Neil's Notebook: Spartans Boosted By Sweep of OSU
1/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING - Michigan State's 2-0 victory over Ohio State on Saturday at Munn Arena may not have been the Spartans' best game of the season.
But combined with Friday's 4-1 win in the series opener against the Buckeyes, Saturday's success capped MSU's best and most rewarding weekend of the year.
The Spartans' first sweep in more than a year could be just what this team needs to set up a successful run in the Big Ten race.
"I think this will be a turning point for our team,'' said senior right wing Brent Darnell, MSU's hottest scorer whose late power-play goal made it 2-0 and wrapped up the series sweep.
"This was a big test for us. We played well the first night and won against UMass and at New Hampshire and Ohio State and then laid an egg the second night and lost. We focused on this game as soon as Friday's game ended because we had to get the second win.''
It's been frustrating for Michigan State (9-11-2 overall, 3-3-2-2 Big Ten) to play hard, show improvement and play well in the first game of series but not in back-to-back games that result in a sweeps and make the overall record look so much better.
But with several players competing hard, performing at high level and playing with poise - guys like forwards Darnell, Ryan Keller, Mike Ferrantino, Joe Cox, Villiam Haag, Mackenzie MacEachern and Matt DeBlouw, defensemen Travis Walsh, Rhett Holland, Ron Boyd and, of course, goalie Jake Hildebrand - the Spartans look like an improving, more competitive team that could challenge for a top-three spot in the Big Ten.
And now that talented forward Matt Berry is back with the team and had a solid series against Ohio State (8-12-2, 2-6-0) with a goal and two assists, MSU's potential to create better scoring chances and finish more consistently is looking as bright as it has all season.
"It's a huge sweep for us. A huge confidence boost,'' said Ferrantino, the Spartans' junior captain. "It's our first of the season, and coming in here and signing the Fight Song is awfully nice. We keep getting better each weekend.
"Even before the Christmas break, I thought were improving and you could see we were going in the right direction. We're getting contributions from a lot of people.
"But we can't be satisfied. We have to keep working hard, making plays and that will lead to more wins.''
Michigan State's last sweep came last season against Penn State at Munn Arena. The Spartans won 3-0 and 3-2 on Jan. 17-18, 2014.
Starting with a 4-2 victory at Princeton on Nov. 29, MSU is 5-3-2 in its last 10 games, and the only two bad games were a 5-0 loss to Minnesota, Dec. 5, and a 5-2 defeat last Saturday at Penn State.
"It never comes easy but it was nice to get a second win at home. We played three solid periods,'' MSU coach Tom Anastos said. "We didn't create as many scoring chances as we did on Friday, but we had enough to win. Overall, it was a good effort and a good weekend to build some confidence.''
On Saturday, there were no major heroes for the Spartans, but a lot of players who did a lot of little things to contribute and a few players that made enough big plays to pull out a victory in front of 6,439 fans - the second consecutive capacity crowd of the weekend.
Ryan Keller, suddenly MSU's second-hottest scorer with three goals in the last four games, scored the game-winner in the second period, giving MSU a 1-0 lead at 17:12. He tapped in a loose puck in the slot after yeoman work by Walsh, Ferrantino and Haag to set up the scoring chance.
Despite having several key players out with injuries, OSU was in the game until late in the third period when two major penalties kept the visitors from pressuring to tie it in the final minutes.
Instead, Darnell's one-timer from the left circle during a 5-on-3 power play rocketed past goalie Christian Fry at 18:49 to boost MSU's lead to 2-0.
Midway through the third period, the Buckeyes had a good opportunity to tie it 1-1 on a power play. They buzzed around the Spartans' zone and had several good chances, as Tanner Fritz's wrister glanced off the right post and a couple of shots went over the top of the net or went wide.
"The game was back and forth at times but I think we carried the play and had the majority of the good scoring chances,'' said junior goalie Hildebrand, who made 22 saves in earning his second shutout of the season and the sixth of his career.
"I just wanted to make sure I stayed focused and was there when I was called upon. They had some pretty good chances on the (third period) power play. We did a great job of clearing the puck out front.
"Overall, this gives us so much confidence going forward. Right now, Keller hot, Darny is hot and everyone seems to be going. Ferrantino had a great game tonight, and our defense played well all weekend.''
