Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Welcome Penn State For Weekend Series
1/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 15, 2014
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Weekly Press Conference
Head Coach Tom
Weekend Preview
Jake Darnell
Watch Spartan Hockey All-Access
Episode 2
On The Fly...
• With goals in both games last weekend, junior Matt Berry extended his goal-scoring streak to four games, which ties his career best ... Berry has six points (5 goals, 1 assist) over the last four games.
• Jake Chelios not only leads the Spartans in points (14), but he also leads the team and all Big Ten defensemen in assists (12) ... Chelios has helpers in seven of the last nine games, including each of the last four, which is the longest point streak of his career.
• Michigan State leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country in blocked shots per game with an average of 17.21 ... Brock Krygier is the team leader in blocked shots with 36 and he is one of four Spartan defensemen with at least 32 blocks this season.
• Michigan State has outshot opponents by a combined 103-88 over the last three games ... MSU's 36 shots on goal against Ohio State last Friday were its most in a Big Ten game this season and its highest total in a conference game since it also had 36 against Western Michigan on March 1 last season.
• The Spartans rank 18th in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at .517 (568-530) ... MSU has won more faceoffs than its opponent in 12 of 19 games this year.
• Mike Ferrantino leads the team in faceoff winning percentage at .560 (130-102), which also ranks eighth in the Big Ten.
• The Spartans are 2-1 in shootouts this season - their two shootout wins are tops in the conference.
• True freshmen Mackenzie MacEachern (6-4-10), Villiam Haag (5-3-8), Joe Cox (5-3-8), Thomas Ebbing (2-5-7) and JT Stenglein (1-0-1) have combined for 19 of the team's 44 goals (43.2%).
• In playing together in each of the last three games, Matt Berry, Mike Ferrantino and Joe Cox have combined for 5-4-9 and are plus-7 over the span.
• Mike Ferrantino is the Spartans' active leader in points against Penn State, having produced a goal and two assists against the Nittany Lions last season.
• Jake Chelios remains one of 10 players in the nation to have appeared in at least 134 consecutive games ... His streak is now at 135 entering play this Friday.
• The Spartans' three second-period goals against OSU on Friday tied their high mark for the middle stanza this season as they also scored three in an 8-2 win over Princeton on Dec. 1.
• Mike Ferrantino leads MSU in plus/minus with a plus-6 rating.
NOTES FROM THE OSU SERIES
With two goals in Friday's 5-3 loss, Matt Berry became the fourth Spartan to post a two-goal game this season, joining Mackenzie MacEachern (Nov. 3 vs. AIC), Villiam Haag (Dec. 1 vs. Princeton) and Greg Wolfe (Dec. 1 vs. Princeton) ... Berry, RJ Boyd and Mike Ferrantino were all a season-best plus-2 in Friday night's game ... MSU carried a lead into the third period of both games ... Saturday night's 3-2 shootout win went six rounds, which is MSU's longest shootout of the season.
IN CONFERENCE PLAY...
• Matt Berry (3 goals, 1 assist) and Jake Chelios (4 assists) lead the Spartans in points in Big Ten games.
• Jake Hildebrand's save percentage in Big Ten games (.923) is nearly identical to his season save percentage (.922).
• Mike Ferrantino is the Spartans' leader in shots on goal (16) and plus/minus (plus-3).
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• The Spartans have scored a power-play goal in three of the last four games, going 3-for-12 (.250) over that span ... The Spartans had a power-play goal in three consecutive games from Dec. 27-Jan. 10, which is their longest streak of the season and longest since it had at least one power play goal in six consecutive games from Feb. 3-18, 2012.
• MSU has yielded two power play goals in the last four games, killing 10-of-12 penalties.
• Three of Matt Berry's five total goals have come on the power play ... Jake Chelios leads the Spartans in points on the power-play (1 goal, 5 assists).
• Greg Wolfe (1 goal, 1 assist) and Lee Reimer (1 goal, 1 assist) share the team lead in shorthanded scoring.
BERRY GETS ROLLING
With five goals in the last four games, junior Matt Berry has been the Spartans' hottest scorer of late. His four-game scoring streak is the longest of any Spartan this season and ties the longest of his career.
Berry was the Spartans' leading scorer a season ago (15-16-31), but missed 12 games this season, including the first eight, after offseason surgery. He has appeared in each of the last five games.
FERRANTINO PRODUCTIVE
Mike Ferrantino has been one of the Spartans' most consistent players this season and continued his production last weekend. Against the Buckeyes, the sophomore from Plymouth picked up assists in both games, marking the second time this season he has produced points in consecutive games (vs. Princeton, Nov. 29-Dec. 1 and vs. AIC, Nov. 1-3). He also led MSU in shots on goal in both games against OSU, with five and four, respectively, in the two game series.
Ferrantino leads the team with a plus-6 rating and has been a minus player in just two of 19 games this year. He is also the team leader in faceoff winning percentage at .560.
NO STRANGER TO THE SHOOTOUT
The Spartans have already appeared in three shootouts this season, going 2-1. MSU also took part in three shootouts last year, but went 1-2. The Spartans topped Minnesota, 1-0, in three rounds on Dec. 6; lost to Michigan Tech, 2-1, in five rounds on Dec. 27 and defeated Ohio State, 3-2, in six rounds on Jan. 11.
