Photo by: Andrew Knapik
Neil’s Notebook: Spartans and Wolverines Settle for Tie, but Spartans Take Shootout
12/2/2018 9:25:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
ANN ARBOR – Michigan State came into Saturday's series finale fired up and eager for a sweep. Michigan, also fired up, was determined to salvage a split.
Neither the Spartans and Wolverines got what they wanted, but it was Michigan State that ended the night happy while U-M skated off frustrated.
The puck didn't go in like it did on Friday in the Spartans' 4-3 victory in East Lansing and so the teams on Saturday night settled for a 1-1 tie, with MSU, after scoreless 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 overtimes, winning the shootout in front of a sellout crowd of 5,800 at Yost Arena.
The game is considered a tie in overall records, but in Big Ten play the Spartans earned two points – and five points for the weekend – while the Wolverines get one for the game and the series.
MSU won the shootout in the fourth round when senior left-wing Brennan Sanford, who's from East Lansing, beat U-M goalie Strauss Mann with wrist shot, touching off a spirited celebration along the boards across the Spartans' bench.
Even though the game is still a tie, each team had a different outlook on the finish.
"It's a win for our team. We consider (the series) a sweep,'' Sanford said. "It was a battle. To be able to say we swept Michigan and I was able to get the game-winner, that's really special. It was great.''
The Wolverines were not focusing on the tie either.
"How much this game stinks: It is brutal,'' Michigan coach Mel Pearson said. "If you walked into that locker room now, you would think something drastic had happened.
"It's tough. It's a big rival. (The players) take it serious, they take it to heart. And we felt we deserved better. That's the frustrating thing. I think we had two pretty good games and got one point out of it, but that's sports. It's a tough night for all of us.''
MSU (6-7-1 overall, 2-3-1-1 Big Ten) is undefeated in its last three games at 2-0-1. Michigan (6-6-3, 2-3-3-1) is winless in five games (0-2-3).
For the second straight night, freshman goaltender Drew DeRidder was Michigan's biggest nemesis. He made 43 saves on Friday and stopped 35 shots on Saturday, including a couple of game-saving saves in the 5-on-5 overtime. He was also unbeatable in the 3-on-3 overtime, which is used to break ties and counts only in the Big Ten standings.
"I'm a little bit at a loss for words. It's such an incredible feeling to come down here and get the (shootout) win,'' said the 5-foot-10, 167-pound rookie from Fenton and a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program.
"I thought I played pretty well on Friday and tonight, I think I could have done some things better, but I can't complain. We got a win in the shootout and that's great.''
In the shootout, DeRidder made clutch saves on three elite Wolverines – forwards Josh Norris and Will Lockwood and defenseman Quinn Hughes and red-shirt sophomore Luke Morgan. Meanwhile, Michigan freshman goalie Strauss Mann stopped MSU's top three players – Taro Hirose, Mitchell Lewandowski and Patrick Khodorenko.
Sanford then got the call from Coach Danton Cole and he delivered to end the game, much to DeRidder's delight.
"In the shootout, I thought 'This is getting to be a long game and it's past my bedtime,'' DeRidder said with sly smile.
Sanford said he was surprised when Cole told him he was next up in the shootout.
"I wasn't expecting to go fourth, but when coach calls your name, you have to be ready,'' he said. "I just thought, 'keep it simple and trust why you're playing.' Coach told me to shoot. You have to keep the goalie guessing and act like you might be making a move and then shoot the wrister.''
Cole said picking his first three shooters was easy. You go with the KHL line. And then decisions have to be made. Assistant coach Joe Exter was pushing for Sanford.
"I said 'all right, lets send Sandy out there – as long as he goes down and takes a snap shot,''' Cole said. "Sandy has a really good shot. He went down and buried it. As a senior and a Lansing kid, that's a pretty cool thing. Good for him.''
Both goals in the game came on power plays. Michigan took a 1-0 lead on defenseman Nick Boka's power-play goal from the left circle at 8:13 of the first period, set up by Hughes and Jimmy Lambert.
The Spartans tied it on Taro Hirose's unassisted power-play goal at 5:52 of the second period. The puck squirted loose from the right boards and slid right to Hirose a few feet inside the blue line. He went to the net, took a look and fired the puck between the legs of Mann for his seventh goal of the season and first on the power play.
