Michigan State continues its winning ways, taking four of six points against Michigan over the weekend and moving back into the sole lead of the Big Ten men’s hockey standings. Granted, it’s only by one point, 39 to 38, but in addition to momentum the Spartans have a favorable schedule over the final weeks of the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines are no longer the team to beat, at least for now, and a pivotal series against Penn State looms. Coming off an off week, the Nittany Lions are still in the conference hunt with 32 points, and two extra games to play on the league schedule. But they’re going to need a lot of things to go right to have a shot at the league crown.

The conference tournament could be a whole different story, never mind the NCAA Tournament, where Penn State hopes to return to the Frozen Four.

Minnesota Duluth stopped its four-game skid, taking an overtime victory from North Dakota, while both Western Michigan and Denver failed to take full advantage of North Dakota’s loss. The NCHC is still up for grabs, however, the contenders are running out of time.

Out East, Providence continues to win, making it nine straight, and would likely be the hottest team in college hockey if it weren’t for Michigan State. Quinnipiac continues to boast one of the most prolific offenses in college hockey, scoring 17 goals over two games, however the ECAC is still a three-team race with Dartmouth and Cornell.

Which is listed first in this week’s power rankings?

1. Michigan State

The Spartans took rival Michigan to overtime in Ann Arbor on Friday night, followed by the impressive 5-2 victory in Detroit to win the 10th annual Duel in the D that felt like a statement had been made. The Spartans moved ahead of the Wolverines by one point in the Big Ten standings and over the final three weekends of the regular season will face the bottom three teams in the standings. Michigan State is in the driver’s seat with a great opportunity to secure the Big Ten regular-season title, and more.

2. North Dakota 

The Fighting Hawks traveled to Duluth, splitting the series with an overtime loss 3-2 in game one, followed by a 4-1 victory Saturday night. North Dakota remains the team to beat in the NCHC, but its lead over Denver is just two points. All eyes will be UND durign its series with Western Michigan at the end of the month. 

SEE ALSO: Top Teams Toppled

3. Michigan 

The Wolverines split with the Spartans, winning game one in overtime 4-3 before losing 5-2 on neutral ice. That’s the difference between No. 1 and 2 in the National Collegiate Percentage (NPI) Index as Michigan subequently fell out of the top spot. The Wolverines are trailing in the Big Ten standings and have a significantly tougher schedule than Michigan State, with Penn State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to go. 

4. Providence 

The Friars continue to be one of the hottest teams in college hockey, increasing their win streak to nine in a row. The Friars defeated New Hampshire on Friday in a 6-1 contest, before beating Vermont by the same score on Saturday, both on the road. Providence leads Hockey East with 39 points and has emerged as the clear frontrunner in the conference. 

5. Penn State 

The Nittany Lions were idle last weekend, but travel to Ann Arbor to play Michigan in a key two-game series. If Penn State can catch the Wolverines licking their wounds, things could suddenly get very interesting at the top of the Big Ten. If they split, the teams could be on a collision course in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

6. Western Michigan

The Broncos earned another split this weekend, losing 3-2 in overtime before winning 3-1 the following night against Miami of Ohio. They have Arizona State and Colorado College next, and if they don’t take care of business in the next two series the season finale against North Dakota won’t mean much.

7. Denver

The Pioneers played a home-and-home against Colorado College. In game one, they tied 2-2, with Denver winning in shootouts. The following evening, the Pioneers rolled, winning 4-1 at home. Denver only has two series left this season, including at Omaha this weekend, and will need some help in order to catch North Dakota.

8. Quinnipiac

The Bobcats continue to have one of the most impressive offenses in college hockey. They outscored their opponents 17-1, defeating Brown 9-1 on Friday night before blanking Yale 8-0 in game two. The Bobcats have both Dartmouth and Cornell still on the schedule; both teams only trail by two points in ECAC standings.

9. Minnesota Duluth

The Bulldogs snapped their four-game losing streak with an overtime win against North Dakota, 3-2 in game one. The Fighting Hawks took game two 4-1, but UMD was able to get some momentum back, taking two points in the series. UMD finishes the year with a series against Colorado College and Miami of Ohio. It’s all about the postseason now as the NCHC conference title is out of reach.

