After dropping a second straight game to Penn State in East Lansing last weekend, it looked like Michigan State hockey just choked away the Big Ten title as Minnesota overtook first place.
There was just one weekend left and Michigan State trailed Minnesota by two points.
Fortunately, the Spartans got to face the worst team in the Big Ten in the final series of the regular season. On the flip side, Minnesota had to go to Penn State to try and sweep the No. 15 Nittany Lions.
It felt like Michigan State had a small chance to make a move back into first place. It would need some help, though. The Spartans got just that as Penn State beat Minnesota in overtime on Friday night as the Spartans won in regulation over the Fighting Irish. They would need to win again in regulation on Saturday night in order to clinch the conference title.
And they did just that, beating Notre Dame 4-2 to win their second straight Big Ten title -- and second-ever Big Ten title -- which marks their first back-to-back conference championship since 1998-99. That was back when Michigan State was still in the CCHA.
Your Spartans are back-to-back Big Ten Regular Season Champs! #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/lzT7klZ9SX
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 2, 2025
What this team has done has been impressive, basically flirting with the No. 1 spot in the rankings all season long and bouncing back from every one of its losses. It heads into the Big Ten Tournament as the 1-seed and it's likely to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, too. They've done this after losing captain Red Savage for the season a month ago.
Adam Nightingale deserves all the accolades and let's hope he's in East Lansing for a long, long time.