Photo by: Adam Ruff
Neil’s Notebook: Quick Start, Khodorenko's Hat Trick Help Spartans To Third Straight Win
11/3/2018 9:21:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Patrick Khodorenko can't remember the last time he had had a hat trick or four points in one game. Or if he ever scored three power-play goals in a game.
But it doesn't matter. The Michigan State junior center will always remember his high-octane offensive game on Friday night at Munn Arena.
In the best performance of his Spartan career, Khodorenko scored a power-play goal in each period and assisted on an even-strength goal in the first period as MSU built a 4-0 lead through the first two periods and held on for a 5-3 non-conference victory over Ferris State.
Khodorenko, 20, a 6-foot, 201-pounder from Walnut Creek, Calif., earned his hat trick with 1:59 left in the game. Standing in front of the net, he deflected defenseman Dennis Cesana's shot from the right point past FSU freshman goalie Roni Salmenkangas.
But on this goal, the puck didn't go in off Khodorenko's stick.
"I kind of got lucky on the third goal. I think it went off my butt . . . or maybe hit me in the leg,'' Khodorenko said with a laugh. "It's nice to get a hat trick. I don't know, maybe it was something I ate this morning. Or at the pre-game meal.''
Khodorenko's hat trick was Michigan State's first since late in the 2014-15 season when Ryan Keller scored three goals against Michigan on March 13, 2015.
"I don't remember the last time I got a hat trick or four points but it feels good,'' said Khodorenko, who scored one goal in last Saturday's 4-3 win at Cornell and now has five goals and two assists for seven points in five games this season.
"Our whole line played well, and on the power play, everyone made plays. It just worked out for me, other days it works out for the other guys.''
Khodorenko's linemate pals, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski, known as the KHL Line, were also on top of their games, as the Spartans (4-1 overall) boosted their winning streak to three games.
Hirose had three assists and Lewandowski scored one goal and assisted on one – Khodorenko's third goal. Senior right wing Cody Milan, who also plays on the top power play, had three assists – two on power plays and one on defenseman Zach Osburn's even-strength goal early in the first period.
The KHL line and Milan combined for 14 shots on goal, led by Lewandowski with six and Khodorenko with five.
Michigan State has scored 14 goals in its last three games, including five goals on the power play.
"When you're hot, you're hot. The puck seems to find you,'' Khodorenko said. "We're all working well together, finding lanes and getting the puck to the net.
"It was a good team win. But I think we have to tighten up a little defensively. We kind of let them get a couple easy goals in the third period. They'll be a better team (on Saturday) and so will we.''
The Spartans will seek their second-consecutive sweep when they meet Ferris State (3-4, 2-0 WCHA) in the series finale at 7 p.m. Saturday at 2,505-seat Ewigleben Arena in Big Rapids.
The Spartans, who scored three goals in the first period, took a 4-0 lead into the third period, but Bulldogs freshman center Hunter Wendt scored twice off odd-man rushes in less than three minutes (3:34 and 6:24) to make it 4-2.
FSU had a couple of solid scoring chances over the next few minutes and could have made it a one-goal game and really put the pressure on the Spartans. But MSU goalie John Lethemon (25 saves) made the saves to stifle the Bulldogs' surge.
Khodorenko's third goal boosted his team's lead to 5-2 with 1:59 left, and while things felt comfortable with a three-goal edge, FSU managed to score again at 18:47. But MSU survived and skated off with a series-opening victory.
"It's not all celebration on this side,'' Hirose said. "We know that we have a lot to work on. Although it's a win, we're not going into tomorrow's game thinking it's going to be easy. We still have something to prove. We want to make sure we're a dominant team night in and night out.''
All three of Khodorenko's goals came late in the period.
He made it 3-0 at 19:24 of the first period, six seconds after the start of a power play. He got open in front of the net, took a pass from Milan on the goal line and fired it past Salmenkangas, who had replaced injured starter Justin Kapelmaster two minutes earlier.
Khodorenko's timing was perfect on his second power-play goal. He took a pass from Hirose in the right circle and one-timed the puck into the net with 0.2 seconds left – so officially 19:59.
"When Pat shoots the puck he's very dangerous,'' Hirose said. "I told him at the beginning of the game that 'You're most dangerous if you shoot the puck more.' He got into the open areas and me and Lewie found him a couple of times, and Milan found him, too. I'm happy for Patty to get that hat trick.''
And, of course, so was MSU coach Danton Cole.
"He's had a lot of chances and he's scored a lot of nice goals. He hasn't been on the scoresheet as much as Taro and Lewie but he's been outstanding,'' Cole said. "He's been a horse. He was very, very good last Saturday at Cornell.
