Spartans Ready to Resume Big Ten Play at Penn State

Nov. 22, 2017

Games 13-14: Michigan State (7-5, 1-3 B1G) vs. Penn State (7-7, 2-4 B1G)
Dates \| Times	Friday, Nov. 24 - 7 p.m. \| Saturday, Nov. 25 - 8 p.m.
Location	University Park, Pa. \| Pegula Ice Arena (5,704)
Video Stream	Friday \| Saturday
Live Stats	\|
Radio	Spartan Sports Network (Listen Live) \| WJIM 1240-AM (Fri.), WVFN 730-AM (Sat.)
Radio (Mobile)	Broadcast available on Spartan Sports Network Mobile App: iPhone/iPad \| Android
Game Notes	Michigan State \| Penn State \| Big Ten
Social Media	@MSU_Hockey \| Facebook \| Instragram

On The Fly…

• After a sweep of Ferris State last weekend, the Spartans return to Big Ten play with a trip to Penn State to meet the Nittany Lions on Friday and Saturday.

• The Spartans bring a three-game winning streak into Friday's game at PSU and are receiving votes in this week's USCHO.com Poll.

• Mitchell Lewandowski continues to lead all freshmen nationally in goals (9), points (17) and points-per-game (1.42) … He also leads all rookies nationally in power-play goals (4) and game-winning goals (3).

• Lewandowski was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week and NCAA Third Star of the Week on Tuesday … He is in the midst of a career best four-game point streak over which he has six goals and two assists for eight points.

• The Spartans' KHL line of Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Lewandowski has accounted for 43 points (16g, 27a) â€" 49% of the team total.

• Hirose, who scored the overtime winner last Friday, brings a four-game point streak into Friday's game with a 1-5-6 scoring line over the span … Hirose leads the Spartans with 12 assists, which ranks seventh in the country and third in the Big Ten.

• Khodorenko has assists in three straight games and ranks third on the team with 11 points (4g, 7a).

• Michigan State has allowed two or fewer goals in each of the last three games and ranks 22nd nationally in goals-against per game at 2.67.

• Sophomore goaltender John Lethemon owns a .919 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average, both of which rank third in the Big Ten … Lethemon has started 10 games this year, including each of the last three.

• Senior defenseman Carson Gatt leads all MSU blueliners with nine points (1g, 8a) … Gatt had a three points last weekend, including his first goal of the season in the 3-1 win … He has points in three of the last four games (1-4-5).

• Junior Cody Milan ranks fourth on the team with 10 points (3g, 7a) … Milan's 10 points are just two shy of his career total through 53 games entering the 2017-18 season.

• MSU has killed 15 of the last 18 opponent power plays (83.3%) over the last five games.

• As the fourth-youngest team in college hockey, the Spartans have had just one senior skating in the lineup (defenseman Carson Gatt) in eight of 12 games this season … The sophomore class has accounted for 44% of the Spartans' total points, while the freshmen have produced 28%.

About Penn State
Like the Spartans, Penn State is coming off a sweep of a non-conference opponent as the Nittany Lions won a pair of games at Arizona State (7-0, 4-2) … PSU has played six conference games, going 2-4 with wins over Minnesota and Michigan … The Nittany Lions are 3-3 at home this year, splitting all three series … Junior Andrew Sturtz leads PSU in goals (7) and points (16) … He is one of three players with a team-high nine assists, joining defensemen Cole Hults and Trevor Hamilton … Sophomore goaltender Peyton Jones has started 12 games, going 6-5 with a 3.57 goals-against average and .876 save percentage.

KHL Line Continues Dominance
The Spartans' top line of Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski has been nothing short of excellent so far this season. The trio, which has been together since game one, has combined for nearly half of the Spartans' total points with a combined 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points.

Hirose and Khodorenko, who ranked second and third, respectively, on the team in points last season have helped Lewandowski flourish into one of the nation's top freshmen. Lewandowski leads all freshmen nationally in goals (9), points (17), points-per-game (1.42), power-play goals (4) and game-winning goals (3).

Hirose, the Spartans' top-returning point producer from last year with 24, has 15 points (3g, 12) and leads MSU with five multi-point games so far this season.

Khodorenko, who was linemates in midget hockey with Lewandowski, ranks third on the team in points (11) and is second in goals (4).

The trio is a part of the Spartans' top power-play unit where they have combined for 20 points (7g, 13a) on the man-advantage.

All three players bring point streaks into this weekend: Lewandowski (4 games, 6-2-8), Hirose (4 games, 1-5-6), Khodorenko (3 games, 0-4-4).

