Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Welcome Minnesota For Big Ten Home Opener
12/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Games 14 & 15: No. 3/6 Minnesota (8-4, 0-0 B1G) vs. Michigan State (5-8, 1-1 B1G) | |
| Dates | Times | Fri., Dec. 5 - 7 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 6 - 5 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena (6,470) |
| Tickets | MSUSpartans.com |
| TV | Fri. - Fox Sports Detroit | Sat. - Comcast Channel 900 (Michigan) |
| Video Stream | BTN2Go |
| Gametracker | | |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | Fri. - WJIM 1240-AM | Sat. - WFVN 730-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 | Minnesota | Michigan State |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  |
On The Fly ...
• Michigan State hosts Minnesota in its first Big Ten home series of the season and last of the calendar year ... MSU is 1-1 in the conference, while the series will be the first for the Gophers in league play.
• Both teams are coming off splits on the road last weekend - MSU at Princeton (1-3, 4-2) and Minnesota at Boston College (6-2) and Northeastern (2-3).
• The teams played four tight games last season with both series openers ending in 2-2 ties and an MSU shootout win, followed by one-goal Gopher wins (3-2, 1-0).
• Matt Berry (1-2-3), Michael Ferrantino (2-0-2) and Travis Walsh (0-2-2) all had points in both games last weekend at Princeton.
• In the Big Ten, Berry (7-6-13) and Ferrantino (7-5-12) are tied for fifth and eighth, respectively, in points and second in goals.
• Matt Berry and Michael Ferrantino both have four multi-point games this season.
• Junior Matt DeBlouw posted his first multi-point game since Jan. 12, 2013 with a goal and an assist in the 4-2 win at Princeton ... DeBlouw's three goals this season rank fourth on the team.
• Junior Travis Walsh has three assists in the last four games ... His eight points (2g, 6a) rank third among defensemen in the Big Ten.
• The Spartans remain one of the nation's top penalty-killing teams, currently leading the Big Ten and ranking 11th nationally in penalty kill percentage at .894 ... Over the last nine games, MSU has killed 30-of-33 opponent power plays.
• The Spartans' .521 faceoff win percentage is 15th-best nationally and third in the Big Ten ... Michael Ferrantino's 148 faceoff wins are the second most in the Big Ten and rank 23rd nationally.
• Michigan State ranks third in the Big Ten and 15th nationally in blocked shots per game at 14.23 ...The Spartans led the country in blocked shots per game per game (17.67) in 2013-14.
• Jake Hildebrand's 13 starts between the pipes are more than any other goaltender in the conference ... He leads the league in saves (330) and shots faced (361); his .914 save percentage and 2.42 goals-against average both rank third among Big Ten goalies.
• Michigan State is 5-0 when leading after the first and second periods this season ... MSU is 5-1 when scoring first.
• MSU has generated more shots on goal than its opponents in nine of 13 games this season after doing so in just 14 of 36 contests last year.
About Minnesota
The Gophers are coming off a trip to Boston where they topped Boston College, 6-2, and then lost to Northeastern the following night, 3-2 ... Minnesota is 1-3 on the road this season ... Sophomore forward Justin Kloos leads Minnesota with seven goals, including four on the power play, while senior forward Kyle Rau leads in points with 15 (4g, 11a) ... Mike Reilly leads all Big Ten defensemen with 12 points (2g, 10a) ... Sam Warning leads the Big Ten at plus-12 ... Junior goaltender Adam Wilcox leads the Big Ten in goals-against average (2.25) and save percentage (.919) ... Wilcox is the only goalie in the conference with two shutouts this season.
Just two goals separated MSU and Minnesota in four regular-season meetings last season as the Gophers won twice (3-2, 1-0) and the Spartans won two shootouts after a pair of 2-2 ties ... Villiam Haag led MSU with four points (3g, 1a) against the Gophers, while Michael Ferrantino had a pair of goals ... In the first-ever Big Ten game, Jake Hildebrand made 44 saves as the two teams played to a 2-2 deadlock before Michael Ferrantino scored the only goal of the shootout to give MSU an extra point ... Hildebrand posted a 1.93 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in the four games.
From the Princeton Series
Matt Berry led the way with three points (1g, 2a) ... MSU killed 6-of-7 penalties and was 1-for-8 on the power play ... For the second time in a two-game set this season, eight different players produced at least a point in the series ... The Spartans' 45 shots on goal on Friday night marked their most since outshooting AIC, 47-22, in a 5-4 win on Nov. 1, 2013 ... The Spartans' 20 third-period shots on Friday were their most in any stanza this season.
Ferrantino Catches Fire
Captain Michael Ferrantino enters Friday's game on the best offensive stretch of his career with six goals and two assists over the last seven games. He has at least a point in six of the seven games and had a goal in both games against Princeton last weekend.
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 seventh goal of last season until Jan. 31 at Minnesota.
...And Leading By Example
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 148 wins rank second in the conference and his .567 win percentage is 10th best.
Ferrantino is critical to the Spartans' special teams and his three power-play goals lead the team.
Watch Tom
Walsh Steps Up Production
Junior defenseman Travis Walsh has stepped up his offensive production this season as he has already eclipsed last season's point total with two goals and six assists. His eight points rank third among Big Ten defensemen and are one more than he had in all of last season (33 games). Walsh enters Friday's game with a point in six of the last eight and three of the last four games.
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 seven games, the unit has combined for 19 points (8g, 11a) - nearly half the team's point total over the span.
PK Improvement
MSU's penalty kill unit has made significant improvement over last season and enters the series with Minnesota ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and 11th in the nation in penalty kill percentage at .894, having extinguished 42-of-47 opponent power plays. The Spartans have killed 30 of the last 33 opponent power plays, a span that stretches over the course of nine games.
The Spartans had a .789 penalty kill percentage through 13 games last season and finished 2013-14 with a .797 percentage.
Wrapping Up November
The Spartans went 4-4 during the month of November which saw them play six of their eight games on the road. The two home games during the month were the fewest for MSU since 2011 when it also had two during Tom Anastos' first season as head coach. Michael Ferrantino led the team in goals (6) and points (8) during the month, while Joe Cox led in assists (5).
Spartans in the NHL
A total of 13 Spartans have seen action so far this season:
• 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)
