Neil's Notebook: Spartans Show Improvement

Oct. 22, 2016

By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer

EAST LANSING, Michigan - Michigan State was looking to improve on all areas of its game on Friday night against Denver after last weekend's two forgettable season-opening losses at Lake Superior State.

For the most part, it was mission accomplished.

The Spartans raised their compete level, played better defensively, improved their special teams and received better goaltending in a fast-paced game in a 2-1 loss to the No. 6 Pioneers in the 2016-17 home opener at Munn Arena.

Junior goalie Ed Minney delivered a strong performance in making 24 saves, including 11 in each of the first two periods, to give his team a good chance to win the non-conference contest in front of 5,419, a crowd energized by thousands of students who got in for free.

Minney, making only his third start of his career and appearing in just his seventh game, played at a high level with several big saves in the first 40 minutes and a couple in the third period.

"I thought I was dialed in from start to finish. I felt really good,'' Minney said. "I was seeing the puck well and our defense did a way better job of clearing out the front of the net. It was a lot easier to stop the puck when I could see it.''

Minney started MSU's season opener last Friday at LSSU and gave up six goals. He came on in relief of freshman goalie John Lethemon in the second period in last Saturday's contest, after the Lakers stormed out to a 4-0 lead. Minney allowed three goals in the next two periods in the 7-3 loss.

But Minney was on his game on Friday against the Pioneers (3-2).

The Spartans (0-3) and DU (3-2) were locked in a scoreless tie early in the third period when the visitors finally beat Minney off a perfect shot by heralded freshman Henrik Borgstrom, a first-round draft pick by the Florida Panthers in last June's NHL Entry Draft.

Borgstrom, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound left wing from Helsinki, Finland, tracked down a loose puck in the MSU zone, and from deep in the left circle, he let go with a wrist shot that caught the top left corner of the net, over Minney's right shoulder.

MSU had a few good chances to tie it at 1-1, including a point-blank shot from close in by defenseman Zak Osburn midway through the final period that deflected off the crossbar, but DU goalie Tanner Jaillet made some clutch saves. Minney made a huge save on a 3-on-1 rush from the edge of the crease to keep his team in contention.

The Pioneers made it 2-0 with 3:35 left in the game when sophomore left wing Jarid Lukosevicius' shot from the left circle went through the legs of a Spartan defenseman and eluded the screened Minney.

But that goal didn't seal the win for DU.

Instead, MSU took advantage of a late power play to cut its deficit to 2-1 when freshman center Patrick Khodorenko scored his first collegiate goal, with a one-timer from the left circle with 1:21 left.

With Minney pulled for an extra attacker, MSU held a 6-on-4 advantage, and sophomore right wing Mason Appleton set up Khodorenko with a perfect cross-ice pass from the top of the right circle.

With a minute left, with Minney pulled again for a 6-on-5 edge, the Spartans had a few good chances to tie it, but Jaillet was sharp and the Pioneers held on for the victory.

"When we scored that goal, I was going nuts on the bench,'' Minney said. "I thought for sure we were going to get another. The guys battled all the way to the end. It was cool to see the fight that everyone had.''

Minney said he was impressed with his team's commitment to improving in all areas after the disappointing losses at LSSU.

"It's only our third game of the season. Going out there and competing with (the Pioneers), with as young of a team as we have, I think there is a good opportunity for us to succeed,'' he said. "I'm excited to move forward.''

MSU coach Tom Anastos was impressed with Minney's game on Friday.

"He played against a good team and made a lot of good saves,'' Anastos said. "He was seeing the puck well and playing the puck well. I would hope his confidence would grow, for sure.''

Said Joe Cox, the Spartans' senior right wing and captain:

"(Minney) saw a lot of difficult shots and played a really good game. He was seeing the puck well and made some huge saves when we needed them. I expect the same when he plays (again).''

IMPROVEMENT ENCOURAGING: Despite the home-opening loss, Anastos was pleased with the way his inexperienced Spartans rebounded from their poor performances last weekend.

MSU worked hard in practice this week on its penalty killing, power play, defensive coverage and overall compete level.

"You're always disappointed when you lose but there's a lot to be encouraged about,'' Anastos said. "Our team got better and that's what's important at this (time) of the season. We played freshmen and sophomores in key situations. A lot of guys got a lot of experience.''

In a scrambly first period, the Spartans got outshot 11-3 and didn't generate many good scoring chances. MSU looked sharper in the second period with better puck possession, and was able to spend more time in the Denver zone.

"Our team competed hard and grew (as a team) as the game went on. We got better and adapted to the pace of the game in some regards,'' Anastos said. "Our special teams were radically improved from a week ago.''

The Spartans gave up four power-play goals in their 6-1 loss at LSSU last Friday and two in the 7-3 setback on Saturday.

Against Denver, MSU was 1-for-4 on the power play and didn't allow a goal on four Pioneer power plays.

"Denver is a really good team and I'm impressed with how they play. I like their style of play,'' Anastos said. "They're well-coached, they execute well and play at a high pace.''

The Spartans will be seeking a split when they face the Pioneers in the series finale at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Munn Arena.

"We still have to better to a point where our execution level is sharper at this pace," Anastos said. "Our special teams made big steps in improvement, I loved the crowd and the energy in the building. I Just wish we could have delivered a couple of more goals.''

FIRST FOR KHODORENKO: In his third game, freshman center Patrick Khodorenko got his first collegiate goal and point on a power play at 18:39 of the third period, cutting Denver's lead to 2-1 and setting up for a hectic finish in which the Spartans had some good looks in an effort to send the game into overtime.