More on Lewy's Hot Start
Mitchell Lewandowski has recorded three, four-point weekends - earning Big Ten weekly honors after each. Most recently, he was named the Big Ten's Second Star of the Week and NCAA Third Star of the Week on Nov. 21 after his four-point (3g, 1a) weekend in a sweep of Ferris State. His other four-point weekends came vs. Western Michigan (3g, 1a) and Wisconsin (3g, 1a). His 17 points rank 10th in the nation and his nine goals rank sixth. Lewandowski's game-winning goals have come vs. Western Michigan (Oct. 20), LSSU (Oct. 28) and Ferris State (Nov. 18).

In Winning its Last Three Games, MSU has…
• Outscored opponents 8-3 and has not yielded a goal in the first period
• Extinguished 11 of 12 opponent power plays (91.7%)
• Averaged 14.6 blocked shots per game
• John Lethemon has a 0.98 GAA and .969 save percentage
• The KHL line has combined for 14 points (Khodorenko 4a; Hirose 1g, 4a; Lewandowski 4g, 1a)
• The winning streak is the Spartans' longest since Oct. 23 â€" Nov. 7, 2015 (3-0)

Of Note From the Ferris State Series
The Spartans got their first home-and-home series sweep since December 2009 vs. Bowling Green (3-2 â€"A; 4-1 â€" H) … MSU scored a goal in every period in the 3-1 win for the first time since Oct. 28 vs. LSSU … The OT win was MSU's first since Nov. 4, 2016 vs. Michigan Tech (3-2) … The Spartans killed 7-of-8 FSU power plays; the Bulldogs' lone goal on the man-advantage came on their last power play of the weekend.

Specialty Notes
MSU has killed 20 of the last 24 opponent power plays (83.3%) over the last seven games, including seven of eight last weekend … The Spartan power play ranks second in the Big Ten and 16th in the country at 22.6% … Taro Hirose leads the Big Ten in power-play points (9) and assists (8) … Mitchell Lewandowski leads MSU in power-play goals with four and Cody Milan ranks second with three.

Lethemon Solid in Net
Sophomore John Lethemon has taken the lead in net for the Spartans as he has started 10 of 12 games and has been in net for all seven Spartan wins. He has turned away 94 of the last 97 shots he has faced over the last three games, good for a 0.98 GAA and .969 save percentage over the span. He has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of his 12 appearances on the year and brings a 2.17 GAA and .919 save percentage into Friday's game.

He had a career-high 38 saves in the 2-0 win over Wisconsin on Nov. 11 to earn his second shutout of the season and career.

Like the Old Days at Munn
Upon being hired, one of the first program goals cited by head coach Danton Cole was an emphasis on winning at home and making Munn a tough environment for opposing teams. So far so good for the Spartans as they are off to a solid 6-1 start - their best since 2007. MSU has outscored opponents, 27-17, at Munn and is averaging 3.86 goals per game at home, which is seventh highest in the nation. The Spartans have two shutouts through seven home games.

Against the Nittany Lions
Taro Hirose is averaging a point-per-game against Penn State as he has a goal and three assists in four-career games … Defenseman Zach Osburn has two goals â€" both on the power play â€" in his career against PSU … In his lone start vs. PSU on Feb. 24, 2017 last season, John Lethemon made a season-high 35 stops.

Young and Productive
With 19 underclassmen, including eight freshmen and 11 sophomores, the Spartans rank as the fourth-youngest team in the nation with an average age of 20 years, 335 days as of Oct. 1. The Spartans have had just one senior skating in the lineup in eight of the team's 12 games. MSU's 19 underclassmen are tied for the third-most freshmen and sophomores in college hockey.

Freshman Mitchell Lewandowski leads all freshmen nationally in points with 17 and as a whole, the freshman class has combined for 28% of the team's total points this season.

MSU's three seniors are tied for the fewest in the Big Ten and the fourth fewest in the nation. It's the fewest seniors MSU has had since 2010-11 when it had two. Last season, MSU was the sixth-youngest team in the nation.

Note This
The Spartans have been able to hold leads, going 5-0 when leading after the first and second periods ... The Spartans are 7-0 when scoring first ... MSU is 5-0 when generating at least 30 shots on goal, last year MSU was 3-6 when doing so ... MSU is 6-1 when scoring at least three goals.

Spartans in the NHL
A total of seven Spartans are currently on National Hockey League rosters: Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings), David Booth (Detroit Red Wings), Derek Grant (Anaheim Ducks), Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Torey Krug (Boston Bruins), Ryan Miller (Anaheim Ducks), and Jeff Petry (Montreal Canadiens).

Up Next
The Spartans return home to host Notre Dame at Munn on Dec. 1 and 2.