Spartans Release Non-Conference Slate

Michigan State hockey coach Adam Nightingale has announced the non-conference opponents for Spartan hockey for the upcoming 2022-23 season. 2223 NC

"We have a nice slate of home games, and teams on our schedule who will test us and prepare us for the challenges of the Big Ten season," commented Nightingale. "We look forward to the excitement of playing in front of our great home crowds and the incredible student support we have at Michigan State and Munn Ice Arena. We look forward to seeing many familiar faces as well as helping to cultivate new fans and exciting game nights at our upgraded facility."

The Spartans open the season with an exhibition against the United States National Team Development Program on Saturday, Oct. 1. This will be the public debut of MSU's upgraded Munn expansion and Hall of Hockey, which celebrates the history of the storied Spartan program.

The first regular-season series will be played Friday-Saturday Oct. 7-8 when MSU takes on Bowling Green in a home-and-home – the official Munn Arena home opener will be Friday against the Falcons, and the Spartans return the home game on Saturday at BGSU Ice Arena. The Falcons were 15-19-3 a year ago and were 11-14-1 in CCHA play.

A Thursday-Friday series with UMass-Lowell is on tap Oct. 13-14. MSU played in Lowell last October, and the RiverHawks come to East Lansing this fall for the return games. UML went 21-11-3 in 2021-22, advanced to the Hockey East semifinals, and fell to eventual National Champion Denver in the NCAA Tournament in Loveland, Colorado. The Spartans skated to a 2-2 tie at Tsongas Arena in game one before falling 4-0 in the rematch.

Division I newcomer Long Island embarks on its second varsity season next year and comes to East Lansing for a pair of games Oct. 21-22. The Sharks posted a 10-21-3 record in their first varsity season and will feature 2022 MSU graduate Adam Goodsir, who is playing his fifth season at LIU next year.   This will be the first-ever meetings with LIU for Michigan State.

The final non-conference series will come Thanksgiving weekend when the Spartans return a trip to Miami after the Red Hawks came to Munn Ice Arena in 2021-22. Miami went 7-27-2 a year ago and looks to improve upon its previous season. The Spartans swept the Red Hawks last year, 3-1 and 2-1.

As previously announced, the Spartans will participate in the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament Dec. 27-28 in Grand Rapids. MSU will tangle with Ferris State in the Semifinals at 7 pm on Tuesday Dec. 27, and the third-place and Championship games will be contested at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday Dec. 28.

The Big Ten conference schedule will come out later this summer, but will feature both home and away series with all six Big Ten programs.

Season tickets for the 2022-23 hockey season will go on sale July 1.

Michigan State University Athletics

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