Neil's Notebook: Spartans Create Chances, But Can't Convert
11/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING - The puck won't go in. So what do you do?
You keep working, you keep creating and you keep shooting.
And hoping that eventually the puck will find its way behind the opposing goaltender, and the red light will finally blink.
Then maybe frustrating one-goal losses will turn into rewarding victories.
Michigan State's big dilemma right now, after being shut out for the second time in three games, is playing over the frustration of not scoring and losing close hockey games.
The Spartans on Friday had 18 shots on goal in the second period, many of them quality chances, and 36 shots for the game and still came up empty in a 1-0 non-conference loss to No. 14/15 Ferris State at Munn Arena.
MSU dominated in most of the key statistics - shots on goal, faceoffs (40-16) and puck possession - except one - goals scored.
"We had a heckuva second period. We were moving the puck well, I liked how we entered their zone and our offensive zone possession was really good,'' MSU coach Tom Anastos said. "These are the things that we've been working hard on, and we created some quality scoring chances.''
But Bulldogs senior goaltender CJ Motte, one of the best in the nation, was sharp, alert and flawless, especially in the chaotic second period. He made 36 saves to post his third career shutout against MSU.
The Bulldogs (3-3), who've also been struggling to score goals, blocked 27 shots and their defense was alert in clearing rebounds and outstanding in blocking shots.
"We did everything you need to do to win the game but score goals,'' Anastos said. "We certainly had plenty of quality scoring chances to win the game, but we couldn't capitalize.
"We have to keep digging deep to get over the hump and win these close games. We have to believe in the process. The things we worked on over the course of the week, we saw a lot of progress with tonight.''
Spartan captain Mike Ferrantino had six shots on goal, including three in the third period He was open in the slot with a good look at the net in the second period when a pass from Matt Berry hopped over his stick.
Mackenzie MacEachern had five shots on goal, defenseman Ron Boyd four and center Thomas Ebbing three.
Center Matt DeBlouw had two great scoring chances. In the first period, his quick shot from the slot, off a pass, went off his stick and hit the netting behind the goal. In the second period, DeBlouw darted in alone only to have his shot from close in stopped by Motte.
Ferrantino said his team will focus on the positives from Friday's game.
"We had a lot of quality chances in the second period, and for whatever reason, it's not going in for us,'' he said. "If we stick with it, soon enough they will.
"We did a lot of good things. We moved the puck out of our end pretty well, got possession and moved pucks behind their defense. We worked hard, got the puck back to the point and got some good opportunities. As the game went on, we got better.
"Motte was good. He's an outstanding goalie, but there were some chances we probably should have had. We missed the net (a few times) and we had some 2-on-1s where pucks got through but we weren't able to put them in.''
The Spartans will try to rebound and end their four-game losing streak when they face the Bulldogs in the series finale at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Munn Arena.
"We have to regroup and come back with the same effort,'' Ferrantino said. "We have to keep getting pucks to the net and sooner or later, it's going to crack, and once it goes in, maybe they'll come in bunches.
"Ferris stacks it up pretty good (in front) when they see somebody wind up, so we have to do a better job of creating chances. Maybe shooting the puck off the back wall, get some wide angle shots, hoping for deflections and second and third opportunities.
"With their goalie, we have to try to get him moving east-to-west and make it a harder for him by getting in front of his eyes.''
Despite the loss, Anastos praised the Spartans' compete level and attitude.
"I'm proud of those guys in the dressing room. I think they're giving what they have,'' he said. "They're digging deep. The hardest part is dealing with the frustration when the puck won't go in. The effort is there.
"We've played five games and have given up 11 goals. That's not many goals. To think you're 1-4 when you could be 4-1, that (brings) a lot of frustration. But I love the way those guys have approached things. They're doing everything they can mentally to deal with this frustration so early in the season.
"To get confidence, you have to have a little success. You have to get rewarded for all the things you're trying to do. We haven't got rewarded yet. At some point, the game is going to like us.''
MOTTE EXCELS: The Spartans will be happy to see nemesis goaltender CJ Motte graduate and begin his pro career.
The 6-foot, 177-pound senior from St. Clair, Mich., is now 5-1 against MSU and has given up only six goals.
Motte, who will be 23-year-old in December, lost his first game against the Spartans - 3-1 on Dec. 15, 2012, at Munn Arena. But he's now won five straight - 3-0 at home, 2-1 at MSU and 5-2 at home, all in January, 2013, and 2-0 at MSU on Dec. 14, 2013 and now 1-0 on Friday.
Motte's 36 saves are his career high against the Spartans. In fact, his previous high was 27 on Jan. 18, 2013, in a 2-1 win at Munn Arena.
"He was excellent,'' MSU coach Tom Anastos said. "And as a team, they defend hard and don't make it easy. Most goals are scored exactly in front of the net and they make it tough to get there and to get pucks through.''
As when they do, Motte is usually there to frustrate opposing forwards.
Last season, Motte was the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's first team all-star goaltender and one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.
This season, Motte has given up 10 goals in six games. He has a 3-3 record, a 1.68 goals-against average and a .952 saves percentage.
Motte's younger brother, Tyler, is a sophomore forward at Michigan. He scored a goal against his brother on Oct. 4 in Big Rapids but CJ and the Bulldogs had the last laugh as FSU defeated the Wolverines, 4-3.
SOLID ON DEFENSE: Once again, Michigan State played a strong defensive game, limiting the Bulldogs to 16 shots on goal. Jake Hildebrand didn't face many dangerous shots but there a few, besides FSU's only goal, in which the MSU junior goaltender delivered clutch saves to keep the game close.
The Spartans didn't make many defensive mistakes but one big one resulted in FSU's Jared VanWormer scoring from the edge of the crease at 8:33 of the second period. MSU turned the puck over, the Bulldogs got possession behind the net and Matt Robertson fed the puck from the left side of the net to a wide-open VanWormer. "There were a series of mistakes. There was a big turnover and we were also out of position to recover from it and it cost us,'' Anastos said. "It's a similar story that our margin of error is very slim.''
The Spartans blocked 27 shots, including three each by defensemen Ron Boyd and Rhett Holland.
MSU held an amazing 40-16 edge on faceoffs, with center Thomas Ebbing winning 19 and losing only five. Ferrantino was 11-4. The Spartans were 0-3 on the power play with three shots on goal, but one power play lasted only 10 seconds.
The Bulldogs failed to convert on four power plays, one also lasting 10 seconds. FSU had only two shots on goal, one coming during the 10-second power play.
IN THE BIG TEN: Five teams played on Friday and only Penn State came away with a victory. In addition to the Spartans, Michigan and Minnesota also lost and Ohio State tied.
The Nittany Lions (5-1-2) rallied from a 2-1 deficit with two goals in the third period to pull out a 3-2 win over Bentley University and complete a two-game sweep. Penn State won the series opener 3-2 on Thursday.
The Wolverines (2-4) lost at Michigan Tech, 4-1, in their first visit to Houghton since 1983. The No. 1 Gophers (4-1) suffered their first defeat of the season with a 4-1 setback at St. Cloud State. The teams play in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Ohio State (1-3-1) scored with four minutes left in the third period to tie Canisius, 3-3, in Buffalo. Wisconsin (0-4) has the weekend off.
