For the first time since the 2009-2010 season, the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans hockey team will enter its second weekend series of the 2023-2024 campaign standing at a 2-0 record.

The Spartans handled Lake Superior State last weekend with relative ease, winning 5-2 and 4-2 in front of a pair of sellout crowds at Munn Arena. Now, the Spartans will hit the road this weekend for their first away series of the year, traveling to Colorado Springs to take on the Air Force Falcons.

The Air Force Falcons are a member of the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) and sit at 1-1 on the season, following a split with Lindenwood last weekend in Colorado Springs.

Historically under head coach Frank Serratore, the Falcons have been a physical, disciplined team that wins with strong goaltending, goals in transition and an emphasis in their special teams play to take advantage of their opponents' mistakes (also, they are great at minimizing their own, as the Falcons have successfully killed off 37 of their last 40 penalty kill situations going back to last season).

In net this season, the responsibility to hold Air Force in games has fallen to Guy Blessing (junior, Chandler, Arizona), who stands at 6-foot-3 and had a save percentage just under .890 last season.

Blessing has a talented defensemen in front of him in reigning AHA Defensive Player of the Week Luke Rowe (senior, Succasunna, New Jersey). Rowe had fuve assists in the series with Lindenwood last weekend.

The best goal scoring threat is Will Gavin (senior, Durham, Connecticut), who had the game-winner last Friday for the Falcons and has the most career goals on the team now with 31.

1. Special Teams- As mentioned, the Falcons have a penalty-kill unit that keeps them in games to limit their mistakes from their physicality. The Spartans have a power play operating at 25% right now, scoring once in their four opportunities last weekend (granted Artyom Levshunov's goal was scored just after the man advantage had expired). The Spartans will out-talent Air Force all night at five-on-five, but that talent advantage becomes even more pronounced with the man advantage. The Spartans will need to capitalize on their opportunities for more open ice to break down the Falcons this weekend.

2. Age vs. Skill- This season, Michigan State possess the fourth youngest team in NCAA hockey with an average age of 21 years and 4 months. Trey Augustine, the Spartans' starting goaltender, was born in 2005. The youngest players on Air Force are a pair of 2003 born freshmen. The Falcons will lean on their veteran presence and physicality to try and get under the skin of a young MSU team making its first road trip of the season. Key for the Spartans are veterans like Reed Lebster, Nico Müller and James Crossman to be a calming presence and lead by example, to allow MSU to show its clear skill advantage.

3. Neutral Zone Pace- The most notable thing last weekend for me in pace and style of play was that the Spartans continue to not be an up and down the wall team. Head coach Adam Nightingale has brought in a style and skill level that allows the Spartans to make diagonal passes in the neutral zone, get defensemen on their heels and attack at different angles, which is a huge change from the up and down the boards chip and chase play under former head coach Danton Cole. The Spartans will need to turn the game into a track meet to loosen up the Air Force neutral zone, but will need to be careful as well, as the Falcons feast on turnovers for transition opportunities going the other way.

Details/How To Watch

Time: 9:05 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday and Friday

Location: Cadet Ice Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Streaming: FloHockey ($$)

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