Anastos and the players saluted the fans that jammed into Munn Arena both on Friday and Saturday and helped create an electric atmosphere in the building. "Any time you can win it's great, especially at home so people leave here feeling good about the team and the team feels good about itself,'' Anastos said. "But I don't want our team to feel too good.
"It's small step in the process. I want them to feel that this was good but this is just the next step in getting better.''
UP NEXT: The Spartans' next challenge is against the hottest team in college hockey - Michigan, which has won seven games in row and scored 34 goals in its last five games, including a 7-4 and 6-0 sweep of Wisconsin this weekend.
MSU and Michigan will play single games against each other over the next two weekends. They collide at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. On Feb. 7, the Spartans and Wolverines meet at 8 p.m. at Soldier Field in Chicago in the Hockey City Classic. In the first game, Miami plays Western Michigan and 4 p.m.
"They have a lot of depth on offense and they're hitting their stride,'' Anastos said. "They're a different team than the one we saw at the GLI. We have to go into that game understanding who we are and how we play and devise a strategy that will give us a chance to win.''
KELLER MAKING AN IMPACT: Heading into MSU's road series at Penn State nine days ago, junior left wing Ryan Keller had one goal in 15 games. Four games later, he has four.
Keller, a 6-foot-2, 193-pounder from Farmington Hills, scored MSU's first goal in a 2-2 tie against the Nittany Lions on Jan. 16. He followed that up with the Spartans' last goal in a 4-1 victory over Ohio State on Friday and he added another on Saturday late in the opening period to give MSU the lead.
For the last eight games, Keller has been on a line with center Thomas Ebbing and right wing Brett Darnell, who's been Michigan State's most consistent scorer since before the series finale against Minnesota on Dec. 6.
Darnell has five goals and six assists for 11 points in his last eight games. He's had at least one point in seven of MSU's last eight games.
"It feels pretty good ... it's good to get that confidence going,'' Keller said. "Our line is clicking and we're trying to keep it going. We're keeping it simple and it's working. Darny's pretty hot right now.
"Tonight, we kept it simple and played really well in units of five. We worked together. Hildy was outstanding with the shutout, the defense blocked shots and the forwards got the puck in deep. Everyone working together made this possible.''
In 19 games, Keller has four goals and four assists for eight points. He was more eager to touch on his team's success than his scoring surge.
"I think we came together as a team tonight. We talked about it after our loss at Penn State last Saturday - about coming together and not being satisfied (after playing one good game),'' Keller said. "We're only satisfied with six points.
"We've been preaching all year that we have to go to the net and put pressure on their defense by being physical. Once you lay bodies on them, it wears them down and they get frustrated. Then you go to the net and get rewarded.''
Coach Tom Anastos has been impressed with Keller's play in recent weeks.
"He's gaining confidence and playing with a lot more poise, and confidence is a big thing,'' Anastos said. "You have to earn it and get it through practice and repetition. He's going to the net and getting rewarded. If you want to score, you have to go to the tough areas.
"We showed a video clip to our team at our pregame meal to show how Keller went to the net in four circumstances. The first three, he never got rewarded. He got shots, he was jamming pucks, he came from a long distance to get there and on the fourth time, he scored a goal.
"Tonight, he got the game-winner by going to that area. His confidence is on the rise, and maybe playing on that line (with Ebbing and Darnell) is starting to pay off. His conditioning level is better than it was a year ago.''
PAYING THE PRICE: Overall, Saturday's game wasn't particularly physical or feisty. In fact, it was pretty sleepy in the first period and not much happened until midway through the second period.
But don't tell that to junior center Mike Ferrantino, who took two hard hits in the final five minutes of the third period that sent two Buckeyes to the dressing room with game misconducts.
OSU's Matthew Weiss caught Ferrantino with a check to the head, coming across the middle of the ice after to shooting the puck. Weis was handed a five-minute major for contact to the head with 5:11 left.
Ferrantino got up slowly and looked little dazed but soon he was back on the ice for the Spartans' power play.
Less than four minutes after the Weis hit, Ferrantino was battling for the puck along the left wing boards in the OSU zone when he was checked from behind, causing him to crash into the boards and hitting his shoulder. Defenseman Josh Healy was penalized for checking from behind and given a five-minute major and game misconduct at 18:43.
