Spartans Ready for 52nd Annual Great Lakes Invitational
12/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
| 52nd Annual Great Lakes Invitational Game 15: Western Michigan (8-5-3, 4-5-1 NCHC) vs. Michigan State (4-9-1, 0-2 B1G) Game 16: MSU vs. Michigan or Michigan Tech | |
| Date | Time | Thursday, Dec. 29 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Detroit, Mich. | Joe Louis Arena |
| Tickets | Olympia Entertainment |
| TV | Fox Sports Detroit Plus |
| Video Stream | BTN2Go |
| Live Stats | 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 | Western Michigan | Big Ten |
| Social Media | @MSU_Hockey  | Facebook  | Instragram  |
On The Fly...
• Michigan State is making its 38th consecutive and 43rd overall appearance in the Great Lakes Invitational ... MSU has appeared in every tournament since 1979.
• The winner of the WMU-MSU game will take on the winner of the Michigan-Michigan Tech contest (Thursday, 3:30 p.m.) in the GLI title game on Friday at 7 p.m. ... The losers of each semifinal game will meet in the third-place game at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
• Three of the Spartans' last four games in the GLI have been decided by a goal and three of the last six contests have gone to overtime.
• The Spartans are 26-14-2 all-time in GLI semifinal games, including 2-1-2 under Tom Anastos.
• MSU is 48-33-3 all-time in the GLI ... The Spartans' .589 tournament winning percentage is second highest of the three teams (MSU, Michigan Tech and Michigan) that have the most tournament appearances.
• The most recent of the Spartans' 12 GLI titles came in 2009 when they defeated Michigan Tech (10-2) and RPI (6-1), respectively.
• MSU is 0-1-1 in the GLI against Western Michigan and 3-2-1 all-time against the Broncos at Joe Louis Arena.
• Sophomore Mason Appleton leads MSU in goals (6), assists (8) and points (14) ... Appleton has a pair of two-goal games and leads MSU with four multi-point games, including the last time out when he had a goal and assist vs. Northeastern on Dec. 18 ... His six goals are one more than he had all of his rookie season.
• Appleton and freshmen Patrick Khodorenko and Taro Hirose have played together in all 14 games this season, combining for 35% (32 points) of the Spartans' total points.
• Hirose had his third multi-point game of the season the last time out and has points in two of the last three games ... His seven assists and 10 points are both second most on the team.
• Despite senior linemates Thomas Ebbing and Joe Cox both having their season-long five-game point streaks snapped the last time out, the two players are in the midst of their best offensive stretches of the year ... Both players have two goals and three assists over the last six games.
• Michigan State has had at least seven freshmen in the lineup in all 14 games, including eight in both games against Minnesota ... Seven MSU rookies have accounted for 38% 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 40.
• 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.
About Western Michigan
Western Michigan has had 18 days off since its series split (L, 5-1; W, 3-1) at North Dakota, Dec. 9-10 ... WMU is 2-2-1 over its last five games ... WMU ranks eighth nationally in goals per game at 3.44 ... Sophomore Matheson Iacopelli leads the Broncos in goals (13) and points (17) and is one of seven players with at least 10 points ... Freshman Wade Allison has nine goals and 14 points, while senior defenseman Taylor Flemming leads the team with 13 assists ... Sophomore Trevor Gorsuch has seen the most action of the three Bronco goaltenders, posting an .894 save percentage and 3.07 goals-against average in 10 games (nine starts) ... Freshman Ben Blacker started the last game and is 3-0 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.
The All-Time Series
Despite dropping the last two games in the series, Michigan State has a 64-32-9 all-time record against Western Michigan. MSU is 3-2-1 against WMU at Joe Louis Arena.
Spartans at the Joe
Michigan State has an all-time record of 88-62-7 (.583) at Joe Louis Arena ... The Spartans' first game in the building came in the GLI on Dec. 28, 1979 ... MSU's last three games at JLA have all gone to overtime ... The Spartans put together a 17-game winning streak in the building that spanned from March 1982 -- March 1986 ... MSU has won a total of 23 championships in the building, including 12 GLI titles and 11 CCHA Playoff titles.
Another Quick Break
For the second straight year, the Spartans had one of the shortest semester/Christmas breaks in college hockey with 10 off days. The 10-day break between games is tied with Robert Morris for shortest in the nation over college hockey's traditional break. For perspective, the Big Ten team with the second-shortest break over the span is Michigan, which had 17 off days prior to the GLI, while Penn State will go 33 days between games in December and January.
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 (14), goals (6) and assists (8). Appleton has points in nine of 14 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 14 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 14 games, combining for 32 of the Spartans' 91 total points (35%).
Hirose hasn't gone more than two games this season without a point and has a goal and two assists over the last three games. Half of his 10 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 five of the last seven games with a 2-3--5 line over the span.
Big Ed Takes Over in Net
In starting seven consecutive games, including five of six in November, junior netminder Ed Minney has provided the Spartans with solid play and consistency between the pipes. He has made 30 or more saves in four of the last five games, including a career-high 40 on Dec. 9. The 6-foot-5 netminder who had just four-career appearances entering the season, has allowed three or fewer goals in 10 of 12 appearances in net this season.
Senior Linemates Click
Senior linemates Joe Cox and Thomas Ebbing both have points in five of the last six games. The pair both started five-game point streaks in the Spartans' come-from-behind win on the road at Ferris State on Nov. 12 and then continued their strong play at North Dakota, each -recording a goal and assist on the weekend. Both players had a 2-3--5 scoring line over their five-game point streaks and both have eight points on the season.
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 14 games this year, including Dec. 9-10 vs. Minnesota when they had four in the lineup both nights due to an injury to Carson Gatt. The three returners -- senior Rhett Holland (119 career GP), Gatt (76 career GP) and sophomore Zach Osburn (51 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. Eliot has been the only freshman defenseman to have dressed in all 14 games.
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).
