Michigan State opened the 2026-27 season looking every bit like a team intent on staying in the national title mix.
The third-ranked Spartans handled Northern Michigan on both nights of the series, rolling to a 6-2 win on Friday and following it with a 5-1 victory Sunday afternoon. The sweep sets MSU up for its next game at RPI on Saturday, Oct. 17, and it also produced an early snapshot of who’s driving this roster.
Freshman defenseman Chase Reid, one of the most talked-about newcomers in East Lansing, wasted no time showing why the hype followed him here. The Seattle Kraken made him the seventh overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, putting him behind only Cayden Lindstrom as the second-highest-drafted player on the roster.
Reid didn’t score, but he still left his mark with three assists and six shots on goal across the two games. He picked up two assists in the opener and added another secondary assist on Sunday.
The early returns suggest Reid can affect the game at both ends. That’s exactly the reputation he brought with him after posting point-per-game production for the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, and he already looks comfortable moving the puck and making composed decisions in the defensive zone despite being just 18.
Michigan State’s blue line, in general, looked deep and dangerous. Captain Patrick Geary supplied the experience at the top, Tommy Bleyl flashed the skill that comes with being one of the program’s many first-round picks, and Peddle along with Sean Barnhill also stood out over the weekend.
Jack Hextall was another freshman who made a quick impression. He was named the official first star from Sunday’s win after a three-point outing that included a goal and two assists. He had already scored in the third period of Friday’s season opener, and both of his goals in the series came on the power play.
That special teams unit was lethal against Northern Michigan. Michigan State went 7-for-13 on the power play, and one of the “misses” lasted only one second at the end of Game 1. Take that out, and the Spartans converted on 58.3% of their chances.
Hextall’s best play may have been one of his assists in the second period Sunday. Northern Michigan had just tied the game at 1-1, and MSU needed a jolt.
The Spartans got a power play, and Hextall delivered with a pass that seemed to go intentionally wide of the net and right to Ethan Belchetz, who had little choice but to redirect it in with his body or the upper part of his stick. Hextall’s goal on Sunday was pretty sharp too - a one-timer from the left circle.
Anthony Romani kept making his case as well. He was already one of Michigan State’s top returning players, and right now he looks like the leading candidate to become the team’s top goal scorer.
Romani scored twice in last week’s exhibition against Boston College, then added three more goals in the sweep of Northern Michigan. He had two in Friday’s win and another on Sunday while short-handed.
He also chipped in an assist in the opener, giving him four points for the weekend.
Through two games, Romani, Hextall and Ryker Lee are tied atop the team scoring board, but Romani is the only one with three goals. He also fired 13 shots on goal against Northern Michigan, more than anyone else on the roster.
With Porter Martone and Charlie Stramel gone, Michigan State had plenty of offense to replace. The biggest question around this team was whether it had a true alpha scorer. Romani looked ready to answer that question this weekend, even without being on the first line.
Northern Michigan is not the kind of opponent that will define a season, but the Spartans still did exactly what a contender is supposed to do: control both games from start to finish. That matters even more when the Wildcats had already shown some bite, taking a split from Miami (Ohio) the week before.
In Other News...
Pat Fitzgerald Furious After Call Defined Michigan States Loss
Michigan States late-game frustration in its loss to Illinois centered on one of the most debated plays of the afternoon, an onside kick that seemed to swing momentum before it was wiped away. Freshman wide receiver Samson Gash was flagged for offsides on the attempt, and after an extended review, officials upheld the penalty and forced the Spartans to kick again. It was the sort of sequence that can change the feel of a game in an instant, especially when a team believes it has finally created a break.
Pat Fitzgerald made it clear afterward that he disagreed with the ruling and plans to take his concerns to Big Ten officiating leadership. For Michigan State, the complaint is about more than one call, because the play came at a pivotal moment and left the Spartans chasing a result that felt even more out of reach after the ruling stood. With the dust still settling, the broader issue now is how the conference answers for a decision that will linger well beyond this one loss. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States First Ranked Big Ten Test Ended In A Frustrating Call
No. 2 Michigan States first ranked Big Ten test turned into a painful lesson in margin for error, as the Spartans fell 2-1 at No. 25 Purdue in a match that hinged on one early second-half moment. Kayla Briggs gave Michigan State the lead, but Emilia Deppe brought Purdue level before the home side went in front on a penalty kick from Irene Campo.
Noelle Henning did her part to keep the Spartans in it, turning away a season-high six shots even as her shutout streak came to an end on Purdues equalizer. But Michigan State never fully recovered from the sequence that followed, and the result left a strong conference opening with a frustrating ending. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Escaped Michigan State But Fans Can't Ignore One Problem
Illinois escaped East Lansing with a 38-37 overtime win, but the final score only told part of the story for a team that spent much of the night trying to hang on to an early cushion. Illinois built the lead it wanted, yet the second half brought defensive problems that let Michigan State back into the game and turned what looked manageable into a tense finish.
Michigan States offense also had to adjust when starting quarterback Katin Houser was injured late in the third quarter, forcing freshman Michael Clayton II into a difficult spot. Clayton handled the pressure well enough to keep the Spartans alive deep into overtime, and Illinois ultimately survived when it stopped the two-point conversion attempt that decided the game. [Read more 🡒]