Spartans Face Ferris State in the 50th GLI
12/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Game 17: Ferris State (9-7-1) vs. Michigan State (6-9-1) | |
| Date , Time | Sun., Dec. 28 - 7 p.m. |
| Location | Detroit, Mich. | Joe Louis Arena (20,066) |
| Tickets | TicketMaster |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | WJIM 1240-AM |
| Radio (Mobile) | Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad | Android |
| Game Notes | Ferris State | Michigan State |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  |
• The Spartans are making their 36th consecutive and 41st overall Great Lakes Invitational appearance ... MSU has appeared in every tournament since 1979.
• The winner of Sunday's game will take on either Michigan or host Michigan Tech in the championship game on Monday at 7 p.m. The losers of both semifinals will meet in the consolation game at 3:30 p.m.
• Michigan State has a 47-30-3 all-time GLI record ... The Spartans' .606 winning percentage is the highest of the three teams (MSU, Michigan Tech and Michigan) that have the most tournament appearances.
• MSU is 25-13-2 in the GLI semifinals.
• The most recent of the Spartans' 12 GLI titles came in 2009 when they defeated Michigan Tech, 10-1, and Rensselaer, 6-1.
• Under head coach Tom Anastos, MSU is 1-0-2 in GLI semifinal games and 2-2-2 overall ... As a player, Anastos helped MSU to three straight titles from 1982-84.
• The Spartans are coming off scoring a season-high six goals in a 6-4 win over Clarkson on Dec. 14 ... The win was their first this season when trailing after the opening period ... MSU rallied from three one-goal deficits in the game.
• Joe Cox (2-1-3), Thomas Ebbing (1-2-3) and Ryan Keller (1-1-2) all had their best offensive games of the season vs. Clarkson and were named the Big Ten's First, Second and Third Stars of the Week, respectively.
• The Spartans' .520 faceoff win percentage is 15th-best nationally and fourth in the Big Ten ... Michael Ferrantino's 176 faceoff wins are the second most in the Big Ten and are tied for 23rd nationally.
• Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten and 15th nationally in blocked shots per game at 14.56 ... Travis Walsh is tied for fourth in the Big Ten with 28 blocks ...The Spartans led the country in blocked shots per game (17.67) in 2013-14.
• The Spartans have generated 30 or more shots on goal in four of the last five games and rank third in the Big Ten and 25th nationally in shots on goal per game at 30.5 ... MSU holds a 166-127 cumulative shot advantage over opponents in the second period.
• MSU has generated more shots on goal than its opponents in 11 of 16 games this season after doing so in just 14 of 36 contests last year.
• MSU leading scorer Michael Ferrantino (8-6-14) has five multi-point games ... He has three goals in the last five games and has had at least a point in seven of the last 10.
• Junior Travis Walsh has four assists in the last five games and his eight on the season lead the team ... His 10 points (2g, 8a) rank third among defensemen in the Big Ten.
• Jake Hildebrand's 16 starts between the pipes are more than any other goaltender in the conference ... He leads the league in saves (394) and shots faced (437) ... With 2,168 career saves, Hildebrand needs 26 stops to move into the top 10 on the MSU all-time saves list.
Recent GLI History
The Spartans haven't lost a GLI semifinal game under coach Tom Anastos, going 1-0-2. In 2011, MSU topped MTU, 3-1, in its first game, but fell in overtime to Michigan in the title game, 3-2. In 2012, MSU and Western Michigan played to a 1-1 tie, but the Broncos won the shootout to advance to the championship game. Last season at Comerica Park, MTU scored a third-period goal to tie the game, 2-2, and then won the shootout to advance. For the second straight year in 2013, the Spartans and Wolverines met in the consolation game. The Spartans fell in 2012, 5-2, but won last season's meeting, 3-0.
Complete MSU GLI history can be found on pages 168-171 of the media guide.
About Ferris State
Ferris State enters the GLI coming off a sweep of Lake Superior State (5-2, 5-0) on Dec. 12-13 ... The Bulldogs are 3-1-1 in their last five games, including a 1-1 tie and 5-3 loss at Wisconsin (Nov. 28-29) ... Junior winger Matt Robertson leads FSU in assists (13) and points (17) ... Robertson is also a team-best plus-10 ... Sophomore Chad McDonald's eight goals lead the team ... The Bulldogs are averaging 34.0 shots on goal per game, which is tied for the eighth-highest total in the nation ... FSU ranks 11th nationally in penalty kill percentage at .881 ... MSU went 1-for-7 on the power play in their two meetings earlier this season ... Goaltender CJ Motte has started all 17 games and his .939 save percentage and 1.72 goals-against average both rank sixth in the nation.
