ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Showing who has the toughest and best hockey program in the State of Michigan, the University of Michigan swept Michigan State University over the weekend and was rewarded with that moving up to fourth in the nation.

Michigan, who is now 20-9-1, moved up one spot from fifth to fourth and has been ranked for 21 weeks in the top 20. They earned two wins on Friday and Saturday over then number 13 Michigan State. The Spartans fell two spots to 15th and are now 15-15-2.

Other Michigan teams ranked in the poll are number 8 Western Michigan and number 13 Michigan Tech. The Big 10 leads the poll with six teams in the poll with n. 2 Minnesota, Michigan, no. 7 Penn State, no. 9 Ohio State, Michigan State, and no. 18 Notre Dame.

Winning seven games in a row, Michigan took two from MSU, 4-2, and 4-3 in overtime. On Friday playing at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan went up 3-0 in the first period and then held onto the win. MSU scored in the second to make it 3-1 and then had a power play goal in the third at 5:32 to cut the lead to one, 3-2. Michigan’s Gavin Brindley scored the insurance goal with just over a minute to play in the game for the two-goal win. Goalie Erik Portillo stopped 28 of 30 shots with 14 stops in the second period.

Luke Hughes inked the game winning goal in overtime with 0.6 seconds left, 4-3, in the 3×3 overtime session. Michigan struck first at 15:47 in the first on a power play by T.J. Hughes. MSU’s Miroslav Mucha tied the game at one at 18:09. The Spartans took the 2-1 lead in the second period at 8:09 on a Jeremy Davidson power play goal but less than 30 seconds later Dylan Duke tied the game on Michigan’s second goal of the game. A minute after that, Frank Nazar III put the Wolverines up by one, 3-2. It took 15 minutes in the third period for MSU to tie the game at three as Michael Underwood netted the goal. Michigan’s Portillo then saved a MSU Davidson shot with five seconds in regulation to send the game to overtime.

MSU had one shot on goal in the overtime period saved by Portillo at 3:43. Michigan had two shots saved by MSU’s goalie Dylan St. Cyr before Hughes netted the winning goal with 0.6 seconds left.

Michigan heads to Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Feb. 16, to face no. 9 Ohio State at 7 p.m. The two will then play again in Cleveland on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.