Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Host Ferris State For Two This Weekend
10/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Games 5 & 6: No. 15/14 Ferris State (2-3, 0-2 WCHA) vs. Michigan State (1-3, 0-0 B1G) | |
| Dates | Times | Fri., Oct. 31 - 7 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 1 - 7 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena (6,470) |
| Tickets | MSUSpartans.com |
| TV | Fri. - Comcast Channel 900 (Michigan) |
| Gametracker | | |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | WJIM 1240-AM |
| Radio (Mobile) | Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad | Android |
| Promotions | Friday - 4 Seats, 4 Treats | Saturday - Family Four Pack |
| Game Notes | Ferris State | Michigan State |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  |
Parking Information:
With volleyball also taking place on Friday and Saturday nights, suggested parking lots will be Lot 79 (south of Spartan Stadium), Lot 62 (IM West) and Lot 66 (corner of Kalamazoo and Harrison).
On The Fly...
• The Spartans welcome No. 15/14 Ferris State for a pair of games at Munn Arena this weekend, looking to snap a four-game slide in the series against the Bulldogs.• This weekend's games will be MSU's third and fourth consecutive against a ranked opponent ... Dating back to last season, 10 of the Spartans' last 13 games have been against ranked opponents.
• MSU is tied for 22nd nationally in goals allowed per game at 2.50 ... The Spartans held Boston University to one goal after the Terriers scored eight in their previous game and limited UMass-Lowell to two goals a night after the River Hawks scored four.• The Spartans rank 20th in the nation in face off win percentage at .519 (134-124) ... Mike Ferrantino leads all Spartans in face-offs taken (102) and win percentage (.598).
• Dating back to last season, the Spartans' last five losses have all been by one goal ... MSU was 5-6 in one-goal games in 2013-14.• Michigan State has made a marked improvement on the penalty kill this season, currently sporting a .875 penalty kill percentage, which ranks third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally ... MSU had a penalty kill percentage of .797 in 2013-14.
• Senior defenseman Ron Boyd leads the Spartans in plus/minus at plus-3.• MSU ranks seventh in the country in blocked shots per game with an average of 16.25.
• Senior Matt Berry continues to lead MSU in goals (4) and points (6) ... He is the Spartans' active-career leader in goals (40), assists (33) and points (73).
The Spartans outshot both BU (14-9) and UMass-Lowell (16-11) in the third period ... Ron Boyd's goal vs. UMass-Lowell was his first since Dec. 1, 2013 in a win over Princeton ... Jake Hildebrand's 39 saves vs. BU were his most since making 40 on Feb. 8, 2014 in a 2-2 tie with Ohio State ... Hildebrand had eight games last season where he made at least 35 saves ... Matt Berry led MSU in shots on goal with three vs. BU and four vs. UML.
About Ferris State...
The Bulldogs won the WCHA regular season title last season and came within a game of advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four ... FSU topped Michigan, 4-3, in its season opener at home and then split a pair of games at St. Lawrence ... FSU is coming off a pair of one-goal losses to Michigan Tech last weekend, 1-0 and 2-1, and has dropped from No. 7 to No. 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll ... FSU is averaging 1.6 goals per game, 47th in the nation ... Senior goaltender CJ Motte ranks fourth in the nation in total saves (164) and 23rd in GAA (2.02) ... Junior Matt Robertson (2-2-4) and sophomore Kyle Schempp (1-3-4) lead the team in points, while Chad McDonald leads in goals (3).
First of Three
This weekend will mark the first two of three meetings against Ferris State this season as the Spartans and Bulldogs will face off again in the GLI semifinals on Dec. 28 at Joe Louis Arena.
Neil's Notebook: Similarities for Spartans and Bulldogs Ahead of Weekend Series
Happy Birthday, Munn
Saturday marks the 40-year anniversary of the dedication of Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans hosted Laurentian on Oct. 25-26, 1974 in the first games MSU played at Munn, while the building was officially dedicated on Nov. 1, 1974 when MSU took on Minnesota.
Challenging Schedule Continues
After meeting No. 11 BU and No. 8 UMass-Lowell last weekend and hosting No. 15 Ferris State this weekend, the Spartans are one of three teams nationally that will play four consecutive games against opponents ranked in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Coaches' Poll. No. 7 St. Cloud State played at current No. 3 Union twice last weekend and will play two against No. 1 Minnesota this week. No. 8 Providence played at No. 2 North Dakota last weekend and will meet No. 6 BU in a pair of games this weekend.
Three the Magic Number
Under head coach Tom Anastos, the Spartans are 40-6-4 (.840) when scoring three or more goals. MSU went 10-2 when scoring at least three goals last season.
With two goals in both games vs. UMass, Matt Berry has now scored eight goals in eight games dating back to last season. Berry has five multi-goal games in his career, three of which have come in his last seven games (March 14 v. Wisconsin, Oct. 17-18 v. UMass). His six points against UMass helped him earn Big Ten First Star of the Week honors for the second time in his career.
The senior from Canton, Mich., missed 12 of the Spartans' first 14 games last season after undergoing offseason surgery. He appeared in 21 of the final 22 games, giving the MSU offense a lift with a 10-7-17 scoring line. Berry's 10 goals after Christmas were the third most of any Big Ten player over that span. Berry was the Spartans' leading scorer in 2012-13 (15-16-31) and is the active career leader in goals (40), assists (33) and points (73).
UMass Series Notes...
Michigan State scored a goal in all six periods. The Spartans outshot the Minutemen both nights (27-24 and 31-28) ... The five goals on Friday were the most in a season opener since a 6-1 win over Clarkson on Oct. 9, 2009.
Linemates Matt Berry, Michael Ferrantino and Mackenzie MacEachern combined for 14 (6g, 8a) of the Spartans' 20 total points in the season-opening series against Massachusetts. It marked the first time in their careers that the trio played together as a line.
Growing Up
Three freshmen - defensemen Josh Jacobs and Carson Gatt and forward Dylan Pavelek - made their collegiate debuts opening weekend vs. UMass, while fellow rookie goaltender Ed Minney dressed as the backup. The three true freshmen to play on opening night match the fewest since the 2011-12 opener (Tanner Sorenson, Brent Darnell, Justin Hoomaian) - Tom Anastos' first season.
A total of 13 Spartans were on NHL opening night rosters and 12 have seen action so far this season: Torey Krug (Boston Bruins), Corey Potter (Calgary Flames - currently injured), John-Michael Liles (Carolina Hurricanes), Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Corey Tropp (Columbus Blue Jackets), Shawn Horcoff (Dallas Stars), Justin Abdelkader and Drew Miller (Detroit Red Wings), Jeff Petry (Edmonton Oilers), Mike Weaver (Montreal Canadiens), Chris Mueller (New York Rangers), David Booth (Toronto Maple Leafs - currently injured), Ryan Miller (Vancouver Canucks) and Jim Slater (Winnipeg Jets).
