-24). The Spartans are 5-7 overall, with a 1-3 Big Ten record thus far this season.

Leading Michigan State

Michigan State's offense is led by its "KHL" line of Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski, who have combined for 44 points. Hirose leads the squad with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists), while Khodorenko has the team-lead in goals with nine.

In net, the Spartans are led by sophomore goaltender John Lethemon, who has played in eight games. Lethemon has posted a .897 save percentage and a 3.06 goals-against average. Freshman Drew DeRidder has appeared in five games with an .875 save percentage and a 3.45 goals-against average.

Last Weekend Recap

The Wolverines are coming off a weekend of back-to-back ties at home against Wisconsin. Michigan forced a tie on Friday, when they overcame an early deficit in a low-scoring game. Michigan fell just short of a win, but scored a goal in the second overtime for to earn the Big Ten point. Michigan forced another tie on Saturday, but lost out on the B1G point in the shootout.

Quinn-tesential Passing

Quinn Hughes tallied two assists last weekend to bring his season total to 12, which is tied for sixth in the country and second in the Big Ten. The sophomore defenseman has recorded a point in eight of the last nine games.

No Joshin' Around

Josh Norris is fifth in the Big Ten conference in points with 16 (eight goals, eight assists), which is good for 10th in the country. His eight goals rank fourth in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation, and he has recorded points in 11 of 13 games this season.

Luke-ing Good

Redshirt sophomore Luke Morgan scored his first Michigan goal on Saturday in the third period to knot the game at 2 against Wisconsin. His goal forced overtime and eventually the tie with the Badgers.

Big Blue Goal Stopper

Junior goalie Hayden Lavigne allowed one goal on Friday night and saved 20 shots before he turned away another 40 on Saturday night in two big performances from the goal tender.

Jack-ed Up

Sophomore Jack Becker scored his third goal of the season in the second period on Saturday. The goal sparked Michigan's comeback and helped force the tie. Michigan has yet to lose a game when Becker scores.

Slake and Bake

Junior Jake Slaker has recorded points in nine of Michigan's 13 games this season, giving him a total of 14 points (seven goals, seven assists).

The 'SNL' Line

Michigan's top line of Jake Slaker, Josh Norris and Will Lockwood have accounted for 42 percent (19-of-44) of the team's goals thus far and have combined for 41 points.

Lighting the Lamp

Michigan has scored 44 goals this season, the 10th largest total in the country and an average of 3.38 goals per game -- which ranks 14th in the country.

Man Advantage

Michigan is converting on 22.1 percent of its power-play opportunities, which ranks the Wolverines 14th in the nation. Michigan has scored 15 goals on the man-advantage, which is good for sixth in the country.

Up Next

Friday, Dec. 7 -- vs. Minnesota (Yost Ice Arena), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 8 -- vs. Minnesota (Yost Ice Arena), 8 p.m.