Is Michigan State ready to make a run? Q&A with Spartan hockey insider Dave Ellis

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Long-time Michigan State sports media personality Dave Ellis has followed Spartan hockey and the world of college hockey as closely as anyone, for more than three decades. He is a trusted insider of the sport and SpartanMag is fortunate to check in with him for his thoughts on Michigan State hockey at critical junctures. One such critical juncture is this weekend’s NCAA Tournament Regional in Worcester, Mass. Michigan State, the No. 1 seed in the Worcester Regional and the No. 3 overall seed, will play UConn at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday (ESPN2) as the Spartans need two wins in Worcester in order to advance to their first Frozen Four since 2007.  Ellis sat down with SpartanMag’s Kenny Jordan for a brief Q&A on Michigan State hockey, the Regionals, and hot topics heading into the tournament.  SpartanMag: What should Michigan State fans know about Michigan State’s first-round opponent, UConn? Dave Ellis: UConn is limping a little bit, so to say, coming into the tournament. They finished their regular season 1-4-1 in their last six games before getting two wins in their conference tournament over Boston University and Boston College before falling to Merrimack in the championship game. Overall as a team, they try to dull the game down as much as possible with their big defensemen and they want to grind out games with low scoring. SM. How does the style of hockey that UConn plays match up for Michigan State on Thursday? (MORE inside SpartanMag. Join SpartanMag: 50% off, and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership. Get Deal Now! 👉 https://www.on3.com/teams/michigan-state-spartans/join/)