This isn’t your older sibling’s Duel in the D.
After winning the last four matchups in Detroit — and tying the fifth in 2017 — the No. 5 Michigan hockey team faces a renewed matchup against No. 15 Michigan State.
Despite the Spartan’s lack of recent relevance, the Duel in the D continuously presents the most fervent college hockey matchup in the state of Michigan. Moreover, with Michigan State currently sitting at No. 14 in the College Hockey News Pairwise Rankings and the Wolverines controlling their own postseason destiny, The Duel hasn’t meant more to both teams in over a decade. Although the two will play in East Lansing Friday night first, Saturday will determine who walks away with the trophy.
“It’s awesome,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said on Feb. 6. “I can give you the lines like ‘every game is important.’ And that’s true, but playing there on the road on Friday and then the Duel in the D, it’s worth way more. There should be more intensity and it’ll be great.”
That intensity begins with the Wolverines. Riding a five-game win streak — the longest of its season — Michigan has looked like a new team after a humbling loss to then No. 8 Ohio State on Jan. 13. The Wolverines are hitting their stride at the right time.
Currently ranked No. 4 in the pairwise rankings and No. 3 in the ever-competitive Big Ten standings, Michigan’s season has a lot to play for down the stretch. Though the Wolverines have effectively secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament, they still have the tall task of securing the highest seed possible, while simultaneously achieving home-ice advantage in the Big Ten Tournament.
If simply beating an ultra-competitive in-state rival wasn’t enough, the playoff race lifts the stakes even higher.
“I think it’s a big deal,” Naurato said. “Home ice is a big deal for the best of three and then, like us playing Notre Dame last year at home, in the semi-finals, that place was rocking. Home ice advantage, that’s a huge thing.”
Nevertheless, the Duel in the D still means one thing above all — rivalry.
“We’re looking to sweep,” senior forward Nick Granowicz said. “We’ve been on a roll the past two weekends, it’s the only thing we’re thinking about right now — just getting a sweep. We don’t want one, we want both. That’s what we’re going to try to do this week.”
After splitting the previous series this year, each team has something to prove.
While Granowicz and Michigan may want a sweep, the Spartans have their own reasons to come into this contest with a renewed fervor.
December and January weren’t kind to Michigan State. After the Spartans jumped out to an unexpectedly blistering pace to start the season, they went 2-9-1 in those two months, jeopardizing their spot in the National Tournament and leaving Michigan State on a precarious bubble. With only two series left in the season for the Spartans, every game is paramount.
According to CHN’s pairwise predictor, if Michigan State wants to find itself with a chance at the Tournament, it needs to take at least one game from the Wolverines this weekend. Without a win, even if the Spartans sweep their final series against Wisconsin in two weeks, they would most likely find themselves out of the top-15 — their chances dwindling.
Each team controls its own destiny. Each team knows the upcoming weekend means just a bit more.
“I think it’s situational,” Naurato said. “It’s a four team tie for second place (in the Big Ten) so it’s just a fun end of the year. The last three weeks, they really matter. You play Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame so everyone’s fighting for it. We kind of control our own destiny.”
Michigan hasn’t lost the Duel in the D since 2016. Michigan State hasn’t finished a season in the top-15 of the pairwise rankings since the 2011-2012 season. But the situation has changed.
The script is ready to flip to the next page of the ‘The Duel in the D.’