MSU hockey rival loses star goaltender to apparent long term injury

It appears Michigan State hockey's top rival will be without one of its most critical players for the rest of the year.

No. 1 Michigan got some rough injury news on Saturday night, with star goaltender Jack Ivankovic suffering what appears to be a season-ending injury. The Wolverines picked up yet another weekend series sweep, this time over Notre Dame, but it didn't come without a tough blow. Ivankovic was ran into by a Fighting Irish player who appeared to lose his balance on a breakaway. The play resulted in an injury that was considered by Wolverines head coach Brandon Naurato that'll keep Ivankovic "out of a long time."

Advertisement

You can see the play below -- courtesy of Alejandro Zuniga of 247Sports:

The Wolverines have been the top team in the country for most of this season and currently sit atop the Big Ten as well. However, an injury of this nature could be crippling for Michigan's longterm goals of winning the conference and national championship.

Michigan State has also been one of the top teams in the country this year, but is chasing the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings at the moment. The Spartans have two more games against the Wolverines still on the schedule, and this injury to Ivankovic will impact those upcoming matchups next month.

Advertisement

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU hockey rival loses star goaltender to apparent long term injury