10. Dartmouth 

The Big Green won 3-1 on the road at Harvard in a one-game series Friday night that felt like an elimination game for the ECAC title. Dartmouth is tied for second with Cornell at 36 points, with Quinnipiac leading the conference at 38 points. Dartmouth has a favorable schedule leading up to its rematch with Quinnipiac on Feb. 27 that could be a winner-takes-all game.  

ANN ARBOR, MI — This was a different sort of audience in another famous stadium for a familiar group of performers.

The University of Michigan Marching Band made its Super Bowl debut Jan. 14, 1973, when the Miami Dolphins played the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The stadium was full and morale was high for Miami fans as the score was 14-0 by the halftime show. Then, the band appeared on the field and formed a big smiley face.

The theme for the show was “Happiness Is.” Musician Woody Herman and singer Andy Williams joined the Michigan Marching Band on the field.

The band marched into various words and figures, including forming the initials “NFL” and an outline of the continental United States.

The setlist included “Put on a Happy Face,” “Woodchopper’s Ball,” “La Virgen de la Macarena,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Marmalade, Molasses & Honey” and “People.”

Near the end, white doves and red balloons were released into the sky with the Michigan Marching Band forming the word “LOVE.”

To learn more about that day, Joseph Dobos, historian for the Michigan Marching Band, shared the memoir of former band member Richard Alder, who died in 2023.

Alder wrote about his experiences in Los Angeles leading up and during the Super Bowl.

“We headed off to the Coliseum for a morning rehearsal to finalize details, and meet up with participants that we still hadn’t seen,” Alder wrote. “The routine with Woody Herman was rehearsed, though we had nothing like our Andy Williams interaction with him. He came out, did his thing and was back in the afternoon.”

He remembered sitting at field level during the game and thinking about the halftime performance.

“I don’t recall really paying much attention to the first half of the game during which the Dolphins apparently dominated,” Alder wrote. “The audience was promised a big finale, one that couldn’t be practiced, and it seemed to work.”

The undefeated Dolphins won 14-7.

He also wrote about the halftime show finale, specifically the release of the red balloons, which “worked successfully,” he wrote. Alder recalled not attending classes the following Monday “as we were in no condition to stay awake.”

Leading up to the show in Los Angeles, Alder remembered flying to California on Jan. 11, 1973, and living in a dormitory hall at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“So, with kickoff for Super Bowl VII approaching in about 72 hours, we took the field to start figuring out our formation charts, marching through those and adding music (except for the finale) for the rest of the afternoon and after dinner,” Alder wrote.

He remembered rumors that the Michigan Marching Band would perform at Super Bowl VII when the band went home for winter break in 1972.

“On December 22, it became official — the offer had been made and the necessary permission to participate was received from the university,” Alder wrote. He added that the National Football League would pay for the band’s trip but only for 140 out of 214 members.

“The letter instructed band members to respond immediately via air mail of interest in being selected so it could be determined who would go,” Alder wrote. “Rehearsals would start a few days before the beginning of winter semester, on Jan. 4, just ten days before the Super Bowl.”

A video on Facebook from the Michigan Marching Band shows the 1973 halftime show performance.

The Michigan Marching Band also performed in the pregame performance for the 1982 Super Bowl.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State needed it, and it got it.

The 10th-ranked Spartans took down No. 5 Illinois, 85-82 in overtime, on Saturday night in an absolute thriller. This snaps a mild, two-game skid for MSU, gives it a huge resume victory, and keeps itself alive in the Big Ten title race.

Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. led the way for Michigan State, dropping 26 points and 15 assists. He seemed to have the ball the whole time later on in the second half and overtime and never showed any fatigue, despite playing 42 minutes.

This moves MSU to 20-4 overall and 10-3 during Big Ten play. The Spartans’ next game is at Wisconsin on Friday.

First Half

The first 20 minutes were tightly contested. Neither team got to enjoy a lead larger than six points, as both teams seemed to go bucket for bucket for most of the first half.

What made the difference early on is that Illinois’ spacing was better. The Fighting Illini didn’t shoot it very well in the first half, but their ability to stretch out the Spartans’ defense opened up some opportunities on second chances and inside the arc.