Spartans Host USNTDP U-18 Team in Exhibition on Saturday

Exhibition Game: USNTDP U-18 Team vs. Michigan State
Date | Time: Saturday, Dec. 15 | 7 p.m.
Location: Munn Ice Arena
Tickets: MSUSpartans.com
Promotions: Stuffed animal and toy drive – items being accepted at the doors of Munn
Web Stream: BTN Plus
Live Stats: MSUSpartans.com
Game Notes: Michigan State | Big Ten
Social Media: @MSU_Hockey

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On The Fly…
• The Spartans will play their final game before a two-week Christmas break when they meet the USNTDP U-18 Team in an exhibition on Saturday.

• MSU will return to regular-season action at the 54th annual Great Lakes Invitational, Dec. 30-31, at Little Caesars Arena … MSU will meet Lake Superior State in semifinal game two on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m.

• Michigan State has won the last four meetings against the USNTDP U-18 Team and is 8-6 all-time against the program … Last year, MSU topped the U-18s 3-0 in Plymouth.

• The Spartan roster features three NTDP alums in freshman goaltender Drew DeRidder, sophomore defenseman Tommy Miller and junior center Patrick Khodorenko … All three Spartan coaches – Danton Cole, Chris Luongo and Joe Exter – also served as coaches with the NTDP during their careers.

• Taro Hirose currently leads the nation in assists with 19, while his 26 points are third nationally and third in the Big Ten … Hirose has points in six of the last seven games and 12 total (2g, 10a) over the span … Hirose has been held without a point in just four of the Spartans' 16 games this season.

• Hirose is nearing the 100-point mark for his career with 92 points (25g, 67a) in 86 career games … In his career, he has just one more game without a point (26) than games with multiple points (25).

• Patrick Khodorenko ranks second in the Big Ten and is tied for fourth in the country with 11 goals, which is just two shy of his career best from last season.

• Khodorenko (11g, 5a) is tied with linemate Mitchell Lewandowski (5g, 11a) for second on the team with 16 points.

• The Spartans' KHL line of Khodorenko, Hirose and Lewandowski has combined for 58 points (23g, 35a) – 52% of the Spartans' total.

• MSU has won more faceoffs than its opponent in 12 of 16 games this season and the Spartans' .534 faceoff winning percentage ranks ninth in the country and is tied for second in the Big Ten.

• Tommy Apap leads the Spartans and ranks fifth in the Big Ten in faceoff winning percentage at .591 … Apap (176 wins) and Khodorenko (167 wins) rank third and fourth, respectively, in the conference in total faceoff wins.

• Goaltender John Lethemon made a season-high 40 saves the last time out (Dec. 8 at Wisconsin), in what was his first start since Nov. 23.

• Lethemon (2.94 GAA, .906 Sv. %) and freshman Drew DeRidder (3.23 GAA, .898 Sv. %) have split time in goal this season with each goaltender making eight starts.

Toy Drive on Saturday
The Spartans are hosting a stuffed animal and toy drive at Saturday's game. Fans can bring a new, unwrapped toy or stuffed animal to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. All donations will be accepted at the doors of Munn Arena.

Coming to Saturday's game? We're hosting a toy drive! Big a stuffed animal or toy to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. pic.twitter.com/hDjG3KFH2T
— MSU_Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) December 13, 2018

About the USNTDP U-18 Team
The U18s are 5-4 against NCAA teams, including wins over Notre Dame, Michigan, Harvard, Dartmouth and, most recently, Maine (6-4 on Dec. 8) … Jack Hughes is the team leader in both assists (38) and points (48), while Cole Caufield leads in goals (21) … The U18s have outscored opponents by a count of 123-78 … The team's power play is operating at 23.2% and the penalty kill has extinguished 87.9% of opponent power plays.

MSU-NTDP Connections
All three MSU coaches – Danton Cole, Chris Luongo and Joe Exter – spent time coaching with the USNTDP … Cole served as head coach from 2010-17; Luongo as an assistant from 2015-17; and Exter as an assistant from 2007-11 … All-time, MSU has had 24 players from the USNTDP.

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Hirose Among The Nation's Best
Taro Hirose is coming off a season long six-game point streak over which he produced 12 points (2g, 10). The junior leads the nation in assists with 19 and is third in the country in points with 26.

