Michigan State University Athletics
Neil's Notebook: Spartans Eager to Begin Season
10/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING - Coach Tom Anastos believes there is a lot to like about his Michigan State hockey team this season.
With the season-opening series just one day away, Anastos likes the Spartans' chemistry, work ethic and depth, and says he sees the potential for MSU to be much improved over last season.
But the fourth-year coach also knows there are a few questions that need positive answers if the Spartans are to finish in the top three in the Big Ten and have a shot at a coveted NCAA Tournament berth.
For sure, MSU's biggest question entering the 2014-15 season is offense. Can the Spartans score enough goals consistently to be a threat to win every night and put together a winning season?
"We're all looking to see how we're going to emerge offensively because we know that's an important part of our game in which to have success,'' Anastos said.
MSU opens the season with a nonconference home series against the University of Massachusetts at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Munn Arena.
Last season, the Spartans averaged 2.19 goals per game, which ranked No. 54 among 59 NCAA Division teams. That led to an 11-17-8 overall record and a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten, with a 5-9-6-4 mark.
Anastos expects goaltending - led by junior Jake Hildebrand and freshman Ed Minney - to be the team's strength, and the defense to be improved, both in the defensive zone and in contributing to the offense.
But it's execution of the forwards that will likely determine the Spartans' level of success this season.
MSU may not have a 25-goal scorer this season but it's looking for offensive balance and consistent production from the likes of forwards Matt Berry, Michael Ferrantino, Villiam Haag, Mackenzie MacEachern, Joe Cox, Thomas Ebbing, Brett Darnell, Dylan Pavelek, JT Stenglein, Ryan Keller, Matt DeBlouw, Tanner Sorenson, Justin Hoomaian, David Bondra and Connor Wood.
Berry, Darnell and Sorenson are seniors; Ferrantino, Keller, DeBlouw and Hoomaian are juniors; Haag, MacEachern, Cox, Ebbing, Bondra and Wood are sophomores and Pavelek is the only freshman forward.
Berry led the Spartans in scoring two years ago with 15 goals and 31 points in 41 games. But last season, he missed 13 games at the start, recovering from sports hernia surgery, and never felt completely healthy all season. He had 10 goals and 17 points in 23 games.
Ferrantino, who will serve as captain, is the top returning scorer. He had nine goals and 20 points to finish fourth in team scoring, behind departed senior forwards Greg Wolfe (13-18-31) and Lee Reimer (9-13-22) and senior defenseman Jake Chelios (2-19-21).
"Our forwards worked hard during the summer and came back in good shape and ready to take the next step in their development,'' Anastos said. "I think we'll be improved. I think our defense will be much better in getting the puck to our forwards and helping to create offense.
"When I look at our team, do I think our team is better today than we were a year ago? Absolutely. We have more experience, we're healthier than we were at this time last year, and our skill level is better.''
As freshmen, Haag and MacEachern had eight goals apiece, Cox had six and Ebbing scored two. Darnell, Sorenson and Keller each had two goals, while Bondra, Hoomaian and Stenglein scored one goal. DeBlouw, who had 10 goals and 21 points in 42 games as a freshman, struggled last season with no goals and four points in 23 games.
MSU has 15 forwards on its roster, so three will sit out each game.
"There will be good competition each week to get into the lineup and to stay there,'' Anastos said.
Ferrantino says he's noticed a good level of improvement among the returning forwards during the two full weeks of practice.
"We've been scoring a lot more in practice and it's coming from a lot of different guys,'' he said. "We're creating more chances, better chances and we're getting the puck to the net much better. Our puck movement is better. It starts with getting out of our zone better, into the offensive zone and moving it better to create chances.''
Said Anastos, "I really like our work habits, I like our chemistry and our leadership. The next step for us is to gain some experience, have some success and build confidence.
"We have a predominately sophomore and junior team, with a small freshmen and senior group. But we still need experience.''
TEAM CHEMISTRY RISES: Most of the returning players say this year's team is a lot closer and has bonded much better than team's from recent seasons.
"Our team chemistry is off the charts right now,'' junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand said. "I think it's the closest team I've ever been on. I think it's the leadership guys. Everyone holds everyone accountable. We enjoy being around each other. We're always together doing things.''
Ever since arriving on campus in late August, the Spartans have been involved in all sorts of team-building activities, including a cooking competition, media training, team practices in front of fans in Grand Rapids and Rochester and TV role-playing at Fox Sports Detroit.
MSU practiced in Grand Rapids last Friday, returned to campus later that night, then traveled to Rochester for another open practice on Saturday. Then it was on to Fox Sports Detroit, where the team was divided into three groups of nine and played roles in putting together a sportscast.
"I learned a lot. It was fun,'' Ferrantino said of the FSD visit. "I was an on-air talent and had to figure out how to read a teleprompter and come up with some of my own thoughts. It's a lot more difficult than it looks. I know the guys who were producers and directors had a tough time doing their stuff. But it was a great learning experience.''
Ferrantino said the best on-air talent was Villiam Haag, the Spartans' sophomore forward from Gothenburg, Sweden.
"Vill was pretty good at it,'' he said. "It was hard to understand him sometimes . . . but he has the personality for it.''
