Joshua Named B1G First Star

East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State senior Jagger Joshua (Dearborn, Mich.) has been selected as the First Star of the Week by the Big Ten Conference, as announced on Tuesday morning.

Joshua produced a four-goal weekend as Michigan State skated to an overtime victory and tie / shootout win over visiting Penn State (3-2 OT, 4-4). Joshua notched his second hat trick of the season in Saturday's game.

Joshua's performances in both games helped MSU rally from two-goal deficits – the Spartans trailed 2-0 in the third period before Erik Middendorf and Joshua scored to send the game to overtime, where Cole Krygier played the role of overtime hero. In Saturday's contest, MSU trailed 3-1 at the midpoint of the second period before Joshua tied things at 3-3 with a pair of second-period goals. Penn State went back on top at 3:43 of the third, but Joshua was there to once again tie the game just 11 seconds later to complete his hat trick.

Joshua now has 11 goals on the season, not only his single-season career best but also surpassing the eight goals combined he had in his first three collegiate seasons. His 11 goals are tied for seventh in the Big Ten but is the third-highest goal total of any Big Ten player – Matthew Knies (Minnesota) and Mackie Samoskevich (Michigan) are tied atop the chart with 13 goals each. Joshua's five power play goals ranks in a tie for third in the league as well.

Joshua is also one of only two players in Division I hockey (and the only one in the Big Ten) with multiple hat tricks this season.

Joshua earns Big Ten Star honors for the second time this season, as he was the third star of the week on Oct.25 after a hat trick against non-conference foe Long Island University.

MSU players have earned Big Ten Star honors on nine separate occasions, the second-most in a single season for the Spartans since the league began play in the 2013-14 season. In 2014-15, MSU compiled a total of 13 star honors.

The Spartans are idle this weekend and currently sit in a three-way tie (with Ohio State and Penn State) with 24 points, which is good for second place in the Big Ten standings. With seven wins in Big Ten play, the Spartans have secured more conference victories than in all but two seasons - MSU won 11 B1G Conference games in both 2014-15 and 2019-20. The Spartans have already surpassed last year's win total (12).

The Spartans return to action on January 27-28 with a two-game series at Minnesota.

Players Mentioned

Jagger Joshua

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