Spartans Host USNTDP in Exhibition on Sunday
12/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| Exhibition Game: USNTDP U-18 Team vs. Michigan State | |
| Date | Time | Sunday, Dec. 4 | 3 p.m. |
| Location | East Lansing, Mich. | Munn Ice Arena (6,114) |
| Promotions | Game is FREE to all MSU students with ID |
| Video Stream | BTN Plus |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Game Notes | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  | Instragram  |
On the Fly...
• The Spartans (4-6-1) will play their final exhibition game of the season on Sunday when they host the USNTDP U-18 team for the fifth consecutive year at Munn.
• MSU is 6-6 all-time against the USNTDP U-18 team and has won each of the last two meetings, including last year in overtime, 3-2.
• Michigan State is coming off a win and a tie at now 10th-ranked North Dakota ... MSU topped the Fighting Hawks, 4-3, in the opener and then played to a 2-2 tie the following night.
• The Spartans finished the month of November 3-2-1, going undefeated (2-0-1) over the last three games.
• Redshirt freshman defenseman Jerad Rosburg was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week after scoring two goals and adding an assist in the Spartans' 4-3 win over North Dakota.
• Sophomore Mason Appleton leads MSU in goals (5), assists (6) and points (11) ... Six (4g, 2a) of Appleton's points came during November, including two game-winning goals ... Appleton has a pair of two-goal games and leads MSU with three multi-point games ... His five goals equal his total from last season.
• Appleton and freshmen Patrick Khodorenko and Taro Hirose have played together in all 11 games this season, combining for 32% (24 points) of the Spartans' total points.
• In starting and playing five of six games during November, Ed Minney finished the month with a 2.55 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in going 3-1-1.
• Minney had his two-highest save totals of the season last weekend in the win and tie at North Dakota, stopping 30 and 32 shots, respectively.
• Senior linemates Joe Cox (2-1--3) and Thomas Ebbing (1-2--3) both had a goal and an assist last weekend and registered points in each of the last three games.
• 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 32 -- six more than any other player.
• The Spartans have scored at least three goals in their four wins this season and are 4-1 when scoring three or more this season ... Under head coach Tom Anastos the Spartans are 65-14-7 (.797) when scoring three or more goals.
• Michigan State has had at least seven freshmen in the lineup in all 11 games, including a season-high 10 on Oct. 15 at LSSU ... Seven MSU rookies have accounted for 38% of the team's points so far this season.
About USNTDP U-18
The NTDP U-18s are 11-12-0-2 (W-L-T-OTL) heading into Friday's USHL game vs. the Chicago Steel ... The team is 1-7 against NCAA Division I programs this year ... Jacob Tortora leads the team in goals (11) and points (20) ... The team features MSU NLI signee Tommy Miller, a 6-foot-2 defenseman from West Bloomfield, who currently has a `B' rating from NHL Central Scouting.
Against the NTDP U-18s
The Spartans have won each of the last two meetings against the U-18s and two of the last three games have gone to OT and been decided by a goal ... MSU won, 3-2, last season behind 36 saves from NTDP alum Ed Minney and a game-winning goal in overtime from Thomas Ebbing ... In the 2015 meeting, Minney stopped 12 of 13 shots in playing the last two periods in a 4-1 MSU win ... MSU is 6-6 all-time against the USNTDP U18s.
Senior Linemates Step Up
Senior linemates Joe Cox and Thomas Ebbing both had two of their best games of the season last weekend at North Dakota. Cox scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on Friday, getting a power-play goal 2:35 into the third period with Ebbing drawing an assist, and then blocked a pair of shots in the final minutes to preserve the victory. The following night, Cox and Ebbing teamed up to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal. Cox set up the scoring play to give Ebbing his first goal of the season.
Both Cox (2-1--3) and Ebbing (1-2--3) currently have season-long three game point streaks.
Spartans Take Strides in November
After a tough start in October, the Spartans began to reverse their fortunes in November, going 3-2-1 and finishing the month unbeaten in their last three games. A total of 10 different players combined for 15 goals and six different players recorded at least four points, led by Mason Appleton (4-2--6). The power play improved by going 6-for-31 (.194) during the month, registering goals on the man advantage in four of six games.