Mason Appleton, at the top of the right circle, spotted an open Khodorenko in the left circle and put the puck right on his linemate's stick. Khodorenko one-timed the puck into an open net to give his team hope.

"I just kind of found an open spot and Appleton found me. There was a wide-open lane and he made a great play,'' said Khodorenko, a 6-foot, 207-pound center from Walnut Creek, California, who last season played for the U.S. Under-18 team in Ann Arbor.

"It was definitely fun (scoring) in front of that huge crowd. The student section was really buzzing.''

Khodorenko centers a line with excellent potential to boost MSU's offensive production this season. Appleton is on the right side and freshman Taro Hirose is on left wing.

"I thought in the first period that Patrick was struggling. I was trying to encourage him. He was trying to beat guys 1-on-1, sliding pucks through people and wasn't moving at the pace that he can move,'' Anastos said. "I thought Hirose and Appleton were really good all game and played with good pace.

"In the second period, Patrick got better and he played a good third period. He needs confidence. He can rip the puck, he can snap it and handle the puck, too. Not everyone would have fielded that pass in one motion and let it go.

"You can see the kind of skill those three guys can play with. That group has a lot of skill and smarts. They can play at a high pace. It took Patty time to adjust to the tempo, but he made nice step in third period. I hope that goal and his play in third period will help his confidence. He has great potential."

CROSSBAR WOES: About five minutes after Denver scored the game's first goal in the third period, Michigan State had a golden chance to tie the game on a point-blank shot by sophomore defenseman Zak Osburn.

Osburn drove into the slot and let go with a wrist shot that appeared to deflect off the shoulder of DU goalie Tanner Jaillet and then hit the crossbar behind him and bounced out of danger.

Instead of being tied, 1-1, the Spartans were still looking for their first goal.

"I was joining the play really late and I saw (freshman forward) Sam Saliba with the puck and saw him look for his first forward option. I was looking to be the fourth wave if he needed more support,'' said Osburn, who scored six goals as a freshman and had one goal last weekend in Sault Ste. Marie.

"Fortunately, I was open. He got me the puck and their guy just kind of bit a little too hard on me and I pulled the puck to the middle, put it on my forehand and took it in pretty deep.

"I think it hit his shoulder and then the crossbar. If we got a bounce there, that might have been a big momentum shift.''

Osburn said his team has come a long way since last weekend.

"We were a lot harder on (the Pioneers). We were attacking and that was a huge difference,'' he said. "This week in practice, we found our battle. We obviously got a lot better on the penalty kill.''

THE PIONEERS' VIEW: Junior goaltender Tanner Jaillet faced only nine shots in the first two periods, but he had to alert and sharp in the third to hold off the Spartans, who had game-high 17 attempts (shots at the net) and 11 shots on goal.

"I thought he was our best player in the third period when we needed him to be,'' Denver coach Jim Montgomery said. "He was very aggressive. Michigan State made some real smart shot tips, but (Jaillet) was so far out and reading that, that they were going right into his pad, and then he battled hard to smother it.''

Montgomery didn't like his team's first period but was OK with the second.

"We weren't very efficient. Our passes weren't crisp for sure,'' he said of the opening 20 minutes in which the Pioneers outshot MSU, 11-3. "I liked our puck support but didn't like our execution when we had opportunities to score.

"I think we played with a little more urgency (in the second period). We wanted to make sure that we were trying to get pucks deep and then get to their net. We have to be much better on the power play. I thought our power play was rather anemic.''

After four home games â€" losses to Ohio State and Boston College in the Icebreaker Tournament two weeks ago and a sweep of then-No. 1 Boston University last weekend, Montgomery said it's a good time for his team to be on the road.

"It's important to us, the first road trip of the year, that we have a lot of time to think about hockey and our effort and execution and trying to be quietly efficient on the road,'' he said. "It's good for us, trying to build as a team.''

IN THE BIG TEN: Michigan and Ohio State posted non-conference victories, Penn State tied and Minnesota seemed on the verge of a victory but squandered a three-goal lead in the last 10 minutes and ended up with a stunning defeat.

The Wolverines (3-1) edged Michigan Tech 4-3 in Ann Arbor on freshman Will Lockwood's shorthanded goal with 52 seconds left. The Huskies overcame a 3-1 deficit to tie game 3-3 early in the third period with a pair of goals within four minutes.

The Buckeyes (2-1-1) went on the road to outlast Bowling Green, 5-4. Trailing 4-3 after two periods, OSU scored two power-play goals in the third period to win it.

The Nittany Lions and Notre Dame, which joins the Big Ten in hockey only next season, played to a 3-3 tie in South Bend. PSU held a 3-1 lead but the Irish scored late in the second period and with 7:32 left in the third to pull into a tie.

It wasn't a good night for the Gophers against in-state rival St. Cloud State. Minnesota built a 5-2 lead with 10 minutes left and seemed on the verge of a victory in its home opener in Minneapolis.

But the Huskies rallied with three goals within 8 minutes and 24 seconds to tie it, 5-5, and send the game into overtime. St. Cloud State won it on a power-play goal at 2:53 of OT.

The Gophers and Huskies meet again on Saturday in St. Cloud. Also on Saturday, Michigan plays host to Michigan Tech and Penn State is at Notre Dame.

In an exhibition game on Friday, Wisconsin defeated the U.S Under-18 team, 4-3, in Madison.