It's been a tale of two entirely different seasons for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Michigan State Spartans hockey teams. Both teams were predicted to be in the upper echelon of not only the CCHA, but also the national picture as well. Prior to tonight's game, you'll find Notre Dame sitting atop conference and national standings. MSU, on the other hand, has struggled the entire season, failing to live up to the high expectations prior to an NCAA tournament appearence last season.

Notre Dame returns home after last weekend's hard fought battle in an intense, hostile atmosphere with UNO, squeeking out two victories. Tonight's match up is the last home game of the regular season. Senior night will be an emotional event for our senior players and their families as their careers will soon come to a close.

Outgoing Seniors Include: RW Erik Condra, C Christian Hanson, D Luke Lucyk, G Jordan Pearce, LW Garrett Regan, and Justin White.

MSU is coming off another weekend of inconsistent play as they split their weekend series with last-place Bowling Green. They played well at home in Friday night's game, winning 3-2. Yet they followed up their effort with a goose egg, getting shut out 4-0 by a bad team.

Similar to last weekend's situation with UNO, State is in need of some points this weekend in order to improve their seeding in the CCHA playoffs which begin next weekend.Look for them to play physically, as MSU usually manages to givethe Irish some trouble offensively. And as any rivalry goes, I'm sure the team will find another gear when it comes to the series this weekend, despite the season of despair MSU has experienced.

The Irish, who have already clinched the regular season title and the 1 seed, must continue to play well in order to secure the best possible seed in the NCAA tournament. A letdown against a weaker conference foe could sacrifice the lead they have on Michigan in PWR (used for NCAA tournament seeding), thus ultimately sending the Irish to a possibly unfavorable path to the Frozen Four.

For the Irish to win:

Hit 'em High. MSU's goalie Jeff Lerg has been a little guy doing big things dunring his career with State. At a daunting 5'6'' with skates on, the Irish must shoot high. Lerg's ability to make himself seem big by stellar positioning can make him frustrating, but once the Irish score, the flood gates will open

Patience is a Virtue. MSU's defense has been known to clog up the neutral and defensive zones. The defense isn't as good this year, but the system they play can still cause problems for the Irish. Wear them down with dumping and chasing while maintaining our own presence in the neutral zone can help.

Make Lerg Move It Move It. Screens, crisp side to side passing, anything that doesn't let Lerg get set up and challenge the shooter by playing above the crease. Up front play is key. A rebound goal or two can make this game an afterthought.

Michigan State wins if:

They are disciplined. Notre Dame is going to have enough chances. If they play their game, they'll force turnovers, they'll force penalties, and they could steal one from a great team at home.

They have a really, really good night. Statistically, they stink. But that doesn't mean they can't play well this weekend. They have signature wins of North Dakota and beating Miami on the road.

Lerg plays out of his mind. If he plays well, sees the puck, and controls his rebounds, MSU has a chance. If he's the Lerg of 2008-9, ND is in business.

You can bet the Jacco Wackos in Section 6 will be in full force tonight, as out boys close out another epic regular season, and begin the trek to the ultimate prize, a NCAA championship

-JR

*Edit* Jeff Lerg didn't start today, but look for him tomorrow. Instead it's Freshman Drew Palmisano. He isn't faring too well. It's 2-0 with 5 minutes left.