Mike Ferrantino has been the Spartans' best shooter, scoring on two of his three attempts, while in goal, Jake Hildebrand has stopped nine of 13 opponent attempts.
HILDY STEPS UP
In yielding just two goals at the GLI, sophomore goaltender Jake Hildebrand was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week on Dec. 31. The tournament showcased Hildebrand's solid game of late, as he has has yielded two goals or fewer in four of the last five games.
The native of Butler, Pa., has played 83.6% of the team's total minutes this season, which is second most among all Big Ten goaltenders. His .922 save percentage and 2.35 both rank fourth in the conference.
Hildebrand's 31 saves in the Nov. 29 win over Princeton were the most by a Spartan goaltender in a win this season and his most in a win since he had 34 vs. Miami on March 15 last season.
STRONG IN THE CIRCLE
Michigan State has won more faceoffs than its opponents in 12 of 19 games this season. Three of four Spartan centers that have played at least 18 games have a faceoff winning percentage of .500 or better: Mike Ferrantino - .560 (130-102), Lee Reimer - .522 (166-152) and Thomas Ebbing - .509 (137-132).
THE IRON MAN
Jake Chelios is one of 10 players in the nation to have appeared in at least 134 consecutive games. He enters this weekend with a streak of 135 consecutive games played.
SOLID ROOKIE TRIO
Mackenzie MacEachern, Thomas Ebbing and Villiam Haag have played together in 10 games this season, tied for the most of any Spartan line combination this season. The rookes have produced a 9-8-17 scoring line when playing together, which is the second-highest point total of any MSU line combination this season.
MacEACHERN AND EBBING CONNECTION
True freshmen Mackenzie MacEachern (6-4-10) and Thomas Ebbing (2-5-7) have played together in all 19 games this season and have been linemates since high school at Birmingham Brother Rice. The two also played together in juniors last year with the Chicago Steel in the U.S. Hockey League. So far this season, Ebbing has assisted on four of MacEachern's six goals.
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTION
True freshmen Mackenzie MacEachern (6-4-10), Villiam Haag (5-3-8), Joe Cox (5-3-8), Thomas Ebbing (2-5-7), and JT Stenglein (1-0-1) have combined for 34 points so far this season, which equates to 26.7% of the team's total points. Their 19 combined goals equate to 43% of the team's total.
AGAINST PSU
Mike Ferrantino leads the Spartans in points against Penn State, having posting one goal and two assists in a pair of games last season. Tanner Sorenson has the most-career goals vs. the Nittany Lions with two.
SPARTANS NAMED TO OLYMPIC TEAMS
Spartan greats Ryan Miller and Duncan Keith will both be competing in the Olympic Games for the second time. Miller will again be a part of Team USA, while Canada selected Keith.
Miller backstopped the Americans to a silver medal at the 2010 games in Vancouver where he was named the Most Valuable Player by the media and the goaltender of the tournament by the Tournament Directorate. Keith was part of a shutdown defensive pairing that helped Canada claim gold in 2010. He finished the seven games with six assists.
A total of 15 former Spartan hockey players have had the honor of participating in the Olympics. Keith (Canada - 2010, 2014), Miller (USA - 2010, 2014), Weldon Olson (USA - 1956, 1960) and Geir Hoff (Norway - 1988, 1992, 1994) are the four Spartans that have been named to at least two Olympic teams.
ONE OF A KIND
Freshman Villiam Haag is one of 11 players from Sweden in Division I college hockey this season, and just one of 24 from Europe (11 - Sweden, 10 - Finland, 3 - Austria). The native of Gothenburg, Sweden, has appeared in each of the last three games of the season.
Geir Hoff (1986-87) of Oslo, Norway, is the only European letterwinner in MSU program history.
BONDRA OUT FOR THE YEAR
Sophomore forward David Bondra is out after having season-ending surgery on Dec. 18. The Annapolis, Md., native appeared in five games this season, scoring his first-career goal at Michigan Tech on Nov. 9.
THE MUNN ADVANTAGE
Since its opening in Nov. 1974, Munn Ice Arena has provided the Spartans with an undeniable advantage. Now in its 39th season as the home of MSU hockey, Spartan teams have compiled a dominating 522-198-59 (.708) record in the building, including a 5-4-1 mark this season.
The Spartans went 8-8-1 at Munn Arena last season, continuing the streak of 32 consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better in the facility.
SPARTANS IN THE NHL
A total of 17 former Spartan hockey players have played in the NHL this season - tied for the second-most alums from any college currently playing in the NHL. Spartans that have played in the NHL this season include: Torey Krug (Boston), Ryan Miller (Buffalo), John-Michael Liles (Carolina), Duncan Keith (Chicago), Corey Tropp (Columbus), Shawn Horcoff (Dallas), Chris Mueller (Dallas), Justin Abdelkader (Detroit), Drew Miller (Detroit), Jeff Petry (Edmonton), Corey Potter (Edmonton), Derek Grant (Ottawa), Mike Weaver (Florida), Adam Hall (Philadelphia), Tim Kennedy (Phoenix), David Booth (Vancouver) and Jim Slater (Winnipeg).
Up Next
The Spartans will meet rival Michigan next week in the first conference series of the season between the programs. The two teams will meet at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m., before returning to Munn on Friday to square off again at 6:30 p.m.
