To better understand what opponents face when they visit, MLive stepped into the belly of the beast for a firsthand experience.

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Michigan State’s No. 1-ranked hockey team hosts Notre Dame on Thursday and Friday, and head coach Adam Nightingale held his weekly press conference on Tuesday. The Spartans are coming off a bye week after taking four points in a series split vs. No. 2 Michigan earlier this month.

Nittany Lions captain Dane Dowiak announced that he will miss the remainder of the season.

Michigan State’s hockey team has ended Michigan’s 10-week run at the top of the national polls. The Spartans and Wolverines changed places at the top of the U.S. College Hockey Online and USA Hockey polls after MSU took four of six points against Michigan during last week’s two-game series – the first ever with the two rivals ranked as the top two teams in the country.

Michigan State is still the top collegiate men's hockey team in the nation.

Odette Werenski, wife of USA hockey player Zach Werenski, discusses watching her husband achieve his dream. The Werenskis, from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, are also awaiting the birth of their first child.

Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna will be back on the ice vs Michigan after being arrested following a fight on campus.

Zach Werenski, from Grosse Pointe and the University of Michigan, also scored, as did Tage Thompson and Brock Faber. Matthew Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson each had two assists and Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for the U.S., which swept Group C after previously beating Latvia and Denmark.