Since November 17, Hirose leads the Big Ten in assists (10), is second in points (12) and is a league-best plus-7. Over that stretch, Hirose helped spur the Spartans' comeback at Minnesota on Nov. 24 with a goal and then assists on the tying and game-winning goal. He also assisted on each of the Spartans' final three goals in the 4-3 victory over Michigan and then scored the lone goal the following night in a tie and shootout win.

Dating back to the end of last season, he has points in 20 of the Spartans' last 25 games.

Career Numbers Piling Up
Taro Hirose's offensive pace is placing him among some of the best Spartan point-producers since 2000. With 92 points in 86 games, he is just eight points shy of becoming the first Spartan to hit the 100 point mark since Tim Crowder (106 points, 151 games; 2005-09). With 67 career helpers, Hirose has surpassed the assist totals of several of the most offensively-inclined Spartans of the 2000s, including Bryan Lerg (60a, 169 GP 2004-08); David Booth (60a, 134 GP 2002-06) and Tim Kennedy (63a, 113 GP 2005-08). Hirose's 67 helpers are the most by a Spartan Tyler Howells had 70 in 154 games from 2003-07.

In his career (86 games), Hirose has just one more game without a point (26) than games with multiple points (25). Hirose has eight multi-point games this season, including six three-point games.

Khodorenko's Scoring Touch
Patrick Khodorenko is on one of the best stretches of his career with nine points (6g, 3a) over the last eight games, which included a four-game goal scoring streak. His team-leading 11 goals, which are just two shy of his total from last year, are tied for second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally.

The native of Walnut Creek, California, who played for Danton Cole with the USNTDP has found a good amount of success on the power play as his five goals on the man-advantage are tied for second in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation. Fourteen of his 31 career goals have come on the power play.

Khodorenko, who scored two goals on Dec. 7 at Wisconsin, was the Big Ten First Star of the Week on Nov. 6 for the first time in his career after his four-point game (3g, 1a) on Nov. 2 in a win over Ferris State.

Cesana Leading Spartan Rookies
Rookie Dennis Cesana is tied for fifth among all rookies in the Big Ten with eight points (1g, 7a), which is second among freshmen defensemen. The native of Providence, R.I., who led all defensemen in the AJHL in points (75) last season, ranks fourth on the team and is first among MSU defensemen in points. He has two multi-point games and scored his first-career goal on Oct. 26 in a win over No. 8 Cornell.

1300 All-Time Wins
The Spartans' 4-3 victory over Michigan at Munn on November 30th was the 1,300th all-time win in program history. In 77 seasons, MSU is 1,300-1,040-154.

All KHL
Since playing together in the first game of last season, Patrick Khodorenko (11-5--16), Taro Hirose (7-19--26) and Mitchell Lewandowski (5-11--16) have combined to form one of the Big Ten's – and college hockey's – most dangerous lines. Last season, they produced a total of 108 points (44 goals, 64 assists) in playing together in all 36 games. This season, the trio has combined for 58 of 112 (51.8%) of the Spartans' total points this season.

Khodorenko – Has a team-high 11 goals – one of just 19 players in college hockey to have a double-digit goal total … His team-leading five power-play goals rank fifth in the nation and second in the league ... MSU's active career leader in goals (31) ... Ranked 12th in the Big Ten and third on the team in points (32) last season.

Hirose – Third in the country in points (27) and leads the nation in assists (19)… Has two game-winning goals ... Has points in 20 of 25 games dating back to last season ... Has eight multi-point games this season and 25 in his career ... Has 92 points (25g, 67a) in 85 career games ... 2018 All-Big Ten second team … His 42 points were the most by a Spartan since Corey Tropp had the same number in 2009-10 … His 30 assists were the most since Jim Slater in 2004-05 (32).

Lewandowski – Started the season with a career-best five-game point streak (3-6--9) ... Had a season-high three points (1g, 2a) at Cornell (10/27) ... 2018 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and only unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman team … Led all rookies nationally in goals (19) and tied for the most in the Big Ten (among all players) during the regular season … Was the first MSU freshman to score at least 19 goals since 1997-98 (Rustyn Dolyny).

Stevens, Apap and Sanford Making an Impact
Sophomores Brody Stevens (5-11, 191 lbs.) and Tommy Apap (6-2, 206 lbs.) have combined with senior Brennan Sanford (6-1, 208 lbs.) to not only form the Spartans' most physical line, but also an offensive impact. The trio, which combined for 16 points last season, has combined for 11 so far this season. Stevens, who had two goals last season, has four already this year, including the game-winner at Minnesota on Nov. 24. He scored the first goal against Michigan on Nov. 30, with an assist from Apap.