EAST LANSING, Mich. — Coming off a tough weekend where against Minnesota where the Spartans lost both games, Michigan State will be back at Munn Ice Arena, a place that has been kind to the Spartans this year.
Munn has been loud and energetic this year, especially under first-year head coach Adam Nightingale.
"I think if you go back to the start of the year, it wasn't that way, and it's built over time," Nightingale said. "We have a lot of people that put a lot of work in to get people in our building, but at the end of the day, we have to put a product on the ice that people are excited about watching."
The seniors on this team have been through some of the darker days. They know the feeling of an empty arena and how much different this year has been.
"There were definitely some times where the crowd wasn't as rowdy. It's always fun when you come out for warmups, and you see a crowd is already in attendance. I think that is something the fans have earned this year is the fan's trust back," senior forward Jagger Joshua said.
Just how much has the crowd made a difference? The Spartans are 9-4-1 at home. On the road, they have just four wins the whole season.
"Now that we have three games at home coming up, I think it's really exciting to use that crowd and our advantage we've had here that we used in the first half and see how we progress against teams that we played earlier on," goalie Dyland St. Cyr said.
This weekend will be critical. The Spartans are a .500 club and 5th in the Big Ten, and yet, they are just one win away from second place.
"We want to have real confidence and not fleeting confidence, and sometimes when you base your confidence off results, it can be fleeting. I think true confidence comes from preparation and doing things the right way," Nightingale said.
A good stretch run by MSU, and they could find themselves right back at Munn Ice Arena hosting a Big Ten Tournament game.
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