Spartan fans that have been looking for something more exciting than football can breathe a sigh of relief at Adam Nightingale and the 2026-2027 Spartan hockey team takes the ice in Munn for their season opener on Friday October 9 at 7:30pm. Game two will actually be on Sunday October 11 with a puck drop time of 1pm and both viewable on B1G+.
After an exhibition warm up win against #12 Boston College on October 2, MSU hockey is looking forward to starting the season. The Spartans enter the season ranked
#3 and have one of the youngest teams in the NCAA. A lot of familiar faces have left but fans can be excited about the likes of Anthony Romani, who scored two in the BC game, and Ryker Lee. Both players, along with two goals in the exhibition, Eric Nilson will have a bit more experience under their belt. Cayden Lindstrom also looks to be more impactful this season after really using last season to get his legs back after injuries. Patrick Geary takes on the roll of captain as Tommi Männistö and Shane Vansaghi are alternates. All three have developed nicely under the tutelage of Nightingale and look to take that next big step like Howard and Stramel did the past two seasons.
MSU should be able to put pucks in the nets but the defense may be the most interesting part of the lineup to keep an eye on. The defenders are young with Geary and junior Owen West bringing in the most experience. There are some highly touted freshmen that will see playing time like Thomas Bleyl and Chase Reid. MSU also begins its life in the post Augustine era with Joshua Ravensbergen taking over in net. Ravensbergen is believed to be the real deal and looked relatively solid in the exhibition.
With 9 freshmen and 3 transfers new to the team, half the team will look brand new. The second line of Nilson, Romani and Ethan Belchetz will look to stay hot and get Nightingale two more wins closer to 100 as a Spartan. Ron Mason was the fastest to do it in 182 games and Nightingale is 5 wins away with 150 under his belt. I’m looking forward to seeing the highly ranked class in action and will the Spartans finally get over the hump in the postseason. Let us know in the comments your thoughts on the season and Go Green!
