Neil Notebook: Miscues Costly in Loss
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING â€" The good news for Michigan State on Sunday was that it got off to a strong start.
The Spartans were all over North Dakota from the drop of the puck to 13 minutes into the opening period. They were controlling the play, outshooting the visitors by a wide margin and were up 1-0.
Then MSU had a poor 61-second stretch as a couple of turnovers and coverage mistakes turned a one-goal lead into a 2-1 deficit, and the Spartans could never recover.
The newly-nicknamed Fighting Hawks showed why they're ranked No. 5 in the nation as they added power-play and short-handed goals in the second period and cruised to a 4-1 victory and series sweep over the Spartans at Munn Arena.
Michigan State (4-7-2) played better than it did in Friday's 3-1 loss in the series opener but had little to show for it. The Spartans had 34 shots on goal but not a lot of puck luck, and with almost every major mistake, the visitors feasted.
"I'm happy with how we rebounded from Friday. Compared to that game, we were so much better in so many ways,'' MSU senior captain Mike Ferrantino said. "Their goalie made some good saves on some high percentage shots.
"They were able to capitalize on mistakes we made, but I thought for the most part that we were right there.''
UND (12-2-2, 5-1 NCHC) got solid goaltending from Cam Johnson, a sophomore from Troy, Mich., savvy play by its defense and another dazzling performance by its top three forwards â€" senior Drake Caggiula, freshman Brock Boeser and sophomore Nick Schmaltz.
Known as the CBS Line, the talented trio produced six points on Sunday. Caggiula had two goals and an assist, Boeser scored one goal and Schmaltz added two assists.
"They're a darn good team. We've played some really good teams this year and they're right up there with the best of them,'' said Ferrantino, an opinion shared by most of his teammates.
"We needed to have a better start and we did. We came out, punched them in the mouth and got it going. We got in on their defensemen and were able to get a power-play goal. But we could never get the next goal, and then a mistake here and there and we're down 2-1, and it's a different game.''
Ferrantino, in fact, scored the Spartans' only goal at 7:50 of the first period. On a power play, he tipped in freshman Mason Appleton's shot from the right point past Johnson and MSU was energized.
But the Fighting Hawks turned the game around by capitalizing on MSU defensive mistakes and hitting open forwards in front for easy, game-changing goals at 13:03 and 14:04.
The Spartans, who outshot UND 15-8 in the first period, worked hard to get back in the game, but the Fighting Hawks defended well and were opportunistic.
Early in the second period, they made a nice play to set up Boeser for a power-play goal. A little more than six minutes later, North Dakota made it 4-1 with a short-handed goal by Caggiula on a breakaway, after the Spartans lost the puck at their blue line.
MSU continued on the power play, then UND took another penalty, giving the Spartans a 5-on-3 for 1 minutes and 23 seconds.
They passed the puck around looking for a good shot but the Fighting Hawks never allowed anyone to get open or the puck to get close to the net.
MSU had 10 shots on goal in the third period but couldn't solve the strong UND defense or Johnson.
"We did a good job of coming out faster but we had no puck luck at all,'' MSU junior right wing Joe Cox said. "They're a talented team that knows how to put the puck in the back of the net. And when you make a mistake, they'll make you pay for it.''
Coach Tom Anastos liked the way his team started and played in certain stretches, but said mistakes opened the door for the Fighting Hawks and a red-hot forward line and solid goaltending paved the way for a UND win.
"We played hard but we didn't take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves, whether it was good scoring chances or a 5-on-3 power play,'' he said. "When we made mistakes, they capitalized and in the two games, we had no answer for their top line.
"I'm sure our team is frustrated, because we think we played a pretty good first period and yet a couple of mistakes cost us. So you go in (the dressing room) after the period and you're down.
"You saw the frustration as the game went on when we couldn't create any puck luck. We haven't been able to create any so for this season. It's going to come in droves sometime this year.''
Although sometimes it seemed like Johnson wasn't that tested, both coaches said he was a big factor in the game.
"He probably played as well as any goalie we've played this year,'' Anastos said. "I don't think we tested him much in the first game but tonight we had some good opportunities that we didn't take advantage of.''
Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 198-pounder, was injured in UND's third game of the season and only recently returned to practice. In making his fifth start of the season, 12 of his 33 saves on Sunday came on MSU power plays.
"I thought it was a little bit of a slow start on our part,'' UND coach Brad Berry told USCHO.com. "We were a little sloppy in the first period but we got better as the game went on.
"Cam Johnson was sharp early on and that kept us going. I thought he was a big reason we won today.''
Anastos was impressed by UND's attention to detail on defense.
"Their team plays good defense. Their defensemen skate well, move the puck well and are strong physically,'' he said. "The protect the front of the net and have really good sticks. That team is as good with their sticks as any team we've seen this year.''
TOUGH SCHEDULE A PAIN? The Spartans have played 13 games this season and seven have been against teams ranked in the top 20 â€" Denver, Boston College, Michigan Tech and North Dakota. The Spartans' record is 0-6-1.
