Brandon Naurato Previews Michigan State Rivalry Games On ‘Big Jim’s House’

It's always a big week when the Wolverines take on the Spartans, but rarely has Michigan vs Michigan State carried this level of stakes.

Entering a massive weekend two-game slate against their chief hockey rivals, the Wolverines (15-3-0) rank first in the nation, while the Spartans (11-3-0) are not far behind at all -- they sit at No. 3 overall. Michigan has won four in a row since splitting with Penn State, but keeping that kind of streak going against Michigan State is a tall task at this stage of the season.

Wolverines head coach Brandon Naurato is well aware of both the challenge that awaits his team, and the history and importance that comes with these games every season. He's made sure to talk it over with the players, especially the new faces. As he explained with Jim O'Brien as part of the newest "Coffee With The Coach" on 94.7 WCSX, he can tell the guys all he wants, but they won't truly understand it until the pucks are flying.

"It's one of those things, it'd be like going to college, like somebody telling you how hard it's gonna be or how great it's gonna be and you're gonna meet all these new friends -- it's the same thing as playing [Michigan] State," Naurato said. "You don't know what it is until the end of the first period, or the start of the game, and then you're in it, and then you know why the rivalry is so big."

Naurato paused near the end of his answer, then admitted he was trying to watch his language for the radio. It was a funny glimpse into the head coach's combination of competitive fire and emotional control, which is often a winning mix, especially on the ice. Naurato is emphasizing the emotional control part to the Wolverines, but also realizes that some players may have to "learn on the job" how to harness themselves.

"That's probably the No. 1 goal from what we've experienced, success and failure, with these rivalry games, is you have to control your emotions, you have to be disciplined," Naurato said. "There's gonna be a bad call. They're gonna make a push, we're gonna make a push. You've got to try and stay even-keeled as much as possible. And it's easy to say all week and then when you're in it, these are things that we just can't practice as a group you have to go through it and talk about it later and keep learning through success and failure.

Naurato and the Wolverines are certainly hoping for more success than failure when the rivalry weekend finally kicks off. Game 1 between Michigan and Michigan State is set for Friday at 8 p.m. EST in East Lansing, before the rivals shift to Ann Arbor for Game 2 on Saturday at 7.

You can get the call of Friday's game on 94.7 WCSX, then Saturday's game on 105.1 The Bounce (check out the full broadcast schedule). In the meantime, you can hear Naurato on "Coffee With The Coach" Thursday morning at 8:05 on WCSX.