In goal, Ed Minney started five of six games and dropped his goals-against average in all five games, ending the month with a season-best 2.98. His save percentage has also climbed to a season-best .892.
MSU also established some consistency in the lineup in dressing the same personnel over the last four games of the month and identical lines over the final three games.
Of Note From Last Weekend at North Dakota
Redshirt freshman defenseman Jerad Rosburg keyed Friday's 4-3 win with two goals and an assist for his first-career multi-point game ... After trailing 1-0 on Friday, the Spartans scored four straight goals to get their first win on the season when their opponent scores first ... Freshman Sam Saliba had two assists in the 4-3 win ... Cox's game-winning goal was the second of his career and first since his freshman season ... The win was the Spartans' first in Grand Forks since February 1979 and first over a ranked opponent on the road since topping No. 19 Michigan, 2-1, on March 14, 2015 ... Thomas Ebbing scored a shorthanded goal 7:36 into the first period to begin game two ... Ed Minney made 30 and 32 stops, respectively.
Rosburg Named Big Ten First Star of the Week
Jerad Rosburg played a big role in the Spartans going 1-0-1 last weekend at North Dakota as he scored a pair of goals and had an assist in MSU's 4-3 win. Both of Rosburg's goals came in the opening period of Friday's victory and his assist came on Joe Cox's eventual game-winning goal in the third period. His three-point night was the first by a Spartan defenseman since December 2013.
He was plus-1 in Saturday's 2-2 tie and scored the winning goal in the 3-on-3 exhibition overtime session.
Appleton Doing it All
Sophomore forward Mason Appleton has been the Spartans' go-to threat so far this season as he leads the team in points (11), goals (5) and assists (6). Appleton has points in seven of 11 games. He had his first career three-point game with two power-play goals, including the game-winner in OT, in the Spartans' 3-2 win over Michigan Tech on Nov. 4. He scored the game-winner at Ferris State on Nov. 12 just past the midway point of the third period.
Appleton's solid start mirrors that of last season when he had 12 points (3g, 9a) in his first 11 collegiate games. MSU's 2015-16 Rookie of the Year finished his freshman season with 22 points (5g, 17a).
... And Spearheading The Spartans' Most Productive Line
Mason Appleton and freshmen linemates Patrick Khodorenko and Taro Hirose have combined to form the Spartans' most formidable line this season. The trio has played together in all 11 games, combining for 24 of the Spartans' 74 total points (32%).
Hirose has points in four of the last seven games, including two multi-point games. Four of his seven points have come on the power play and the native of Calgary also sees significant time on the Spartans' penalty kill. Last season he ranked 13th in the BCHL in points (71) and fourth in assists (56), both of which led the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Khodorenko has points in three of the last four games (1g, 2a).
Spartans to Add Four for 2017-18
Head coach Tom Anastos announced on Nov. 15 that Tommy Miller (D | West Bloomfield, Mich./USNTDP), Mitch Lewandowski (F | Clarkston, Mich./Chicago Steel) and David Keefer (F | Brighton, Mich./Des Moines Buccaneers) signed National Letters of Intent to join the Spartans next season. Ty Farmer (D | O'Fallon, Mo./Youngstown Phantoms), who signed an NLI last year, will also come to East Lansing next year.
Miller, who has a B-rating from NHL Central Scouting, is in his second year with the USNTDP, where he has eight points (1g, 7a) through 22 games this season. Lewandowski is in his second season with the Chicago Steel; he had 18 points (7g, 11a) with the club last season. Keefer is in his third USHL season and put up 33 assists for Des Moines in 2015-16. Farmer is also in his third USHL season. He was limited to just 19 games last season due to injury.
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).
Up Next
The Spartans begin Big Ten play next weekend at Munn as they host 11th-ranked Minnesota. Friday's game begins at 6:30 p.m. and the puck will drop on Saturday at 8 p.m.