From the Ferris State Series, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Munn Ice Arena
The Spartans had 36 and 35 shots on goal, respectively, in the two games, marking the first time they had 35 or more shots on goal in consecutive games since last season when they had 40 vs. Michigan (Dec. 28, 2013) and 36 vs. Ohio State (Jan. 10, 2014) ... Travis Walsh scored his first-career goal, Josh Jacobs got his first-career assist and Villiam Haag recorded his first points (1g, 1a) of the season in the win ... Michigan State outshot Ferris State 36-16 in the loss and by a total of 71-36 in the series ... The Spartans extinguished all nine FSU power plays, marking the first time they held an opponent without a power-play goal in consecutive games since Jan. 23-24, 2014 vs. Michigan (6-for-6) ... MSU went 1-for-7 on the power play.
From the Clarkson Game
The Spartans' six goals were a season high ... MSU trailed 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before Joe Cox scored on a breakaway to tie the game at the 14:21 mark of the second period ... A major penalty to Clarkson on the Cox goal resulted in a power play where the Spartans scored twice to take the lead for good ... The game marked the first time MSU won when allowing at least four goals (1-3) and when having fewer penalty minutes (1-5-1).
B1G Stars
Joe Cox, Thomas Ebbing and Ryan Keller had their best offensive performances of the season in the win over Clarkson and were named the Big Ten First, Second and Third Stars of the Week, respectively. Cox scored his first two goals of the season in a 1:51 span of the second period to give MSU the lead, 4-3. He later added an assist for the first three-point game of his career.
Ebbing netted the eventual game-winning tally and also picked up assists on goals by Cox and Keller. The three-point game was a career best for the native of Troy.
Keller sealed the Spartan win by scoring the final goal of the game and added an assist, giving him his second career two-point game.
Growing List of Contributors
After combining for just three goals through the first 12 games, Joe Cox, Matt DeBlouw, Brent Darnell and Ryan Keller have accounted for seven goals and 43% of the Spartans' points over the last four contests. Cox leads the team with two goals and three assists over the last four games, while DeBlouw and Darnell both have two goals and two assists and Keller has chipped in with a goal and two helpers over the span.
DeBlouw's six points (4g, 2a) have already eclipsed his 2013-14 total (4a).
Walsh Providing Offense
Junior defenseman Travis Walsh has stepped up his offensive production this season as his 10 points (2g, 8a) rank third among Big Ten defensemen and are tied for third on the team. The 10 points are one shy of tying his best single-season point total as he had 11 as a freshman. Walsh enters the GLI with four assists in the last five games.
Ferrantino Gets it Done in All Facets
Captain Michael Ferrantino enters the GLI as the Spartans' leader in goals (8) and points (14). He has a 3-1-4 scoring line over the last five games and has at least a point in seven of the last 10 games.
The Plymouth, Michigan, native is far ahead of last year's scoring pace, which saw him post a 9-11-20 line.
Ferrantino'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. His 176 wins rank second in the conference and his .567 win percentage is 12th best.
Ferrantino is critical to the Spartans' special teams, and his three power-play goals lead the team.
In the Shootout
The Spartans had their first shootout of the season on Dec. 6 vs. Minnesota following a 3-3 tie. MSU, which went 4-3 in shootouts last season, won Saturday's duel with Minnesota in six rounds, 2-1. Michael Ferrantino (first round) and Matt DeBlouw (sixth round) scored for the Spartans. The shootout win was the Spartans' third over the Gophers in the last six meeting between the teams.
Special Teams Notes
The Spartans' .828 penalty kill percentage ranks second in the Big Ten ... The 10 power-play goals allowed by the Spartans are tied for the second fewest in the conference MSU had a season-high three power-play goals against Clarkson ... Michael Ferrantino leads the team with three power-play goals.
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 10 points (5g, 5a) are just two shy of his 2013-14 total and he is the only Spartan with a shorthanded and power-play goal so far this season.
Get `Em on Net
MSU has generated more shots on goal than its opponents in 11 of 16 games this season after doing so in just 14 of 36 contests last year. As games progress, the Spartans tend to generate more shots. They hold a 166-127 advantage over opponents in the second period and have outshot foes in the third period in 11 of the 16 games this season.
Player Notes
• Brent Darnell has posted 2-0-2 and 0-2-2 scoring lines over the last two games, respectively, marking the first time he has registered consecutive two-point games since Dec. 2-3, 2011.
• Rookie defenseman Carson Gatt has appeared in every game this season and has two assists over the last four 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.
Odds and Ends
• MSU is 6-0-1 when leading after the second period and 5-1-1 when scoring first.
• Spartan defensemen have provided three goals and 23 of the team's 100 points ... MSU had just three goals from its defensemen in all of 2013-14.
Three the Magic Number
Under head coach Tom Anastos, the Spartans are 45-6-5 (.848) when scoring three or more goals. MSU is 6-1-1 when scoring at least three goals this season and was 10-2 when scoring at least a trio of goals last season.
Spartans in the NHL
A total of 13 Spartans have seen action in the NHL 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)
