MSU-North Dakota Hall of Fame clash will have NHL pospects galore

The Michigan State hockey team will be away from Munn Ice Arena for a third consecutive weekend, this time gearing up for one of the most anticipated non-conference matchups in college hockey this season.The Spartans, who dropped to No. 4 in the USCHO poll following a series split at New Hampshire, will head to Austin, Texas, for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game against No. 8 North Dakota on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the H-E-B Center, home arena for the American Hockey League's Texas Stars.The matchup will feature 13 total first-round NHL draft picks (nine for MSU, four for UND), marking the most to play in a collegiate game in NCAA history."We're thankful that we're part of this game with North Dakota down in Austin. We have a ton of alumni who will be at the game and can't wait to get down there," MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. "This was scheduled when I first got the job here, so we've been waiting for it and looking forward to it."North Dakota dropped to No. 8 in the poll after being swept by rival Minnesota this past weekend. The Fighting Hawks had started the season off 4-0 with sweeps of Bemidji State and Bentley before falling to the Gophers, surrendering 10 goals in the two games combined.UND has been led by sophomore forward Cole Reschny, who has four goals and four assists. Other dangerous forwards include Will Zellers, who was a teammate with MSU forwards Ryker Lee and Shane Vansaghi at last year's World Juniors, as well as Jack Kernan and Hudson Malinoski.Like the Spartans, UND has a young but talented blue line, headlined by first-round picks Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff. Sophomore Jan Spunar, who was one of the top goaltenders in the NCAA last season, should patrol between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks."They're a really good team, a ton of talent and really organized, so it'll be a really good test," Nightingale said. "We want to have success based on the way we work. I think talent will take over, you know, but you have to be ready to sweat and work. It should make for a great matchup."There will be 31 total players in the game who are NHL draft picks, including 17 on MSU's roster.One of MSU's first-round selections, freshman forward Mason West, recorded his first collegiate goal in the Spartans' 2-1 win over New Hampshire on Oct. 24. With his goal, it marked at least one point for all MSU newcomers who have played this season.Mason West scores his first of the season to open the scoring and make it 1-0! pic.twitter.com/eRD05nANvq— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) October 25, 2026"The coaches have been really harping on me to go to the net and drive in, and (MSU forward) Jimmy (Clark) made a really good play to make a 2-on-2 into a 2-on-1, then made a really good pass over to me," West said. "It's been great here. I feel the growth from July to now has been tremendous for me, going through some adversity in the summer with hard practices and what not, but overall, I love it here."Puck drop for MSU and North Dakota is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET. Fans can stream the game with a subscription to NCHC TV or watch on the Great Lakes Sports Network. The radio broadcast will be on the Spartans Media Network, including WVFN 730-AM.Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_BottThis article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU-North Dakota Hall of Fame clash will have NHL pospects galore