"You look back at the game last season at Madison Square Garden (in late January) where Taro got hurt and Lewie got ejected and Patty was left there on his own. But he played a whale of a game. I know it ended up being a 2-1 (loss) but that might have been the best game he played all year. If he gets in that mode, he's a lot to handle.''
Before Friday, Khodorenko's most productive game at MSU was a three-point night against Western Michigan on Oct. 20, 2017 when he had a goal and two assists in a 6-4 victory at Munn Arena. He has three two-goal games.
Without question, the KHL line was one of the best and most entertaining in college hockey last season, and there's no reason to expect it won't be even better in 2018-19.
"That line creates a lot. As you saw on Lewandowski's (first period) goal, they're able to create stuff out of nothing,'' Cole said. "That was three guys standing still at the blue line, then there's a turnover and then they fill lanes and find things. We see a lot of than in practice.''
For sure, the Spartan coach was a little concerned about Ferris State's third-period pushback, which suddenly put the Bulldogs back in the game, only down 4-2. But he said there was no panic on the bench and he was confident his team would close the game out.
"We battled through that fine and figured out a way to get a win. It was an exciting game, and as a coach, I enjoyed it,'' Cole said. "Our guys played hard but we can play better. The guys were confident, they felt good on the bench. They were ticked off we gave up a couple goals. But that's part of the game and why you play 60 minutes.
"I'm a believer in giving the other teams credit. They came pretty hard and were stretching a guy, putting pucks on net and driving the net hard. Now, we can do things better. And we better tomorrow because it's a little smaller rink and things happen quicker there.
"They'll be throwing pucks on net and the forecheck there is a little tighter with the shorter corners. It's kind of the opposite of Cornell (with deeper corners), and interesting back-to-back weekends.
"That's what's fun about college hockey. You have to figure out how you're going to be better the next night because you know they will be.''
MSU had 30 shots on goal and went 3-for-6 on the power play with 10 shots. FSU fired 28 shots on Lethemon, failed to convert on three power-play chances – all in the second period - and had only one shot on goal.
STRONG NIGHT FOR MILAN: Senior right wing Cody Milan contributed in a big way to MSU's victory with one of the most productive nights of his career with three assists – two on the power play with the KHL line and on the Spartans' first goal early in the first period that put his team up 1-0.
Milan tied his career-best of three assists which he first achieved against Michigan in the Great Lakes Invitational third-place game last season on Jan. 2, 2018. He also had three points as a sophomore against Ohio State with one goal and two assists on March 3, 2017.
"It was good to see Cody rewarded," Coach Danton Cole said.
Milan earned the second assist on defenseman Zach Osburn's goal from the right point at 6:38 of the first period. He set up Patrick Khodorenko's power-play goal at 19:24 with a perfect pass into the slot.
In the final seconds of the second period, Milan passed the puck to Taro Hirose at left point and Hirose found Khodorenko for a one-timer from the right circle that beat the buzzer with less than a second (O.2) remaining to give MSU a 4-0 lead.
"I thought we all played a pretty good game. We got the job done with three power-play goals,'' Milan said. "It was working well. We moved it around and they're all skilled players so that really helps.''
Milan said that despite getting an assist on the first goal, his impact was minimal.
"It's always a good feeling when you get an assist early, but I tribute that to my line,'' he said. "They found me in the slot and I took a shot but unfortunately I missed the net. We had guys on the other side (of the ice) who got the puck. They got it to Osburn and he scored.
"They did all the work. I was just at the right place at the right time and happened to get an assist.''
Milan had a major impact with his second assist – a pass from along the goal line out front to an open Khodorenko, whose shot quickly found the back of the net.
"That's definitely a play we always work on, and everyone executed it perfectly,'' he said.
Milan, 22, a 6-1, 188-pounder from White Lake, scored a power-play goal in last Friday's 5-2 win at Cornell. In five games, he has one goal and four assists for five points, and is MSU'S fourth-leading scorer.
SPARTAN POTPOURRI: Taro Hirose is currently the fourth-leading scorer in the nation with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in five games, but the three players above him have played in more games.
Arizona State forward Johnny Walker is the top scorer with nine goals and six assists for 15 points in nine games. Bowling Green forwards Max Johnson (6-7) and Brandon Kruse (3-10-13) are tied for second with 13 points in eight games.
Hirose's average of 2.40 points-per-game is the best in the nation among players who have played more than two games. Two seasons and five games into his MSU career, Hirose has 22 goals and 56 assists for 78 points in 75 games. And surprisingly, only one of his goals has come on the power play. . . .
