Spartans Host No. 5 North Dakota Over Thanksgiving Weekend
11/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Games 12-13: No. 5/5 North Dakota (10-2-2, 5-1 NCHC) vs. Michigan State (4-5-2, 0-0 B1G) | |
| Dates | Times | Fri., Nov. 27 -- 7 p.m. | Sun., Nov. 29 -- 3 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena (6,114) |
| Tickets | MSUSpartans.com |
| Video Stream | BTNPlus on BTN2Go |
| Gametracker | | |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | WVFN 730-AM (Fri.) | WJIM 1240-AM (Sun.) |
| Radio (Mobile) | Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad | Android |
| Promotions | Friday -- 4 Seats, 4 Treats, Black Friday -- tickets start at just $10 Sunday -- Family Four Pack |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | North Dakota | Big Ten |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  |
On The Fly...
• The Spartans are playing host to No. 5/5 North Dakota at Munn Ice Arena for the first time in 35 years ... The two teams last met in East Lansing in Nov. 1980.
• This weekend marks the Spartans fourth and fifth consecutive games vs. ranked non-conference opponents.
• The Michigan State offense has come alive during November with 24 goals in the five games during the month ... MSU has scored at least four goals in five consecutive games, marking the first time it has done so since a stretch from Dec. 2009 -- Jan. 2010.
• MSU ranks 14th in the country in goals per game at 3.36 ... The Spartans' 37 total goals are tied for 16th nationally and are tied for the fifth-highest total among teams that have played no more than 11 games.
• The Spartans have rebounded from a tough start to the season on the power play and have now scored at least one goal on the man-advantage in four of the last five games, going 5-for-16 (31.2%) over the span, including 3-for-4 last weekend vs. Michigan Tech.
• Six Spartans bring point streaks into this weekend's series, led by junior JT Stenglen's team-season and career high, six-game streak.
• Stenglein, who has eight points (5g, 3a) over the six-game span, is tied with classmate Mackenzie MacEachern for the team lead in both goals (7) and points (13).
• MacEachern was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week after registering a pair of power-play goals and an assist last weekend ... He brings a career long five-game point streak (4-4-8) into the weekend and leads the Spartans with five multi-point games.
• With 10 points (2g, 8a), junior center Thomas Ebbing is just one point shy of his 2014-15 season total ... He carries a career-long four-game point streak (1-4-5) into Friday's game.
• Michigan State extinguished all four MTU power plays last weekend, raising its season penalty kill percentage to .905, which ranks eighth overall nationally and is fourth best among teams that have played at least 11 games ... The four power-play goals MSU has allowed are the second fewest among teams that have played at least 11 games.
• MSU killed 29 consecutive penalties earlier this season, their longest streak since the 2007-08 season.
• MSU's freshmen -- Mason Appleton (3-9-12), Zach Osburn (3-5-8), Cody Milan (1-3-4) and Brennan Sanford (3-0-3) -- have combined to contribute 25% of the team's total points.
• Appleton's 12 points are tied for ninth among all freshmen nationally and his nine helpers are tied for third ... He has points in nine of 11 games this season.
• Osburn's eight points lead all Spartan defensemen and his 39 shots on goal rank second only to Appleton's 40.
• The Spartans rank second in the nation in blocked shots per game at 18.0 ... Senior defenseman Travis Walsh leads the country in total blocked shots (39) and blocks per game (3.55).
• MSU blocked 24 and 28 (season high) shots, respectively, last weekend vs. Michigan Tech.
• Under head coach Tom Anastos, the Spartans are 55-11-7 (.801) when scoring at least three goals.
From the Michigan Tech Series
In the first meetings between the teams in East Lansing in 29 years, the Spartans went 0-1-1 against the Huskies ... MTU scored late in the third period of both games to tie the score, sending both contests to overtime ... MSU's OT loss in game one was its first since March 20, 2014 against Ohio State ... Mackenzie MacEachern scored a pair of power play goals and was one of four Spartans to register three points on the weekend ... Sophomore Ed Minney saw the first action of his career, replacing Jake Hildebrand in net in the first period of game two.
About North Dakota
Fifth-ranked North Dakota is 9-2 over its last 11 games ... Last weekend UND split a weekend series (W, 4-3; L, 1-6) at No. 7 St. Cloud State ... Like MSU, North Dakota took part in the Ice Breaker Tournament to begin the season where it defeated Lake Superior State (5-2) and tied Maine (1-1) ... Sophomore Nick Schmaltz leads the team with 17 points (2g, 15), while Drake Caggiula (7g, 9a) and Brock Boeser (7g, 7a) share the lead in goals ... Junior Matt Hrynkiw, who has started the last 11 games, has a 2.11 GAA and .911 save percentage ... UND has outscored opponents, 48-31, this season.
Goals, Goals, Goals
• The Spartans have scored a total of 37 goals through 11 games so far this season; last year it took MSU 16 games to score 37 goals.
