Michigan State at Boston College: Pregame Notes and Line Combinations

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Good Friday evening and welcome inside Conte Forum on the campus of Boston College where the No. 2 Eagles are set to host their second Big Ten Conference foe of the season, welcoming in Michigan State for the first time since 1996. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m.

Despite two teams that have averaged more than three goals per-game this season, a low-scoring game is certainly not out of the question with BC's Thatcher Demko and MSU's Jake Hildebrand standing between the pipes.

Demko and Hildebrand have combined for eight shutouts while making each of their team's starts this season. They are both among just ten Division 1 goaltenders who have played 99 percent of their team's minutes or more.

BC completed its third straight shutout with a 2-0 win over Maine on Sunday with Demko stopping all 30 shots he faced. The Canucks prospect is just the second goaltender in college hockey history to post six shutouts in seven games, joining Lake Superior State's Blaine Lacher who achieved the feat in 1994.

The Eagles are one of just eight teams in the country averaging four goals or more. Freshman Colin White, who posted two goals eight points in three games last week, and junior Matthew Gaudreau are each in the midst of four-game point streaks.

Sparty is set to play its third Hockey East opponent of the season tonight after sweeping New Hampshire in a weekend series in East Lansing. Hildebrand collected 25 saves in a 5-0 win over the Wildcats on Friday night before seven different goal scorers came through in a 7-4 decision.

Freshman Mason Appleton scored in each game last weekend while senior Michael Ferrantino posted five assists en route to Big Ten First Star of the Week honors. On Saturday, Ferrantino became the first Spartan to record three assists in a game since March 2014.

Here are tonight's lines:

SPARTANS (4-3-1, 0-0-0 B1G)

Mackenzie MacEachern - Michael Ferrantino - Mason Appleton
J.T. Stenglein - Thomas Ebbing - Joe Cox
Ryan Keller - Cody Milan - Villiam Haag
Brennan Sanford - Connor Wood - Justin Hoomaian

Travis Walsh - John Draeger
Carson Gatt - Rhett Holland
Zach Osburn - Chris Knudson

Jake Hildebrand
Ed Minney

EAGLES (8-1-0, 3-0-0 Hockey East)

Miles Wood - Austin Cangelosi - Chris Calnan
Zach Sanford - Adam Gilmour - Alex Tuch
Matthew Gaudreau - Colin White - Ryan Fitzgerald
Travis Jeke - Christopher Brown - J.D. Dudek

Ian McCoshen - Casey Fitzgerald
Teddy Doherty - Steve Santini
Josh Couturier - Scott Savage

Thatcher Demko
Alex Joyce