Spartans Travel to Minnesota to Take on the Gophers

Feb. 25, 2015

Games 29-30: Michigan State (13-13-2, 7-5-2-2 B1G) at No. 14/15 Minnesota (17-10-3, 8-3-3-0 B1G)
Dates \| Times	Thurs., Feb. 26 - 9 p.m. ET \| Fri., Feb. 27 - 9 p.m. ET
Location	Minneapolis, Minnesota \| Mariucci Arena (10,000)
TV	BTN
Video Stream	BTN Plus
Gametracker	\|
Radio	Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) \| Thurs. - WFVN 730-AM \| Fri. - WJIM 1240-AM
Radio (Mobile)	Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad \| Android
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Minnesota \| Big Ten
Social Media	@MSU_Hockey \| Facebook

On The Fly...

• With each of the top four teams in the Big Ten splitting last weekend's sets, the Spartans remain tied with Penn State for third place, both with 25 points ... Minnesota and Michigan are tied for first place with 27 points apiece.

• The 3-0 win at Wisconsin was the Spartans' first road shutout since March 15, 2013, when they blanked Miami, 3-0, in the CCHA playoffs.

• Michigan State is 8-4-2 since its 3-3 tie and shootout win vs. Minnesota on Dec. 6 in East Lansing.

• The Spartans are 6-2 over their last eight games, all in Big Ten play ... MSU has allowed just 10 goals over the span with goaltender Jake Hildebrand posting a 1.13 goals-against average and .963 save percentage ... Offensively, nine different Spartans have scored and registered three or more points over the eight-game stretch.

• Mackenzie MacEachern (5-3-8) and Matt Berry (1-7-8) lead MSU over the past eight games, while Ryan Keller has scored four of his career-high six goals this season over the stretch.

• Goaltender Jake Hildebrand continues to lead the Big Ten in goals-against average (2.18) and save percentage (.926); his four shutouts are tied with Adam Wilcox for the most in the league this season ... Hildebrand has played 99.2% of the team's total minutes this season, which is the highest percentage of any goalie in the nation.

• Hildebrand, the Big Ten's Third Star of the Week and a Mike Richter Award nominee, has allowed two or fewer goals in 16 of 28 games this season, including seven of the last nine and 10 of the last 12 ... Since Jan. 1, Hildebrand leads the nation in save percentage (.952) and ranks fourth in goals-against average (1.59).

• Hildebrand's eight-career shutouts are the fifth most in Spartan history, and he is 60 saves away from surpassing Ryan Miller (1999-2002) for seventh on the MSU career saves list.

• Michigan State leads the Big Ten in goals against per game at 2.25, which ranks in a tie for 12th nationally.

• Michigan State's penalty kill leads the Big Ten and is tied for ninth nationally at .875 ... Since Dec. 14, the Spartans lead the nation with a .950 penalty kill percentage, having extinguished 38 of the last 40 opponent power plays over the 13-game span.

• MSU ranks third in the nation and second in the Big Ten in blocked shots per game at 16.29 ... Junior defenseman Travis Walsh leads the Spartans with 61 blocks and his average of 2.18 per game ranks second in the Big Ten and is tied for 11th in the country.

• The Spartans have scored at least a goal in the third period in each of the last eight games.

• The Spartans are 12-1-2 when scoring first and 12-0-2 when leading after two periods.

• Under head coach Tom Anastos, the Spartans are 49-7-5, including 10-1-1 this season, when scoring three or more goals.

• Brent Darnell (4-2-6, 9 games) and Villiam Haag (3-2-5, 6 games) are the Spartans' active leaders in points against Minnesota.

From Last Weekend at Wisconsin
The Spartans rebounded from a 2-1 loss with a 3-0 victory over the Badgers on Saturday ... Ryan Keller led the way with two first-period goals, giving him a career-high six on the year ... Michael Ferrantino assisted on both Keller goals and had a helper the previous night for a three-point weekend ... Keller also drew an assist on Friday, giving him three points on the weekend ... Jake Hildebrand notched his fourth shutout of the year with a 31-save effort on Saturday ... MSU went 1-for-6 on the man advantage and killed all six Wisconsin power plays.

From the Previous Minnesota Series - Dec. 5-6
MSU's shootout win was its third over Minnesota in the last six meetings between the teams ... Matt DeBlouw's shootout winner came on the first attempt of his career ... Brent Darnell led MSU with two goals ... In the 3-3 tie, the Spartans produced a season-high 45 shots on goal ... The Spartans surrendered power-play goals in both games, marking that last time they allowed goals on the man-advantage in consecutive games.

In Going 6-2 Over The Last Eight Games...
• MSU has allowed just 10 goals - the second fewest of any team in the nation since Jan. 23. • The line of Mackenzie MacEachern (5-3-8), Matt Berry (1-7-8) and Matt DeBlouw (3-2-5) has produced 21 points. • Ryan Keller surpassed his career total entering 2013-14 with four goals ... Brent Darnell has chipped in five points (2g, 3a) despite missing two games with an injury. • Goaltender Jake Hildebrand has three shutouts, a 1.13 goals-against average and .963 save percentage. • MSU is 5-for-26 on the man advantage and has extinguished 23 of 25 opponent power plays. • Defensive partners Ron Boyd (plus-6) and John Draeger (plus-5) are two of three players with at least a plus-5 rating. • The Spartans have scored at least one goal in the third period of all eight games.