So the Spartans played the rest of game with a 5-on-3 power play. Darnell put the game out of reach with a slap shot off a pass from defenseman Josh Jacobs that caught the top left corner of the net at 18:49.
Ferrantino took the hits in stride and didn't seem too upset over getting banged around, but he did say that playing Ohio State at Munn Arena hasn't been particularly good for his body.
"Last year, I got hit by an Ohio State guy behind the net and it broke my helmet,'' he said. "When I was a freshman, I got hit into a stanchion. I don't know what it is with me and Ohio State. I guess they don't like me very much.''
Ferrantino said he should have kept his head up coming through the middle of the ice in the OSU zone before being clocked by Weis.
"No one likes to see a hit like that but you have to keep your head up. It's just part of the game,'' he said. "One the second one, I was more upset. My back was turned. The first was kind of a hockey play. It happens fast. I think things built up from the first hit and I had to try to keep my composure and not let it affect my game.''
Ferrantino got up from the ice after the hit from behind play and slammed his stick on the boards. He shrugged it off and soon he was back on the ice.
"He's one tough kid,'' MSU coach Tom Anastos said of MSU's first-year captain. "He took a pretty big hit and pops right up. He's an emotional leader and our guys respect him - that's why he's our captain.
"On our first goal, Mike was relentless on the forecheck that led to the goal. He's such an important part of our team.''
STREAK EXTENDED: Ohio State had only two power plays on Saturday, and MSU killed both - allowing no shots on goal in the second period and only one in the third.
The Spartans have now gone seven games without giving up a power-play goal. They've skated off 21 straight opponents' power plays.
"It's become a momentum changer for us,'' Anastos said. "We take a lot of pride in it. Other than one atrocious weekend, we've been pretty darn strong.
"A power play came up at a critical time tonight. If we don't kill that penalty (in the third period), and they score, the momentum shifts to their team. We killed it and we have the momentum going.''
IN THE BIG TEN: Apparently, Penn State's strategy this weekend against Northern Michigan was to fall behind by three goals and put on a dramatic rally to tie it and try to win it late.
It worked on Friday but not so well on Saturday as the Nittany Lions finished the weekend with a non-conference victory and tie against the Wildcats.
Penn State took a 1-0 lead on Friday, only to see NMU score four straight goals in the second period to go up 4-1. The Nittany Lions cut their deficit to 4-2 late in the second period, and then scored three unanswered goals in the third period to emerge with a 5-4 victory. The winning goal was scored with 3:20 left.
On Saturday, PSU fell behind 3-0 in the first period, scored early in the second, only to see NMU make it 4-1. The Nittany Lions scored two late goals in the second period to make a tight game at 4-3.
PSU tied it at 3:09 of the third period, but the Wildcats regained the lead at 6:55. Less than seven minutes later, the Nittany Lions bounced back to tie it 5-5, and that's how it ended after a scoreless overtime.
Meanwhile, it was a weekend to forget for Minnesota, which lost twice in the North Star College Cup, a tournament involving four Minnesota schools.
The Gophers on Saturday lost to Minnesota-Duluth 2-1 in the third-place game. Minnesota lost to No. 1-ranked Minnesota State, 4-2, on Friday, while Bemidji State topped St. Cloud State, 4-0, in the other semifinal. In Saturday's championship game, Bemidji upset top-ranked Minnesota State 3-1.
With a six-point weekend, Michigan State climbed past Minnesota and into third place in the Big Ten with 13 points, with a 3-3-2-2 record. Michigan, also adding six points after its sweep of Wisconsin, is in first place with 21 points and a 7-1-0 record.
Penn State (5-2-1-0) is in second place with 16 points, three in front of the Spartans.
Minnesota, with two games in hand on the top three teams, is fourth (2-2-2-0) with eight points. Ohio State (2-6), which has lost four straight, is fifth with six points, and Wisconsin (0-5-1-1), still looking for its first conference victory, is last with two points.
In addition to the MSU-Michigan game next weekend, Minnesota is at Wisconsin, Penn State plays Vermont in Philadelphia and Ohio State is idle.