The four teams have a combined record of 40-10-5 -- Boston College, 12-1; North Dakota 12-2-2; Denver 7-3-2 and Michigan Tech, 9-4-1.
Heading into the past weekend, Boston College was ranked No. 2 in both national polls; UND No. 5; Denver No. 9;/10 and Michigan Tech No. 17.
Coach Tom Anastos still believes the tough competition will prove to bed beneficial for the 20-game Big Ten schedule, which starts this weekend.
"We saw lots of different things from the teams we've played,'' he said. "It's not easy to build confidence through this schedule. But I know our team understands what we're capable of doing, and yet we have to demonstrate that we can do it against different teams for 60 minutes.
"Down the road, when we look back, I think we'll say it helped us.''
MSU has three non-conference games left on its 36-game schedule. After two Big Ten series â€" at Penn State this weekend and home against Wisconsin, Dec. 11-12 â€"the Spartans play one game at Northeastern, Dec. 18, and two games in the Great Lakes Invitational Dec 28-29.
They first meet Michigan Tech in the GLI and then play in the championship game or third-place contest vs. Michigan or Northern Michigan.
"Our record isn't what where we want it to be but we believe deep down that we can still be a good team,'' senior captain Michael Ferrantino said. "We've learned a lot. There have been some positives.
"We had a good start today, we got way more pucks to the net and more people in front. But we have to score more than one goal.''
ELITE TRIO THRIVES: The Spartans this season have played against some highly skilled forwards like Colin White and Ryan Fitzgerald of Boston College, Danton Heinen and Trevor Moore of Denver, Andrew Poturalski and Tyler Kelleher of New Hampshire and Michigan Tech's Tyler Heinonen and Alex Petan, but they probably haven't face a more formidable line than North Dakota's Drake Caggiula (left wing), Nick Schmaltz (center) and Brock Boeser (right wing).
The Fighting Hawks' trio drove the Spartans nuts over the weekend, accounting for 11 points on five goals and six assists. Caggiula had two goals on Friday and two goals and an assist on Sunday. Schmaltz had two assists in both games, while Boeser had an assist on Friday and a goal on Sunday.
"They're really patient. They draw you out and they're very good with the puck so you can't get caught watching,'' MSU captain Mike Ferrantino said. "You have to make sure you know where they're at because they generate so much offense.''
Indeed, they do.
In 15 games, Caggiula has 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points, while Schmaltz, a set-up center who rarely shoots, has two goals and 19 assists for 21 points in 16 contests. Boeser has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points, also in 16 games.
The three forwards have accounted for 39.9 percent of the Fighting Hawks' points, 41 percent of their goals and 40.6 percent of their assists.
Asked what makes the line so dangerous, Anastos said it was "lots" of things.
"Skill, smarts, poise. We tried a number of things but we couldn't shut them down,'' he said. "They took advantage of mistakes we made. Sometimes, you make mistake and they're recoverable. With these guys, and the puck's on the wrong stick, it costs you.''
Caggiula, 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, from Whitby, Ontario, is a free agent and NHL scouts are watching closely.
Schmaltz, 6-1, 181, from Verona, Wis., was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round (20th overall) in 2014.
Boeser, 6-0, 193, from Burnsville, Minn., was a first-round (20th overall) draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 2015.
In the last six games, Caggiula, Schmaltz and Boeser have combined for 13 goals and 10 assists for 33 points. The other Fighting Hawks have totaled nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points over that time. Caggiula has seven goals in his last four games and Boeser has at least a point in the last six games.
Schmaltz leads the nation with 19 assists and Caggiula and Schmaltz are in a three-way tie for fourth place in points.
UP NEXT: The Big Ten season is finally here for the Spartans and the other five members of the conference. MSU opens at Penn State at 7 p.m. on Friday and at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Spartans have played two series at Pegula Arena and are 2-1-1 in four games.
Two years ago, they swept the Nittany Lions, 3-0 and 3-2. Last season, the teams opened with a 2-2 tie, with MSU winning the shootout, but PSU dominated in the second game and won 5-2.
IN THE BIG TEN: Like the Spartans, Penn State and Minnesota played on Sunday, with the Nittany Lions faring well in Philadelphia and the Gophers involved in a not-so-memorable contest at home.
Penn State blanked Vermont, 4-0, in a game played at Wells Fargo Arena, home of NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.
Minnesota closed out a tough weekend with a 7-4 loss to No. 7 St. Cloud State, which rallied for a 3-2 victory on Friday, also at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis.
Michigan routed Dartmouth 7-0 on Friday at Yost Arena but was held to a 1-1 tie on Saturday. Ohio State got swept by No. 6 Omaha, 3-1 and 6-4 on the road. Wisconsin was idle.
In addition to the MSU-Penn State series this weekend, Michigan plays host to Wisconsin and Ohio State plays at Minnesota.