The Spartans closed out Saturday with a team dinner and then took in the Red Wings-Anahem Ducks game at Joe Louis Arena.
"We were trying to simulate being on the road without actually staying overnight, so our team could spend more time together as part of our team building process,'' coach Tom Anastos said. "We had two good practices. They were open and well-attended. They were competitive and very physical.
"You don't have the distractions you do on campus and we were together the whole time. Other than staying at a hotel, it was being on the road for two days.''
DRAEGER UNCERTAIN FOR UMASS: Junior defenseman John Draeger just started practicing full-go last week so his status for the opening series against Massachusetts won't we determined until Thursday or Friday. Draeger had off-season hip surgery and didn't get a chance to work out all summer.
"We're still following his conditioning to see where he's at, to determine if he can play,'' Anastos said.
Draeger missed the first eight games of last season while recovering from sports hernia surgery during the summer of 2013.
JACOBS EAGER FOR DEBUT: Freshman defenseman Josh Jacobs said he grew up a Spartan fan and always wanted to play for Michigan State. On Friday, he'll realize his dream when he plays in his first college game against UMass at Munn Arena.
"It's been an unbelievable ride since I was two-years old and now being here today at Michigan State,'' said the 6-foot-2, 191-pound right-hand shot defenseman from Shelby Township, a northern Detroit suburb. "It's been a great experience. I can't wait to see what it holds for me.''
Jacobs, 18, is the highest-rated recruit to sign with MSU during Anastos' three seasons as coach. He committed to the Spartans in September, 2011, when he was 15-years-old, and six months after Anastos took over as coach.
For the last two seasons, Jacobs played for the Indiana Ice of the U.S. Hockey League. Last spring, he helped the Ice win the 2014 playoff championship and in June, he was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round (41st overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Jacobs said he started skating when he was age 2 and playing hockey when he was "about 4 or 5.''
Last Saturday, the Spartans practiced at Jacobs' home rink - the Onxy Rochester Ice Arena and it turned into a trip down memory lane.
"It was fun to go back and skate at the Onyx in front of family and friends. I had some flashbacks during and after practice,'' Jacobs said. "Seeing some banners up there with my team and my name brought back a lot of great memories. I wouldn't here without that team (Rochester Rattlers).''
Jacobs said his goal this weekend is simple - to help his team win.
"I'm just hoping to play my game - being a two-way defender and creating opportunities for my forwards and defensemen,'' he said. "It'll be a dream come true. Growing up at a young age, I had Sparty in my blood, and it means everything to me to be here. Now that's it's here, it'll be an unbelievable experience.''
TOUGH SCHEDULE AHEAD: Michigan State's 34-game regular-season schedule includes 20 games against teams ranked in the top 20 in the U.S. College Hockey Online preseason poll, the most of any Big Ten school.
Next weekend, the Spartans are on the road against No. 14 Boston University and No. 9 UMass-Lowell. Then they come home to face No. 4 Ferris State in a two-game series at Munn Arena, Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Other nonconference opponents include New Hampshire, Boston College, Princeton, Clarkson and Ferris State and Michigan Tech or Michigan in the Great Lakes Invitational.
UMASS SCOUTING REPORT: The Minutemen lost several of their top scorers from last year, but return senior goalie Steve Mastalerz, who played in 31 games last season and posted a 2.77 goals-against average and a .907 saves percentage. UMass has nine freshmen and six sophomores on its roster.
Last season, the Minutemen swept the Spartans, 3-1, 5-2, in MSU's season-opening series last season in Amherst. In the series finale, Massachusetts scored four power-play goals.
UMass was picked to finish 11th in the 12-team Hockey East coaches preseason poll. The Minutemen played one game last weekend, losing to Boston University, 8-1, in Amherst. The Terriers held a 2-1 lead after two periods and blew the game open with a six-goal barrage in the third period.
The top returning scorers for the Minutemen are sophomores Steve Iacobellis (11-10-21) and Ray Pigozzi (6-13-21).
BIG TEN UPDATE: Four of the Big Ten's six teams were in action last weekend with Minnesota winning two games, Penn State tying and winning, Ohio State splitting and Wisconsin losing twice.
The No. 1 Gophers won the Ice Breaker Tournament in South Bend, Ind., with a 4-3 victory over Minnesota-Duluth in the semifinals and a 3-0 win against Rensselaer in the title game.
No. 17 Ohio State split overtimes games against No. 3 Providence, winning 5-4 in the series opener and losing 2-1 in the second game in Columbus. Penn State tied Connecticut, the newest member of Hockey East, 2-2, in the series opener and won the finale, 7-1. Wisconsin lost twice to Alaska, 1-0, and Alaska-Anchorage, 4-2, in the Kendall Classic in Anchorage.
In other Big Ten series/games this weekend, Michigan (0-1) plays host to New Hampshire (0-1); Ohio State (1-1) faces Miami (1-1) in a home-and-home series; No. 17 Wisconsin (0-2) plays Northern Michigan in a series in Green Bay, and Penn State (1-0-1) faces Alaska (2-0) and Alaska-Anchorage (2-0) in the Gold Rush Tournament in Fairbanks.
Minnesota (2-0) is idle this weekend.
