Neil's Notebook: Lineup Shuffling Produces Results For Spartans
12/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING - After six consecutive games as a healthy scratch, Michigan State senior forward Tanner Sorenson suddenly found himself in the lineup last Saturday night at Princeton.
"I had a feeling at the morning skate that I might have a chance to play that night,'' Sorenson said. "But I didn't know for sure until our team meal, around 3 p.m. It was a quick turnaround.''
Sorenson, playing in only his fourth game of the season, went out and performed at a high level. He had a goal and an assist, while playing right wing on a line with junior center Matt DeBlouw and junior left wing Ryan Keller.
DeBlouw also had a goal and assist and Keller collected one assist as the Spartans built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 victory and split of the nonconference series.
MSU (5-8 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) lost to the Tigers 3-1 in the series opener and didn't play well. So, Spartans coach Tom Anastos decided lineup changes were in order.
"I really had nothing to lose. I just went out, tried to work hard and contribute,'' Sorenson said. "I think I helped us win and wins are kind of hard right now. And we're a team that can't afford to have anyone take the night off.''
Now that Sorenson took advantage of an opportunity, his goal is to consistently play well in helping to produce offense, be reliable in the defensive zone and prove that he deserves to stay in the lineup.
"You just have to keep working and not get behind when you're not playing. It's tough,'' he said. "You always have guys wanting to prove themselves. It's about keeping a positive mindset, working hard, waiting for your chance to play and then going out and playing well.''
Sorenson said he was focused on having good practices this week, and being in the lineup this weekend against No. 3/6 Minnesota. The Spartans and Gophers (7-4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) meet at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday at Munn Arena.
Up until last Saturday, Sorenson had played in only three games - the second game of the season-opening series at home against Massachusetts and two home games against Ferris State. He didn't have a point.
Then he sat out six games in a row - two at New Hampshire, one against Boston College, two at Ohio State and the first game of the Princeton series.
"He hasn't played much but he was a factor in the game on Saturday, as was Matt DeBlouw,'' Anastos said. "We're looking for a level of performance and level of consistency that we can count on every game. We need that from the whole lineup.
"Tanner needs to play with focus and with a compete level that gives us confidence every night. He has strengths in his game - a very good skill set, he can play with speed, make plays and has a great shot. But we need his level of focus, performance and consistency to be there every single day.''
Anastos emphasized that it's not only what players do in games, it's also how they work and compete in practice that determines who's in the lineup and who's watching from the stands.
"We tell players that practice means a lot. Guys looking for an opportunity get an opportunity every day in practice,'' he said. "That's where you're measured every day. You use your body of work in practice to build a level of confidence so when it's time to perform -- when the puck is dropped -- that this is what you're going to do.''
Sorenson had a solid sophomore season in which he scored 13 goals, had 21 points and played in all of MSU's 42 games. But he struggled to get into the lineup last season, playing in only 17 of his team's 36 games. Sorenson had two goals and two assists.
"It's how the game works. Some years, you have good seasons, some are bad,'' said Sorenson, 21, a 5-foot-9, 178 pounder from Anchorage, Alaska, "It was tough. I tried to stay positive and waited to get a chance.
"This year, being a senior, you want to improve as much as you can and be ready to play when your name is called.''
Sorenson got his name called last weekend and he responded with a good effort. Now the goal is to consistently show that he deserves to stay in the lineup.
Sorenson's line with DeBlouw and Keller showed good chemistry and there's a chance it might remain intact.
"We played together in one game last year and we're pretty good friends off the ice,'' Sorenson said. "I've played with (DeBlouw) before on other lines.''
DeBlouw, who also struggled last season with no goals and four assists in 23 games, has played in all of MSU's 13 games and has three goals and one assist.
"DeBlouw's probably the best skater I've played with,'' Sorenson said. "I've played against him since bantams - at select festivals. He's skilled, and once he gets his confidence he can really play. Hopefully, he can keep it going.''
GOPHERS A HUGE CHALLENGE: Minnesota spent the first month of the season as the No. 1 team in the nation with a 7-1 start. But the Gophers have lost three of their last four games and have dropped to No. 3 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll and No. 6 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine rankings.
In Minnesota's first eight games, it scored 31 goals. In the last four, the Gophers have scored nine, including six against Boston College last Friday in a 6-2 victory.
Still, the Gophers are loaded with speed, skill and experience, and they're expected to contend for an NCAA title. Minnesota, easily the favorite to finish first in the Big The, has 15 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, the most in college hockey.
Spartans coach Tom Anastos hopes his team competes as hard as it did against the Gophers last season, and maybe get a few more good bounces that result in some victories.
In 2013-14, MSU went 0-2-2 against Minnesota, with both ties ending up as Big Ten shootout victories, and all four games decided by one goal or less. The Spartans tied the Gophers 2-2 and lost 3-2 at Munn Arena last December and tied 2-2 and lost 1-0 at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
"They're an awfully talented team with a lot of depth and experience,'' Anastos said. "They were in the NCAA championship game last year and have a lot of key guys back.