Hildebrand Leading the B1G; Among the Nation's Best in 2015
Jake Hildebrand has been a workhorse in goal for the Spartans this season, having started all 28 games. The heavy workload has only seemed to strengthen his play as he leads the Big Ten in goals-against average (2.18) and save percentage (.926).

The native of Butler, Pennsylvania, ended 2014 by allowing just two goals in the two games of the GLI tournament. Over the last 12 games (including the GLI), Hildebrand has yielded two or fewer goals in 10 of the last 12 games.

Since Jan. 1, he leads the country in save percentage (.952) and ranks fourth in goals-against average (1.59). He has been one of the Big Ten Stars of the Week on four occasions this season, most recently named the third star on Feb. 24.

He has two shutouts in the last four games and is the first Spartan netminder to have four shutouts in a season since Jeff Lerg in 2007-08. Hildebrand's eight-career shutouts are fifth most in program history. Hildebrand's 2,541-career saves are the eighth-most in MSU history and he needs 60 to surpass Ryan Miller (1999-2002) to move into seventh in program history.

Watch Tom

In Big Ten Play...
• Mackenzine MacEachern leads MSU in goals (6) and points (11) ... Three of his six goals have come on the power play
• Matt Berry leads the team in assists with eight
• The Spartans have allowed two goals or fewer in nine of 14 games
• Defenseman Ron Boyd is a team-best plus-8
• Jake Hildebrand has a .937 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average

Penalty Kill Leads the Big Ten
Michigan State's .875 penalty kill percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks in a tie for ninth in the nation. The 12 power play goals MSU has allowed this season are the fewest in the Big Ten (five fewer than Michigan) and fifth-fewest in the country.

Since Dec. 14, Michigan State has the country's top penalty killing unit, boasting a .950 penalty kill percentage and allowing just two power-play goals, both of which lead the nation over the span. Over the 13-game stretch, the Spartans have extinguished 38 of the last 40 opponent power plays.

After allowing five power-play goals in consecutive games against Minnesota, the Spartans rebounded to kill 21 consecutive opponent power plays over a seven-game stretch. That streak came to an end Jan. 30 vs. Michigan as the Wolverines scored on their first power-play try. The 21 consecutive penalty kills was MSU's longest streak since 2012.

Sacrificing The Body
For the second consecutive season, Michigan State is among the nation's top teams in shot blocking, currently ranking third in the country and second in the league in blocks per game at 16.29. Defensive partners Travis Walsh (61) and Josh Jacobs (54) lead MSU in blocks.

Last year, MSU led the nation in blocked shots per game with an average of 17.67 and led all Big Ten teams in total blocked shots with 636, ranking fifth nationally. Walsh tied for first in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation in blocks last season with 85.

Mac's Big Weekend Garners National Recognition After his four-goal weekend vs. Penn State (Feb. 13-14) sophomore forward Mackenzie MacEachern earned both NCAA and Big Ten First Star of the Week honors and now leads the Spartans in goals with 10. His 20 points this season are a career high and he leads the team with three game-winning goals.

MacEachern has been one of the Spartans' most consistent players at both ends of the rink this season, serving as a key component on both special teams units. He leads the team with four power-play goals and he is the only Spartan with a shorthanded and power-play goal so far this season.

Turning the Corner in Early December
The Spartans' 3-3 tie and shootout win over Minnesota on Dec. 6 started solid, 14-game stretch. Including that game, MSU has since gone 8-4-2 (two shootout wins), including a 6-3-2 in the Big Ten.

Here's a look at some key statistics over the 14-game span:

• Five players have at least eight points, led by Brent Darnell (5g, 7a) and Mackenzie MacEachern (6g, 5a).
• Five different players have game-winning goals.
• Jake Hildebrand has four shutouts, a 1.77 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage.
• MSU is 10-for-48 (.208) on the power play and has extinguished 38-of-40 (.950) opponent opportunities.
• The Spartans have allowed two or fewer goals in 10 of the 14 games ... The 1.86 goals-against per game over the stretch leads the Big Ten and is fifth nationally.
• MSU is 5-0-1 at home.

Boyd Having a Solid Senior Campaign
In his final year wearing the Green and White, Ron Boyd has provided a stable presence on the blue line. The senior has one goal and five assists to go along with a team-high plus-9 rating.

Boyd, who has appeared in 104 games for MSU, had assists in both games in the sweep of PSU (Feb. 13-14).

Spartans in the NHL
A total of 13 Spartans have seen action in the NHL so far this season:

• Torey Krug (Boston Bruins)

• John-Michael Liles (Carolina Hurricanes)

• Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)

• Corey Tropp (Columbus Blue Jackets)

• Shawn Horcoff (Dallas Stars)

• Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings)

• Drew Miller (Detroit Red Wings)

• Jeff Petry (Edmonton Oilers)

• Mike Weaver (Montreal Canadiens)

• Chris Mueller (New York Rangers)