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The Michigan State Spartans Men’s Ice Hockey team starts their 2020-’21 season tonight against the Arizona State Sun Devils. This will be MSU’s 80th season of hockey, and the latest start to a hockey season since 1969-’70 when the Spartans beat North Dakota 8-3 on Nov. 23.
Games 1-2: Arizona State (0-2) at Michigan State (0-0, 0-0 B1G)
Dates | Times: Thursday, Nov. 19 | 6 p.m. // Friday, Nov. 20 | 6 p.m.
Location: East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena
TV: BTN (Thursday)
Web Stream: Thursday - FoxSportsGo.com & FOX Sports app // Friday - BTNPlus.com & BTN + app
Radio: TCF Bank Spartan Media Network | MSUSpartans.com & MSU Spartans app | Local: WJIM 1240-AM
Game Notes: Michigan State | Arizona State
Head coach Danton Cole enters his third season at the helm of the Spartan Hockey program, and is 2-1 in season openers after beating Northern Michigan the previous two seasons. Last season’s 15 wins were the most by MSU since 2014-’15, and MSU finished just six points out of first place in the Big Ten standings last season.
The Spartans return two of their five leading scorers from last season in Mitchell Lewandowski and Dennis Cesana, but welcome 10 newcomers to the team as well.
Lewandowski ranks second in the NCAA among active career leaders in goals with 43, is tied for first in game-winning goals with 10, and is ranked ninth in points with 88. Cesana is one of four returning defensemen for MSU, and all four played in at least 35 games last season.
The Sun Devils are an independent in men’s ice hockey and partnered with the Big Ten this season to play each of the seven teams in the Big Ten four times, all on the road. ASU opened their season against Michigan, dropping both games 8-1 and 3-0. They beat MSU last season in East Lansing in the opening game of the series, but after both teams went scoreless in regulation of game two, Lewandowski got a backhanded goal in during OT to give the Spartans the win and split the series 1-1.
With the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network this evening, feel free to join us live in the comments as well for the matchup tonight.