MSU Hockey opened up the season last week with the ultimate unexpected outcome, a loss. Fortunately, the Spartans bounced back in the second game to start the season 1-1. The loss also dropped them in the rankings, but a good showing this weekend and it may partially erase what we all hope to be an anomaly. This weekend MSU heads to Boston to take on e the consensus number 1 ranked Terriers. MSU has not fared well in Boston with their last win in 1958 in the first ever meeting. Boston holds a 9-8
series lead and the last time the two played was in 2014. This is a matchup between two very strong teams and will be a John Buccigross special on ESPN 2 AT 7pm Friday and Saturday on ESPN+.
MSU will have to play a much cleaner game against Boston than they did in their season opener. Execution is going to be a key because the Terriers are outstanding at it. They have the ability to make MSU pay for miscues. Both teams are young and this will be key to see who is improving and playing with more discipline. The Spartans turned the puck over a ton against NH and they need to protect it and understand each others tendencies a bit more. Obviously, this all comes with time and Nightingale is fantastic at getting game to game improvement from players.
There is also a lot of familiarity between some players. Winger Cole Eiserman leads BU in scoring and has tallied 6 points in three games. Defensemen Cole Hutson and forward Ryder Ritchie have five points each. Lindstrom and Martone have both played with Ritchie and Augustine has played with Eiserman and Hutson. Having some of BU’s top guys familiar with Augustine could spell trouble but he is also very familiar with their scoring tendencies which could make for intriguing opportunities. Boston may have to look for its scoring from someone else. Augustine has always enjoyed playing against familiar faces and usually shows up big. MSU is a strong defensive minded style of play and they will be tested against the flashy high potent offense of BU.
MSU has been touted for its 15 NHL Draft picks but Boston has 19 of their own. Watching this game will be a fun peek into future NHL stars. Martone has been successful thus far stepping into the Howard role on the Russell/Stramel line. They will look to continue to put the puck on the net. MSU is great at putting the puck on the net and blocking opponent shots but they need to clean up. MSU had some costly penalties against NH and were able to bounce back and stay close but they will not be as successful playing that game against BU.
Boston made it all the way to the title game last year and this year have even more fire power and have an expectation to not only beat teams, but to do so convincingly. This puts MSU in a spot that it hasn’t found itself in too often in matchups and that is as the underdog. MSU is not supposed to win in Boston and that may come with a bit of freedom, especially for a young team and one that have an all freshman third line. I look for MSU to capitalize on the looseness and take advantage of the possibility of BU playing a bit tight. If MSU is protective of the puck, uses its speed and size combo and manages to stay out of the box I think they can get out of this weekend with a split. MSU doesn’t want to start the season 1-3, no matter who the losses are to. The Spartans have had a great game two track record under Nightingale and if they drop game one, look for them to snag game two. The big key for MSU is shutting down Hutson and that is where Augustine’s experience may have an edge over Hutson. Putting a body and getting physical with Hutson will also help as long as it stays clean.
MSU is going to need a breakout performance. Who is going to be that goal scorer? I am going to go with Martone having the breakout performance and coming up big this weekend as MSU plays well defensively. Both games should be tight and are an absolute must watch. Growth, improvement, and gelling together is what I am looking for. Hockey is a fickle game where anything can happen on any given night as we Spartans know all too well. Let’s hope MSU comes out of this weekend looking like a clear favorite to the title. Go Green!