"But I'm confident our guys will be ready to play. With our nonconference schedule, we've played teams with different styles and some of the teams show similarities to Minnesota. What differentiates their team from some of the teams we've played is their depth. We have lots of respect for Minnesota, and we'll have to be at our best to give ourselves the best chance for success.''
The Gophers' slide started when they got swept by Minnesota-Duluth, 3-0 at home and 2-1 on the road, on Nov. 14-15. After a week off, Minnesota played two nonconference games in Boston last weekend - winning 6-2 at Boston College and losing 2-1 at Northeastern.
The Gophers' offense is led by senior Kyle Rau (4 goals, 11 assists, 15 points), sophomores Justin Kloos (7-6-13), Taylor Cammarata (1-11-12) and Hudson Fasching (5-2-7) and senior Sam Warning (4-3-7).
Key defensemen include juniors Mike Reilly (2-10-12) and Brady Skjei (1-3-4), senior Ben Marshall (2-4-6, a Red Wings draft pick) and sophomores Michael Brodzinski (1-4-5) and Jake Bischoff (1-2-3).
Goaltender Adam Wilcox, a junior, had a brilliant, award-filled sophomore season. He was selected as a second team NCAA West All-American, first-team All-Big Ten and a Hobey Baker Award finalist. In 12 games this season, Wilcox has a 2.25 goals-against average and a .919 saves percentage.
"There will be lots of tempo from Minnesota and we need to match it,'' Anastos said. "They can score in bunches so you can't lose focus. If we give up a goal, it's stay the course and play the next play. Our execution has to continue to get better offensively and defensively.''
Minnesota's power play ranks No. 3 in the nation with an outstanding success rate of 29.3 percent. MSU's penalty killing has been a team strength this season. It ranks 11th national at 89.4 percent. The Gophers' average of 3.33 goals per game is 10th nationally.
Spartans forward Villiam Haag had eight goals last season as a freshman and three came against the Gophers. He also had one assist in the four games vs. Minnesota.
Haag knows it would be very helpful for the Spartans if he repeats those numbers this season.
"Personally, I was lucky I was able to get some goals. I love playing against those guys,'' said Haag, a 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore from Gothenburg, Sweden. "They play almost a Swedish style of game, with lots of speed and passing the puck around very well.
"I must feel a connection to that. It's a fun game to play. We know they have a good team with lots of skilled players and we have to have our best game.''
Senior Brett Darnell has two goals and four points in a team-high eight games against Minnesota. Senior Matt Berry has one goal and two assists for three points in six contests.
MSU junior captain Mike Ferrantino has faced Minnesota six times and has two goals.
"They come at you with a lot of speed and skill. We have to do some things to slow them down,'' he said. "We know we can compete with them. It's doing all the little things we did well last year and improving on the things we didn't do so well, so we can get some wins in regulation.''
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Linemates Matt Berry and Mike Ferrantino continue to lead the Spartans in scoring, as Berry had a goal and two assists and Ferrantino two goals in the split at Princeton. Berry has seven goals and six assists for 13 points, while Ferrantino has seven goals and five assists for 12 points.
Sophomore left wing Mackenzie MacEachern is third in team scoring with four goals and five assists for nine points.
Junior defenseman Travis Walsh, who had no goals and seven assists in 33 games last season, already has six points in 13 games. He has two goals and four assists to rank fifth in team scoring.
IN THE BIG TEN: Wisconsin and Minnesota make their Big Ten season debuts this weekend as all six teams are involved in conference play.
In addition to the MSU-Minnesota series, Michigan (7-6, 1-1) and Ohio State (5-8-1, 1-1) meet in Ann Arbor on Friday, but do not play on Saturday, and Wisconsin (1-8-1, 0-0) hosts Penn State (7-4-2, 1--1) on Friday and Saturday. U-M and OSU will play in another single-game weekend in mid-January in Columbus and then face each other in a Friday-Sunday, home-and-home series in late February.
The Badgers are coming off their first victory of the season after starting 0-8-1. Wisconsin defeated Ferris State, 5-3, last Saturday in Madison, one night after the teams played to a 1-1 tie.
Next weekend, the Spartans play their final game before the holiday break against Clarkson (5-7-4, 3-1-2 ECAC) at 5 p.m. on Dec. 14.
After this weekend, Minnesota is on break until Jan. 2-3 when they compete in the Mariucci Classic in Minneapolis. The Gophers' first opponent is Merrimack.
Ohio State also heads to break after facing U-M. The Buckeyes are off until a nonconference series at Mercyhurst, Jan. 2-3.
Wisconsin plays an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 team next Friday, and then is idle until Jan. 2-3, when the Badgers play host to Michigan Tech.
Michigan has one game remaining before its holiday break - at Boston College on Dec. 13.
Meanwhile, Penn State will be idle until Dec. 29 when the Nittany Lions open play in the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh against Robert Morris.
Michigan and Michigan State resume play after Christmas in the 50th annual Great Lakes Invitational Dec. 28-29 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
The Wolverines and Michigan Tech play the opening semifinal at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 28, while the Spartans face Ferris State at 7 p.m. in the other semifinal. The third-place and championship games are at 3:30 and 7 p.m., respectively, on Dec. 29.
