Puck Drops Again: Great Lakes Invitational Lights Up the Ice!

THE ORIGINAL SIX

Important information regarding Spartan Hockey

 

• This week, Michigan State will be competing in the 58th annual Great Lakes Invitational, aiming for its 13th overall championship. MSU holds a historical record of 50-41-5 in the GLI, including 12 championships (the latest being in 2009). The first semifinal match features tournament co-host Michigan Tech against No. 6 Western Michigan, while MSU squares off with Northern Michigan in the later game (7 pm). The consolation and championship matches are scheduled for Monday, Dec. 30 at 3:30 and 7 pm, respectively. WILX-TV in Lansing and BTN+ will cover the MSU games (refer to the complete broadcast and webstream listing below).

• The Spartans are returning from the holiday break with a record of 13-2-1 and a No. 1 national ranking. MSU has played its last two B1G series away from Munn Ice Arena, achieving a 2-1-1 record over four games at Wisconsin (L 0-4, W 3-2 OT) and at No. 1 Minnesota (3-3 T, W 5-3). Against the top-ranked Gophers, MSU secured the shootout point before recovering from a 3-1 deficit with four goals in the third period. It marked MSU’s first victory in Minneapolis since February 2020.

• The Spartans have conceded 30 goals across 16 games this season, with their defensive statistics of 1.88 goals against ranking first in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. With an average of 3.44 goals per game and a team scoring defense of 1.88, MSU’s scoring margin (+1.56) ranks second in the B1G and fourth in Division I.

 • Over the last three games, Charlie Stramel is centering a line alongside Isaac Howard and Daniel Russell, during which the trio has combined for 4-6-10 against Big Ten opponents. Howard leads or shares the team lead in all three offensive categories (9-11-20), achieving a single-season career high in goals. Stramel boasts a scoring record of 5-7-12 (+6) through 16 games, establishing new career bests across the board. Russell ranks second on the team in goals and third overall in points (8-4-12), also leading nationally with five game-winning goals.

• MSU is demonstrating reliable offensive contributions from its defensive unit – among defensive pairs, the Buffalo pair (Patrick Geary and Maxim Štrbák) has tallied 1-11-12, the David Gucciardi–Nicklas Andrews duo 4-8-12, and Owen West–Matt Basgall combined for 2-12-14. Basgall shares the team lead in assists (11) with Isaac Howard, and his scoring log of 2-11-13 (+8) is the highest among blueliners and second overall on the team in points. Andrews leads the Spartans with a +13 rating and also possesses a 2-7-9 scoring record, ranking second after Basgall in both points and assists among defensemen. Additionally, he leads the squad with 19 blocked shots.

• With the participation of Trey Augustine and Maxim Štrbák, the Spartan net will be protected by sophomore Luca Di Pasquo. He holds a 0.50 GAA and .970 save percentage with one shutout across two starts this season. Di Pasquo initiated both GLI matches last year, recording a 1.92 GAA and .923 save percentage in a win and a tie, stopping 48 out of 52 shots faced.

COMPREHENSIVE GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL TELEVISION DETAILS

Television:

    WLUC-TV (Marquette)                         WILX -TV (Lansing/Jackson)

    KBJR-TV (Duluth, MN)                          KEYC-TV (Mankato, MN) 

    KTTC-TV (Rochester, MN)                      KCRG-TV (Cedar Rapids, IA)

    KMOX-TV (St. Louis, MO)                     WFSB (Hartford, CT)

    WOIO (Cleveland, Ohio 

    

Palmetto Sports Network:

    WPAM & WIS-TV (Columbia SC)      WHNS-TV (Greenville/Spartanburg SC)

    WZCH-TV (Charleston SC)              WMBF-TV (Myrtle Beach SC) 

Webstreams:

Uppermichiganssource.com (Free)

BTN+ (MSU Games, $)               Midco Sports Plus (MTU/NMU Games, $)