• Michigan State has four or more goals in each of its last five games and a total of six this year; last year MSU had four or more goals in seven games.
• MSU ranks 14th in the nation in goals per game at 3.36.
• The last time MSU scored at least four goals in five consecutive games was from Dec. 12, 2009 - Jan. 8, 2010 (32 total).
• The 24 goals in November tie for the Spartans' second most in a month during Tom Anastos' tenure.
Rookies Doing Their Part
The Spartans' four-man freshman class has played a major role in the team's offensive production so far this season. The rookies have combined to contribute 25% of the team's total points and 27% of its goals.
Mason Appleton's 12 points (3g, 9a) are tied for ninth nationally among all freshmen. He has registered a point in all but two games this season and brings a five-game point streak into Friday's game.
Zach Osburn leads all Spartan defensemen with eight points (3g, 5a). All three of his goals have come on the power play and he's currently on a four-game point streak.
Brennan Sanford's three goals this season have come over the last four games. Cody Milan has a 1-2-3 scoring line over the last five contests.
Junior Trio Clicking
Juniors JT Stenglein, Thomas Ebbing and Joe Cox have combined to provide over 30% of the Spartans' total points this season. While injuries have forced a lot of lineup shuffling, the trio has played together in all 11 games so far this season. Stenglein (7-6-13) has been MSU's most consistent offensive threat so far this season, picking up points in nine of 11 games. Ebbing (2-8-10) has three multi-point games and leads all forwards on the team with 15 blocked shots. Cox (4-5-9), like Ebbing, has been instrumental in the Spartans' quality penalty-killing so far this season and has points in four of the last five games.
Mac Attacks
Junior Mackenzie MacEachern (7-6-13) is halfway to his career-high point total (26) from a season ago. MacEachern, who joins Mason Appleton as the two Spartans that have not gone consecutive games without registering a point, brings a career high four-game scoring streak into the weekend. The junior is tied for the team lead with three power-play goals, just two shy of his team-leading total from last season.
Walsh Leads the Block Party
The Spartans have been one of the nation's top shot-blocking teams over the past few seasons and the trend is continuing so far in 2015-16 as their 18.0 blocks per game average ranks second in the country. Senior defenseman Travis Walsh leads the country in both total blocks (39) and blocks per game (3.55).
MSU has blocked 18 or more shots in seven of the last nine games, including 24 and a season-high 28, respectively, vs. Michigan Tech. The Spartans led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally in blocked shots per game last year at 16.71 and led the nation in the same category in 2013-14 with a 17.67 average.
PK More Than OK
Michigan State is one of eight teams nationally with a penalty kill percentage above 90%. The Spartans' have killed 90.5% of their opponents' power plays this season, good for eighth nationally. After allowing a goal on the first opponent power play in the season opener, MSU killed 29 consecutive penalties, a feat last achieved in 2007-08.
MSU killed all four Michigan Tech power plays last weekend and nine of the last 10 since surrendering two goals on the man-advantage against New Hampshire on Nov. 7.
Minney Makes His Debut
Sophomore netminder Ed Minney saw the first action of his career in the Nov. 22 game vs. Michigan Tech. Minney replaced Hildebrand 7:22 into the first period and went on to make 34 saves in the 4-4 tie. He stopped all three MTU attempts in the shootout.
Hildebrand had played every minute of 47 consecutive games, going back to the last game of 2013-14, prior to Minney replacing him on Nov. 22.
Player Notes
• Captain Michael Ferrantino has multiple points in four of the last five games ... With three assists in the 7-4 win over UNH, Ferrantino became the first Spartan to record three assists in a game since Greg Wolfe in a 5-4 win over No. 5 Wisconsin on March 14, 2014.
• Redshirt junior Connor Wood recorded his first collegiate point with an assist in the 4-4 tie vs. Michigan Tech (11/22).
• Freshmen Mason Appleton (40) and Zach Osburn (39) lead MSU in shots on goal.
• MacEachern leads MSU in power-play points (5).
Hitting the Three-Goal Mark
Under head coach Tom Anastos, the Spartans are 55-11-7 (.801) when scoring at least three goals. MSU is 3-2-1 when scoring three goals this season after going 13-3-1 when doing so in 2014-15.
Hildy Continues to Move Up the Charts
Through 11 games, Jake Hildebrand has further established himself as one of the elite goaltenders in MSU history. Hildebrand ranks in MSU's top three in career saves (third, 3,054) and shutouts (third, 12). The 2015 All-American has three of the 10 highest single-season save percentage marks, including last year's .930 which ranks fourth.
Spartans in the NHL
A total of nine Spartans have seen action so far this season:
• John-Michael Liles (Carolina Hurricanes)
• Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
• Shawn Horcoff (Anaheim Ducks)
• Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings)
• Drew Miller (Detroit Red Wings)
• Jeff Petry (Montreal Canadiens)
• Ryan Miller (Vancouver Canucks)
• Bryan Lerg (San Jose Sharks)
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