No. 1 Michigan State hockey's first game of its series with No. 10 Michigan is just hours away from puck drop, and the stakes are as high as ever. These two teams last met in last year's NCAA Tournament,

The Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans NCAA Men’s Hockey teams are set for an elite eight rematch. The Big Ten rivals meet twice this weekend, once at each home arena. The action begins Friday night with a 7:00 p.m. face-off at the Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

No. 1 Michigan State and No. 10 Michigan will resume a rivalry that left both teams reeling over the offseason.

Michigan State, which posted a 5-7 record in Smith’s first season and lost 13 players to the portal, officially added 27 newcomers to the roster this week at the start of the spring semester. There are 11 early enrollees from the 2025 high school signing class and 16 transfers. “There was some positions of need. … We got that done,” Smith said.

The Spartans made a number of transfer portal, recruiting and coaching additions as Jonathan Smith enters his second season in East Lansing.