Spartans Head to Princeton For Thanksgiving Weekend
11/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Games 12 & 13: Michigan State (4-7) vs. Princeton (1-6-1) | |
| Dates | Times | Fri., Nov. 28 - 7 p.m. | Sat., Nov. 29 - 7 p.m. |
| Location | Princeton, N.J. | Hobey Baker Rink (2,054) |
| Live Video Stream | Friday | Saturday |
| Live Stats | Friday | Saturday |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | Fri. - WVFN 730-AM | Sat. - WVFN 730-AM |
| Radio (Mobile) | Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad | Android |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Princeton |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  |
On The Fly...
• Michigan State will make its first-ever trip to Princeton for a pair of games with the Tigers this weekend ... It's the second straight season the teams will meet as MSU won both games last year in East Lansing, 4-1 and 8-2.
• This weekend's series marks the first appearance by a Big Ten team at Princeton's Hobey Baker Rink since Michigan in 1950 ... For Michigan State, it is just the program's fourth visit to an Ivy League campus and first since going to Cornell in 2005.
• The Spartans are coming off a series split at Ohio State, while Princeton lost at St. Lawrence (3-0) and Clarkson (4-0) last weekend.
• The Spartans remain one of the nation's top penalty-killing teams, currently leading the Big Ten and ranking 10th nationally in penalty kill percentage at .900 ... Over the last eight games, MSU has killed 24-of-26 opponent power plays.
• In the faceoff circle, MSU's .519 win percentage ranks 14th in the country and third in the Big Ten ... Michael Ferrantino's 133 faceoff wins are the second most in the Big Ten and rank 21st nationally.
• The Spartans led the country in blocked shots per game per game (17.67) in 2013-14 and are back up near the top this season, currently averaging 14.55 blocks per game which ranks second in the Big Ten and is tied for12th nationally.
• Matt Berry (6-4-10) and Michael Ferrantino (5-5-10) are tied for eighth in the Big Ten in points ... Berry's six goals are tied for the third highest total in the League.
• Ferrantino leads MSU in points on the road this season (3-2-5).
• Defenseman Travis Walsh's six points are third most among Big Ten defensemen.
• Jake Hildebrand's 11 starts between the pipes are more than any other goaltender in the conference ... He leads the league in saves (287) and shots faced (313) and his .917 save percentage is third among Big Ten goalies.
• The Spartans' three unassisted goals are tied for eighth nationally.
• Michigan State is 4-0 when leading after the first and second periods this season ... MSU is also 4-0 when scoring first.
• MSU has generated more shots on goal than its opponents in seven of 11 games this season after doing so in just 14 of 36 contests last year ... This year, the Spartans have been at their best in the second period where they hold a 106-85 advantage over opponents.
About Princeton
The Tigers enter the weekend series on a five-game losing streak ... Princeton's lone win came over Cornell, 2-1, on Nov. 7 ... Head coach Rob Fogarty is in his first year with the program after seven seasons at Adrian ... Fogarty, who leads all active NCAA coaches in win percentage, was 167-23-10 at Adrian ... Senior defenseman Aaron Ave leads the Tigers with two goals, while forwards Ben Foster and Aaron Kesselman both have a pair of assists ... Sophomore Colton Phinney has started seven of eight games in net, posting a .909 save percentage and 3.51 goals-against average.
From the Ohio State Series
The Spartans topped the Buckeyes, 3-1, in the opener, getting a goal in all three periods ... Matt Berry had a goal and assist in the win, giving him 12 points (6g, 6a) against the Buckeyes in his career ... Jake Hildebrand stopped at least 30 shots (34) for the fourth time in a game this season ... MSU was shut out, 3-0, in Friday's game as OSU goaltender Matt Tomkins stopped all 29 shots.
