Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Play Host to Michigan Tech This Weekend
11/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Games 6-7: Michigan Tech (3-5-2) vs. Michigan State (1-4) | |
| Dates | Times | Friday, Nov. 4 // 7:05 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 5 // 7:05 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena (6,114) |
| Tickets | MSUSpartans.com |
| Promotions | Friday --Four Seats, Four Treats & free to MSU students with ID Saturday -- Family Four Pack |
| TV | Comcast Channel 900 (Michigan) |
| Video Stream | BTN2Go |
| Live Stats | | |
| 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 | Michigan Tech | Big Ten |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  | Instragram  |
On the Fly...
• For the second straight year, in-state and WCHA foe Michigan Tech visits Munn Ice Arena to take on the Spartans ... It marks the third series in the last four seasons between the teams.
• Little has separated MSU and MTU of late as dating back to Nov. 9, 2013, the last five meetings between the teams have all gone to overtime ... It's the first time in MSU history that the Spartans have gone to overtime with an opponent in five consecutive meetings.
• The Spartans picked up their first win of the season last Friday, defeating Princeton, 6-2, with goals from six different players ... Junior Ed Minney got his first-career victory between the pipes with 21 stops.
• Sophomore Mason Appleton leads the Spartans with five points (1g, 4a) ... Appleton brings a team-high three-game point streak into Friday's contest with a goal and three assists over the span.
• Appleton (2a) was one of five Spartans to record two points in the win over Princeton; joining him were Brennan Sanford (1g, 1a), Taro Hirose (1g, 1a), Thomas Ebbing (2a) and Logan Lambdin (1g, 1a).
• Taro Hirose became the first Spartan to score his first-career goal while shorthanded since Zach Golembiewski did so on Dec. 29, 2009, in a 10-1 win over Michigan Tech.
• The Spartans' current six-game homestand is their longest since also playing six consecutive at Munn from Jan. 6-21, 2012.
• Since yielding six power-play goals on opening weekend, the Spartan penalty kill has rebounded nicely and extinguished 12 consecutive opponent power plays over the last three games ... The Spartans led the Big Ten in penalty kill percentage last season at .864.
• Senior Villiam Haag picked up his second power-play goal of the year last weekend and is the active career leader for the Spartans with 10-career goals on the man-advantage.
• Michigan State has had at least seven freshmen in the lineup in all five games, including a season-high 10 on Oct. 15 at LSSU ... MSU rookies have accounted for 35% of the team's points so far this season.
• Sophomore defenseman Zach Osburn, who ranked third on the team with 92 shots on goal last season, leads the Spartans in the same department this season with 16 ... Osburn's 3.6 shot per game average is 10th best among all defensemen nationally. • Freshmen Logan Lambdin (2-2--4), Taro Hirose (1-2--3), Patrick Khodorenko (1-1--2), Jerad Rosburg (1-0--1), Mitch Eliot (0-1--1) and Butrus Ghafari (0-1--1) have all recorded their first collegiate points this season.
About Michigan Tech
Michigan Tech is coming off a home-and-home sweep of Northern Michigan (2-0, 5-1) ... MTU has played 10 games already in 2016-17 -- tied for most in the nation -- four of which have been decided by two goals or fewer and two of which have gone to OT ... Freshman goaltender Angus Redmond made his first two starts last weekend and posted a .946 save percentage ... Senior forward Red Sturos leads the Huskies in goals with three, while senior defenseman Shane Hanna leads in points with five (2g, 3a) ... The Huskies' top-three point producers are all defensemen: Hanna (2-3--5), Mark Auk (1-4--5) and Mitch Reinke (1-4--5) ... Hanna is the team's active career leader with 68 points.
History With the Huskies
Since the Spartans and Huskies revived their regular season rivalry in November 2013 with a two-game series in Houghton, the last five meetings between the teams have all gone to overtime. It marks the first time in 76 seasons of MSU hockey that the Spartans have played five consecutive OT games against an opponent. The Spartans have gone 0-3-2 in those five meetings with a shootout loss in the 2013 GLI semifinals and a shootout win on Nov. 22 last year.
Joe Cox is the Spartans' active leader in scoring against Michigan Tech with a 1-3--4 scoring line in six games. Goaltender Ed Minney made his collegiate debut last season against MTU, stopping 34 of 36 shots in 57:38 of relief in a 4-4 tie and shootout win.
