Story by (© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA)Nick FaberSat, January 24, 2026 at 2:32 PM UTC·4 min readThrough pain, tears, happiness, and sadness, the Spartans were able to pull away with a 3–1 victory over the Minnesota Gophers on Friday night. It felt like watching the movie Inside Out with the range of emotions I went through during this game. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere were beautiful gestures at multiple moments throughout the night — a patch showing love for a man who may be gone but never forgotten, and a toss that might simply look like a bunch of teddy bears on the ice, but actually symbolizes the humanity and good-hearted people that still roam the earth despite what you might see across the news. First, the Spartans held a moment of silence for a fallen friend. Dan Sturges sadly and unexpectedly passed away at the young age of 40 last week, leaving the entire Michigan State team, staff, and fan base shocked and in disbelief. Coming from someone who has endured a lot of death in his life, you never really get used to it — you just become numb to the inevitable end of everything living. Then someone so young and full of joy is taken away, and you’re pulled out of that numbness and forced to feel everything again. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Spartans honored Sturges with a respectful moment before the game and wore a “DS” patch on their sweaters.