The Spartans have scored at least one power-play goal in all five games and head into Saturday's play with the third-best power play in the nation at 38.1 percent efficiency (8-for-21). And the two teams above them have played only two games. Harvard has converted on 5 of 10 power plays for 50 percent and Dartmouth has three power-play goals in seven opportunities for 42.9 percent. . . .
Freshman defenseman cole krygier earned his first collegiate point with an assist on zach osburn's goal….
After Saturday's series finale at Ferris State, Michigan State heads back out on the road for a non-conference series at Arizona State next Friday and Saturday. The Spartans' next home appearance is against Notre Dame in their Big Ten-opening series on Nov. 16-17.
IN THE BIG TEN: No. 7/9 Ohio State (4-2-1, 1-0) opened conference play with a 1-0 victory at No. 5 Notre Dame (3-3-1, 0-1) on Friday. Mason Jobst's power-play goal at 8:59 of the first period stood up as the only goal of the game. Buckeyes junior goalie Sean Romeo made 23 saves to earn his first shutout of the season. The Irish have lost three games in a row.
No. 6 Penn State (6-0-0) rallied from 4-3 deficit early in the third period with three goals within 3 minutes and 9 seconds and went on to a 6-5 victory over Arizona State (6-3) in University Park, Pa.
No. 12/13 Michigan was upset by Lake Superior State, 5-2, in Sault Ste. Marie. The Wolverines (3-3-1) took a 1-0 lead but the Lakers scored four consecutive goals to go up 4-1. U-M cut the deficit to 4-2 late in the middle period, but LSSU (5-0) scored the only goal of the third period to remain undefeated.
Minnesota (1-2-1), ranked No. 8/10, got routed by No. 4 Minnesota State, 5-1, in Minneapolis. The Mavericks (5-1, 2-0 WCHA) built a 3-1 lead through two periods and scored an early goal and a late empty-net goal in the third period to close out the victory.
No. 16 Wisconsin also had a rough night in non-conference play. The Badgers (4-3-0) lost at No. 14/15 North Dakota, 5-0. Center Rhett Gardiner led the Fighting Hawks (3-2-1) with three goals – one in each period.
In Saturday's games, in addition to MSU visiting Ferris State, Ohio State is at Notre Dame, Arizona State plays at Penn State, Lake Superior State plays host to Michigan, Minnesota travels to Minnesota State and Wisconsin is at North Dakota.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Patrick Khodorenko can't remember the last time he had had a hat trick or four points in one game. Or if he ever scored three power-play goals in a game.
But it doesn't matter. The Michigan State junior center will always remember his high-octane offensive game on Friday night at Munn Arena.
In the best performance of his Spartan career, Khodorenko scored a power-play goal in each period and assisted on an even-strength goal in the first period as MSU built a 4-0 lead through the first two periods and held on for a 5-3 non-conference victory over Ferris State.
Khodorenko, 20, a 6-foot, 201-pounder from Walnut Creek, Calif., earned his hat trick with 1:59 left in the game. Standing in front of the net, he deflected defenseman Dennis Cesana's shot from the right point past FSU freshman goalie Roni Salmenkangas.
But on this goal, the puck didn't go in off Khodorenko's stick.
"I kind of got lucky on the third goal. I think it went off my butt . . . or maybe hit me in the leg,'' Khodorenko said with a laugh. "It's nice to get a hat trick. I don't know, maybe it was something I ate this morning. Or at the pre-game meal.''
Khodorenko's hat trick was Michigan State's first since late in the 2014-15 season when Ryan Keller scored three goals against Michigan on March 13, 2015.
"I don't remember the last time I got a hat trick or four points but it feels good,'' said Khodorenko, who scored one goal in last Saturday's 4-3 win at Cornell and now has five goals and two assists for seven points in five games this season.
"Our whole line played well, and on the power play, everyone made plays. It just worked out for me, other days it works out for the other guys.''
Khodorenko's linemate pals, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski, known as the KHL Line, were also on top of their games, as the Spartans (4-1 overall) boosted their winning streak to three games.
Hirose had three assists and Lewandowski scored one goal and assisted on one – Khodorenko's third goal. Senior right wing Cody Milan, who also plays on the top power play, had three assists – two on power plays and one on defenseman Zach Osburn's even-strength goal early in the first period.
The KHL line and Milan combined for 14 shots on goal, led by Lewandowski with six and Khodorenko with five.
Michigan State has scored 14 goals in its last three games, including five goals on the power play.
"When you're hot, you're hot. The puck seems to find you,'' Khodorenko said. "We're all working well together, finding lanes and getting the puck to the net.