Of Note vs. Princeton
Six different Spartans scored (Haag, Sanford, Hirose, Gatt, Lambdin, Cox) and five recorded multiple points (Sanford, Hirose, Appleton, Ebbing, Lambdin) ... Junior defenseman Carson Gatt and freshman forward Taro Hirose (shorthanded) both picked up their first collegiate goals ... The Spartans' four goals in the second period vs. Princeton were their most in a stanza since also scoring four last season in a win over New Hampshire on Nov. 7 ... The Spartans killed all seven Tiger power plays ... MSU recorded a season-high 34 shots on goal.
Freshmen & Juniors to Sign Autographs on Saturday
Members of the Spartan freshmen and junior classes will be signing autographs on the north side of the concourse following Saturday's game.
Appleton Starts Strong Again
Sophomore forward Mason Appleton has picked up points in four of the first five games and leads the Spartans in both points (5) and assists (4). His solid start mirrors that of last season when he also had five points (5a) over the first five games and went on to record a point in nine of his first 11 collegiate games with a 3-9--12 scoring line over the span. Appleton has played alongside freshmen Patrick Khodorenko (1-1--2) and Taro Hirose (1-2--3) in all five games this year.
Both Goaltenders Seeing Time
Junior Ed Minney and freshman John Lethemon have been splitting time between the pipes this season as the two have alternated games. Minney got his first-career win last weekend against Princeton with 21 saves. It marks the first time since the beginning of 2013-14 that more than one goaltender has seen action in net for MSU over the first five games of a season as Jake Hildebrand started 50 consecutive games between 2014-15 and played in 73 consecutive from 2014-16.
The Spartans host Michigan Tech this weekend - 7 pm Fri. & Sat. at Munn!
A video posted by Michigan State Spartan Hockey (@msu_hockey) on
Young Blue Liners
The Spartan defense corps includes just three returners as five new blueliners have stepped into the fold this season. The Spartans have dressed at least three freshmen defensemen in all five games this year, including Oct. 15 at Lake Superior State when they had five rookies in the lineup. The three returners -- senior Rhett Holland (110 career GP), junior Carson Gatt (69 career GP) and sophomore Zach Osburn (42 career GP) -- all appeared in every game last season and will be counted on to help bring along the younger Spartans. Freshmen Damian Chrcek, Mitch Eliot, Butrus Ghafari and Anthony Scarsella join redshirt freshman Jerad Rosburg on the back end.
Rosburg Finally Back
After nearly two years of battling injuries, redshirt freshman defenseman Jerad Rosburg finally got the opportunity to return to game action opening weekend at LSSU; he even netted his first-career goal in game two. Prior to Oct. 14, Rosburg's last game was Nov. 11, 2014 as a member of the Sioux City Musketeers. A knee injury kept Rosburg out for the remainder of 2014-15 and upon arrival at MSU in the fall of 2015, Rosburg underwent surgery that kept him out all last season. Rosburg began skating with the Spartans in practices late last year and has been fully healthy since the late spring.
Roster Odds & Ends
The Spartans are the sixth youngest team in college hockey with an average age of 21 years, 23 days (as of Oct. 1) ... Patrick Khodorenko, who turned 18 on Oct. 13, is the third-youngest player in college hockey ... The Spartans are tied for the second most seniors (8) in the nation, but their 10 freshmen are tied for the fourth most ... Khodorenko is the second Spartan in program history from the state of California (Jeremy Jackson 2000-01) and is one of 40 players from the Golden State in college hockey this year ... Ed Minney (No. 45), Mitch Eliot (No. 52), Jerad Rosburg (No. 57) and Logan Lambdin (No. 71) are the first Spartans in program history to wear their respective numbers.
Spartans in the NHL
A total of eight Spartans have appeared in the NHL this season: Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings), Derek Grant (Buffalo Sabres), Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Torey Krug (Boston Bruins), Drew Miller (Detroit Red Wings), Ryan Miller (Vancouver Canucks), John-Michael Liles (Boston Bruins) and Jeff Petry (Montreal Canadiens).
1966 National Champions to be Honored Nov. 10
The Spartan hockey program will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first National Championship by honoring the 1966 team during the Nov. 10 game vs. Ferris State.
