Spartans Begin B1G Play at No. 19 Penn State
12/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Games 14-15: Michigan State (4-7-2, 0-0 B1G) vs. No. 19/- Penn State (8-2-3, 0-0 B1G) | |
| Dates | Times | Fri., Dec. 4 -- 7 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 5 -- 3 p.m. |
| Location | University Park, Pa. | Pegula Ice Arena (5,782) |
| Video Stream | BTNPlus on BTN2Go |
| Gametracker | | |
| Radio | Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) | WJIM 1240-AM |
| Radio (Mobile) | Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad | Android |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  |
On The Fly...
• The Spartans begin Big Ten play at 19th-ranked Penn State on Friday and Saturday ... MSU went 2-1-1 with a shootout win against the Nittany Lions last season and leads the all-time series, 6-2-2.
• MSU is 1-1-2 all-time at Penn State's Pegula Ice Arena.• Michigan State went 11-7-2-2 in Big Ten play last season and finished the season in second place, one point out of first ... Mackenzie MacEachern led MSU in Big Ten play last season in goals (7), power-play goals (4) and ranked second in points (16).
• With PSU coming in at No. 19 in this week's USCHO.com Top-20 Poll, this weekend will mark the Spartans' sixth and seventh consecutive games against ranked opponents ... Seven of MSU's 13 games this season have been against teams ranked in the top 17 of the current USCHO.com Poll.
• MSU killed four of five North Dakota power plays last weekend, including a 5-minute major, and continues to rank in the top-10 nationally in penalty kill percentage, entering the weekend ninth at 89.4% ... MSU has allowed just five power-play goals in 47 opponent opportunities.
• The Spartans have killed eight of nine opponent power plays over the last four games and extinguished 29 consecutive penalties earlier this season, their longest streak since 2007-08.
• Michigan State leads the country in total blocked shots (246) and ranks second in blocks per game (18.92) ... The Spartans have blocked 20 or more shots in each of the last four games and five of the last six, including a season-high 28 vs. Michigan Tech on Nov. 22.
• Senior defenseman Travis Walsh leads the country in total blocked shots (50) and blocks per game (3.85) ... Walsh had 63 blocks in 29 games last season, which ranked second on the team.
• MacEachern (7-6-13), JT Stenglein (7-6-13) and Mason Appleton (3-10-13) enter the weekend tied for the team lead in points.
• Juniors MacEachern, Stenglein, Thomas Ebbing (2-9-11) and Joe Cox (5-5-10) have combined for 44% of MSU's total points and 54% of the team's goals.
• Appleton is tied for fourth in the nation among freshmen with 10 assists ... He has points in 10 of 13 games hasn't been held pointless in consecutive games.
• With senior Matt DeBlouw returning to the lineup for both games last weekend, the Spartans had all players available for the first time since before game one of the season ... In addition to freshman defenseman Jerad Rosburg being out for the season, MSU has lost 17-man games to injury so far this season.
• Captain Michael Ferrantino has points in six of the last nine games, posting a 2-9-11 line over the stretch.
• The Spartans rank 12th nationally in faceoff winning percentage at .524.
• Freshman Zach Osburn's eight points lead all Spartan defensemen and his 47 shots on goal lead the team.
• Under head coach Tom Anastos, the Spartans are 55-11-7 (.801) when scoring at least three goals.
About Penn State
The Nittany Lions are riding a six-game unbeaten streak, going 4-0-2 over the stretch ... PSU is 8-2-3 overall, including a 5-2-1 mark at home ... Chase Berger (9g, 5a), Kenny Brooks (4g, 10a) and Curtis Loik (4g, 10a) are tied for the team lead in points ... Luke Juha leads all PSU defensemen with a 2-6-8 scoring line ... Goaltenders Eamon McAdam (6-1, .929 Sv. %, 2.15 GAA) and Matthew Skoff (2-1-3, .900 Sv. %, 2.68 GAA) have been splitting time in net.
Last Year vs. Penn State
MSU went 2-1-1 with a shootout win ... In the first series at Penn State, Jan. 16-17, 2015, the two teams tied game one, 2-2, with MSU picking up the extra point in a three-round shootout win courtesy of Brent Darnell ... Penn State scored two goals late in the second period and two early in the third to down MSU, 5-2, the following day ... Jake Hildebrand's 28-save shutout and Mackenzie MacEachern's hat trick, respectively, helped MSU to a sweep, 3-0 and 3-2, Feb. 13-14 in East Lansing.
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 24% of the team's total points and 26% of its goals.
Mason Appleton's 13 points (3g, 10a) are tied for eighth nationally among all freshmen. He has registered a point in all but three games this season and has a 3-5-8 scoring line over the last eight contests.
Zach Osburn leads all Spartan defensemen with eight points (3g, 5a). All three of his goals have come on the power play and he has a 1-4-5 line over the last six games. Brennan Sanford's three goals this season have come over the last six games, while Cody Milan has chipped in a goal and three assists.
Offensive Improvement
Michigan State's offensive production has increased significantly when compared to the same time period last season. MSU is averaging 3.0 goals per game (T-19th nationally), having scored 39 in 13 games. Last year MSU didn't reach 39 goals until Dec. 28, its 17th game of the year.
Michigan State has scored four or more goals in five of the last seven games and has done so a total of six times this season. Last year MSU had four or more goals in seven games.
Walsh Leads the Block Party
The Spartans have been one of college hockey's top shot-blocking teams over the past few seasons and the trend is continuing so far in 2015-16 as their 18.9 blocks per game average ranks second in the country and their 246 total blocks lead the nation. Senior defenseman Travis Walsh leads the country in both total blocks (50) and blocks per game (3.85).
MSU has blocked 20 or more shots in each of the last four games, including a season-high 28 Nov. 22 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 Okay
Michigan State has been one of the nation's top penalty-killing teams this season and enters the weekend ninth with an 89.4% kill percentage. 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 has killed eight of its last nine penalties over the last four games and has allowed power-play goals in consecutive games just once this season.
No Easy Days
The Spartans have played seven games against teams ranked in the current USCHO.com Top 20 Poll -- No. 9 Denver, No. 2 Boston College, No. 17 Michigan Tech and No. 4 North Dakota. Those 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.
Mac Attacks
Co-leading scorer Mackenzie MacEachern (7-6-13) is halfway to his career-high point total (26) from a season ago. MacEachern had his career high four-game scoring streak snapped last Friday, but the junior is tied for the team lead with three power-play goals, just two shy of his team-leading total from last season.
PP Notes
MSU has scored a power-play goal in three of the last four games (4-for-12) and in five of the last seven. Mackenzie MacEachern and Mason Appleton lead MSU in power-play points with five apiece.
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)
Behind The Shield - MSU Hockey's Digital Magazine
The Spartans launched a new way to stay informed on everything going on around the MSU hockey program with Behind The Shield. For the latest issue, click here.
