MSU’s Hirose, UM’s Norris named B1G players of week

By @MichaelCaples –

A Spartan and a Wolverine have claimed the top two spots on the Big Ten’s players of the week list.

Michigan State’s Taro Hirose has been named the conference’s first star of the week, while Michigan’s Josh Norris is second.

UPDATE: Hirose has also been named the No. 1 star of the week by the NCAA, as well.

Hirose, a junior forward for the Spartans from Calgary, Alberta, recorded six points in Michigan State’s weekend sweep of then-No. 8 Cornell on the road.

A member of the famed ‘KHL’ line in East Lansing, Hirose scored the game-winner 7:22 into the third period on Friday, leading MSU to an eventual 5-2 win. He also scored what turned out to be the game-winner Saturday night, as well, as his goal 48 seconds into the third period turned out to be the difference in a 4-3 win.

Norris, a sophomore forward from Oxford, also helped his team to a sweep, recording back-to-back multi-point games in a pair of home victories against St. Lawrence.