Watch Tom
Last Year's Series vs. Princeton (Nov. 29, Dec. 1)
The Spartans snapped a four-game skid with consecutive 4-1 and 8-2 wins over Princeton ... The eight goals in the Dec. 1 game are the most in the Tom Anastos-era and the two-game total of 12 were the most since Dec. 29-30, 2009 at the GLI when MSU defeated Michigan Tech, 10-1, and RPI, 6-1 ... Mackenzie MacEachern led the way against the Tigers last season with a goal and three assists ... His career-high three assists came in the 8-2 win ... Villiam Haag had a career-best two goals in the 8-2 win as well.
Top Line Production
The Spartans' top line of Matt Berry (left wing), Michael Ferrantino (center) and Joe Cox (right wing), has been the team's primary offensive threat since the trio began playing together on Oct. 31. Over the last five games, the unit has combined for 13 points (5g, 8a) - half the team's point total over the span.
Ferrantino's four-game point streak (4-2-6) came to an end on Friday vs. Ohio State, while Cox has had four assists over the last five games and Berry has chipped in a goal and two assists over the same stretch.
PK Improvement
MSU's penalty kill unit has made significant improvement over last season and enters the series with Princeton ranked 10th in the nation in penalty kill percentage at .900, having extinguished 36-of-40 opponent power plays. The Spartans have killed 24 of the last 26 opponent power plays, a span that stretches over the course of eight games.
Through 11 games in 2013-14, the Spartans allowed nine power-play goals and had a .780 penalty kill percentage.
Ferrantino Leading By Example
Captain Michael Ferrantino enters the weekend second on the team in goals (5) and tied for the lead in points (10). The junior's leadership has been just as valuable in other facets of the game as he is one of the Big Ten's best in the faceoff circle, posting a .578 win percentage, which ranks third in the league among players that have appeared in at least 11 games. His 133 faceoff wins are second most among conference centers as well.
Ferrantino is critical to the Spartans' special teams and his two power-play goals are tied for the team lead.
The Plymouth, Michigan, native is far ahead of last year's scoring pace, which saw him post a 9-11-20 line. Ferrantino didn't score his fifth goal of last season until Jan. 23.
MacEachern Valuable at Both Ends
Sophomore forward Mackenzie MacEachern has been one of the Spartans' most consistent players at both ends of the rink this season, serving as a key component on both special teams units. Offensively, the 6-foot-2 winger's nine points (4g, 5a) are just three shy of his 2013-14 total and he is the only Spartan with a shorthanded and power-play goal so far this season. He enters the weekend with five points (3g, 2a) over the last six games.
Player Notes
• Junior Travis Walsh is the team's top-scoring defenseman with six points (2g, 4a) ... He has two goals and two assists over the last six games.
• Rookie defenseman Carson Gatt picked up his first-career point with an assist at Ohio State on Nov. 20, the same game senior Brent Darnell scored his first goal of the season.
• Jake Hildebrand's has stopped at least 30 shots in four of 11 games this season.
• After going without a point in his first five collegiate games, freshman defenseman Josh Jacobs has three assists over the last six games.
• Mackenzie MacEachern had two unassisted goals in the series at New Hampshire, becoming the first Spartan to have two unassisted goals in a season since Brent Darnell had a pair in 2012-13 ... MacEachern has three goals and two assists in the last six games.
A Few More Team Notes...
• MSU is 4-1 when scoring a power-play goal.
• MSU has outshot its opponents in the third period in eight of the 11 games this season.
• Spartan defensemen have provided three goals and 12 of the team's 60 points (20.0%) ... MSU had just three goals from its defensemen in all of 2013-14.
Spartans in the NHL
A total of 13 Spartans were on NHL opening night rosters and 12 have seen action so far this season:
• Corey Potter (Calgary Flames)
• John-Michael Liles (Carolina Hurricanes)
• Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
• Corey Tropp (Columbus Blue Jackets)
• Shawn Horcoff (Dallas Stars)
• Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings)
• Drew Miller (Detroit Red Wings)
• Jeff Petry (Edmonton Oilers)
• Mike Weaver (Montreal Canadiens)
• Chris Mueller (New York Rangers)
• David Booth (Toronto Maple Leafs)