"It was a good team win. But I think we have to tighten up a little defensively. We kind of let them get a couple easy goals in the third period. They'll be a better team (on Saturday) and so will we.''
The Spartans will seek their second-consecutive sweep when they meet Ferris State (3-4, 2-0 WCHA) in the series finale at 7 p.m. Saturday at 2,505-seat Ewigleben Arena in Big Rapids.
The Spartans, who scored three goals in the first period, took a 4-0 lead into the third period, but Bulldogs freshman center Hunter Wendt scored twice off odd-man rushes in less than three minutes (3:34 and 6:24) to make it 4-2.
FSU had a couple of solid scoring chances over the next few minutes and could have made it a one-goal game and really put the pressure on the Spartans. But MSU goalie John Lethemon (25 saves) made the saves to stifle the Bulldogs' surge.
Khodorenko's third goal boosted his team's lead to 5-2 with 1:59 left, and while things felt comfortable with a three-goal edge, FSU managed to score again at 18:47. But MSU survived and skated off with a series-opening victory.
"It's not all celebration on this side,'' Hirose said. "We know that we have a lot to work on. Although it's a win, we're not going into tomorrow's game thinking it's going to be easy. We still have something to prove. We want to make sure we're a dominant team night in and night out.''
All three of Khodorenko's goals came late in the period.
He made it 3-0 at 19:24 of the first period, six seconds after the start of a power play. He got open in front of the net, took a pass from Milan on the goal line and fired it past Salmenkangas, who had replaced injured starter Justin Kapelmaster two minutes earlier.
Khodorenko's timing was perfect on his second power-play goal. He took a pass from Hirose in the right circle and one-timed the puck into the net with 0.2 seconds left – so officially 19:59.
"When Pat shoots the puck he's very dangerous,'' Hirose said. "I told him at the beginning of the game that 'You're most dangerous if you shoot the puck more.' He got into the open areas and me and Lewie found him a couple of times, and Milan found him, too. I'm happy for Patty to get that hat trick.''
And, of course, so was MSU coach Danton Cole.
"He's had a lot of chances and he's scored a lot of nice goals. He hasn't been on the scoresheet as much as Taro and Lewie but he's been outstanding,'' Cole said. "He's been a horse. He was very, very good last Saturday at Cornell.
"You look back at the game last season at Madison Square Garden (in late January) where Taro got hurt and Lewie got ejected and Patty was left there on his own. But he played a whale of a game. I know it ended up being a 2-1 (loss) but that might have been the best game he played all year. If he gets in that mode, he's a lot to handle.''
Before Friday, Khodorenko's most productive game at MSU was a three-point night against Western Michigan on Oct. 20, 2017 when he had a goal and two assists in a 6-4 victory at Munn Arena. He has three two-goal games.
Without question, the KHL line was one of the best and most entertaining in college hockey last season, and there's no reason to expect it won't be even better in 2018-19.
"That line creates a lot. As you saw on Lewandowski's (first period) goal, they're able to create stuff out of nothing,'' Cole said. "That was three guys standing still at the blue line, then there's a turnover and then they fill lanes and find things. We see a lot of than in practice.''
For sure, the Spartan coach was a little concerned about Ferris State's third-period pushback, which suddenly put the Bulldogs back in the game, only down 4-2. But he said there was no panic on the bench and he was confident his team would close the game out.
"We battled through that fine and figured out a way to get a win. It was an exciting game, and as a coach, I enjoyed it,'' Cole said. "Our guys played hard but we can play better. The guys were confident, they felt good on the bench. They were ticked off we gave up a couple goals. But that's part of the game and why you play 60 minutes.
"I'm a believer in giving the other teams credit. They came pretty hard and were stretching a guy, putting pucks on net and driving the net hard. Now, we can do things better. And we better tomorrow because it's a little smaller rink and things happen quicker there.
"They'll be throwing pucks on net and the forecheck there is a little tighter with the shorter corners. It's kind of the opposite of Cornell (with deeper corners), and interesting back-to-back weekends.
"That's what's fun about college hockey. You have to figure out how you're going to be better the next night because you know they will be.''
MSU had 30 shots on goal and went 3-for-6 on the power play with 10 shots. FSU fired 28 shots on Lethemon, failed to convert on three power-play chances – all in the second period - and had only one shot on goal.
STRONG NIGHT FOR MILAN: Senior right wing Cody Milan contributed in a big way to MSU's victory with one of the most productive nights of his career with three assists – two on the power play with the KHL line and on the Spartans' first goal early in the first period that put his team up 1-0.
Milan tied his career-best of three assists which he first achieved against Michigan in the Great Lakes Invitational third-place game last season on Jan. 2, 2018. He also had three points as a sophomore against Ohio State with one goal and two assists on March 3, 2017.
"It was good to see Cody rewarded," Coach Danton Cole said.
Milan earned the second assist on defenseman Zach Osburn's goal from the right point at 6:38 of the first period. He set up Patrick Khodorenko's power-play goal at 19:24 with a perfect pass into the slot.
In the final seconds of the second period, Milan passed the puck to Taro Hirose at left point and Hirose found Khodorenko for a one-timer from the right circle that beat the buzzer with less than a second (O.2) remaining to give MSU a 4-0 lead.
"I thought we all played a pretty good game. We got the job done with three power-play goals,'' Milan said. "It was working well. We moved it around and they're all skilled players so that really helps.''
Milan said that despite getting an assist on the first goal, his impact was minimal.
"It's always a good feeling when you get an assist early, but I tribute that to my line,'' he said. "They found me in the slot and I took a shot but unfortunately I missed the net. We had guys on the other side (of the ice) who got the puck. They got it to Osburn and he scored.
"They did all the work. I was just at the right place at the right time and happened to get an assist.''
Milan had a major impact with his second assist – a pass from along the goal line out front to an open Khodorenko, whose shot quickly found the back of the net.
"That's definitely a play we always work on, and everyone executed it perfectly,'' he said.
Milan, 22, a 6-1, 188-pounder from White Lake, scored a power-play goal in last Friday's 5-2 win at Cornell. In five games, he has one goal and four assists for five points, and is MSU'S fourth-leading scorer.
SPARTAN POTPOURRI: Taro Hirose is currently the fourth-leading scorer in the nation with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in five games, but the three players above him have played in more games.
Arizona State forward Johnny Walker is the top scorer with nine goals and six assists for 15 points in nine games. Bowling Green forwards Max Johnson (6-7) and Brandon Kruse (3-10-13) are tied for second with 13 points in eight games.
Hirose's average of 2.40 points-per-game is the best in the nation among players who have played more than two games. Two seasons and five games into his MSU career, Hirose has 22 goals and 56 assists for 78 points in 75 games. And surprisingly, only one of his goals has come on the power play. . . .
The Spartans have scored at least one power-play goal in all five games and head into Saturday's play with the third-best power play in the nation at 38.1 percent efficiency (8-for-21). And the two teams above them have played only two games. Harvard has converted on 5 of 10 power plays for 50 percent and Dartmouth has three power-play goals in seven opportunities for 42.9 percent. . . .
Freshman defenseman cole krygier earned his first collegiate point with an assist on zach osburn's goal….
After Saturday's series finale at Ferris State, Michigan State heads back out on the road for a non-conference series at Arizona State next Friday and Saturday. The Spartans' next home appearance is against Notre Dame in their Big Ten-opening series on Nov. 16-17.
IN THE BIG TEN: No. 7/9 Ohio State (4-2-1, 1-0) opened conference play with a 1-0 victory at No. 5 Notre Dame (3-3-1, 0-1) on Friday. Mason Jobst's power-play goal at 8:59 of the first period stood up as the only goal of the game. Buckeyes junior goalie Sean Romeo made 23 saves to earn his first shutout of the season. The Irish have lost three games in a row.
No. 6 Penn State (6-0-0) rallied from 4-3 deficit early in the third period with three goals within 3 minutes and 9 seconds and went on to a 6-5 victory over Arizona State (6-3) in University Park, Pa.
No. 12/13 Michigan was upset by Lake Superior State, 5-2, in Sault Ste. Marie. The Wolverines (3-3-1) took a 1-0 lead but the Lakers scored four consecutive goals to go up 4-1. U-M cut the deficit to 4-2 late in the middle period, but LSSU (5-0) scored the only goal of the third period to remain undefeated.
Minnesota (1-2-1), ranked No. 8/10, got routed by No. 4 Minnesota State, 5-1, in Minneapolis. The Mavericks (5-1, 2-0 WCHA) built a 3-1 lead through two periods and scored an early goal and a late empty-net goal in the third period to close out the victory.
No. 16 Wisconsin also had a rough night in non-conference play. The Badgers (4-3-0) lost at No. 14/15 North Dakota, 5-0. Center Rhett Gardiner led the Fighting Hawks (3-2-1) with three goals – one in each period.
In Saturday's games, in addition to MSU visiting Ferris State, Ohio State is at Notre Dame, Arizona State plays at Penn State, Lake Superior State plays host to Michigan, Minnesota travels to Minnesota State and Wisconsin is at North Dakota.
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