"They sort of turned the puck over in the middle and I've been shooting five-hole more lately so that's my spot. It was five-hole,'' Hirose said. "He sorta went up on one knee. There was a guy in front of him so I'm not sure what he saw.''
Penalty killing was solid for both teams as each killed four of five power plays. MSU had six shots on its power plays, while U-M, big chucks of zone time, had five shots on goal with a manpower advantage.
The Spartans had three power plays in the third period, although the last one, with two minutes left in the period, lasted only 21 seconds. The Wolverines had two power plays in the third period but their last one also was for only 21 seconds.
"It was an exciting game and everyone got bonus hockey. We all enjoyed it,'' Cole said of the game, the two overtimes and shootout. "It's funny, you get to the shootout and it's just one (extra) point in the Big Ten standings, but you just feel better afterwards when you win. It makes a different in the standings but it doesn't nationally.
"It was a good hockey game both teams battled hard both nights. Both games were interesting but different kind of games. But hey, we ended on the right side of it and that will make the bus trip home a lot better.''
The Spartans are 2-0-1 since ending their sixth-game losing streak, and Hirose believes his team is headed in the right direction.
"It's big for us and the program to string some good games together and we've played really well. The last couple of years, that's been a struggle for us,'' he said. "It was nice to see us put some games like these together.''
MSU has some momentum and the challenge now is to continue to improve and add to its victory total.
"As long as we take the same approach on Monday and come out looking to get better and moving things forward, then this is (a meaningful stretch),'' Cole said. "There's things we have to work on. If this gives us extra energy, then it's a good thing.''
DERIDDER TIME: A week ago, Drew DeRidder's first start at Minnesota ended less than four minutes into the first period when he was beaten on the first two shots he faced. With the Spartans down, 6-2, after two periods, Coach Danton Cole sent DeRidder back in for the third period. He gave up one more goal, MSU lost 7-2, but the freshman goaltender got some confidence back, and he's been stellar ever since.
He's started the last three games and he's played a major role in the Spartans' three-game unbeaten streak – a 4-2 win at Minnesota, 4-3 over Michigan on Friday and Saturday's 1-1 tie and shootout win.
"Last Friday, that was a tough start but I got a chance to come back in the third period and it went pretty well and that prepared me for the next game,'' DeRidder said. "I had a good week of practice and got a little better.
"It's a lot of fun. That's why you stay on the ice after practice. You work on breakaways, you work on competing, getting to every puck. You have to perfect all the little things.
"As for the shootouts, you don't to showcase it that much, but when you do, it's a big deal. There's a lot of pressure.''
And DeRidder handled the pressure very well on Saturday – during the 65-minute game, in the 3-on-3 overtime and in the shootouts, making clutch several clutch saves, controlling rebounds and being alert around the net.
"I think he was a lot cleaner tonight. There were probably more clean chances on Friday in tight when he had to scramble,'' Cole said. "Tonight, we kept things to the outside and our backpressure was better. There weren't as many clean looks off the rush. Drew was better in controlling the play and with his rebounds and he got us faceoffs when we needed them.''
Cole said he and his assistant coaches talked about Saturday's starter and decided to come back with DeRidder because of his performance on Friday. It was for the same reason that junior goalie John Lethemon made both starts at Cornell, winning both games.
"Some times you come back with them when they play very well and sometimes you come back with them when they don't and you want them to prove it to themselves that they can battle back,'' Cole said. "Drew played really well on Friday and he was ready to go tonight.
"He was outstanding this weekend, and now it's up to Lethemon to come out and be our best player in practice on Monday. That's the mentality he has to have.''
DeRidder is now 2-3-1 with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .906 saves percentage. Lethemon is 4-4 with a 3.06 GAA and a .897 saves percentage.
"Drew was our safety valve back there whenever there was a mistake, and he came up big,'' junior left wing Taro Hirose said. "He came up big, especially in overtime when they were putting on some pressure. It's great for him to come into a building like this, with a hostile crowd, and play like that.''
3-ON-3 OVERTIME LESSONS: Michigan played its first 3-on-3 overtime a week ago after a series-opening 1-1 tie with Wisconsin, and scored in the OT to skate off with two points in the Big Ten. In the second game of that series, the Badgers won in a shootout.
But Saturday was Michigan State's first experience with the 3-on-3 overtime and the coaches and players learned a lot from actually playing in it.
"It's a long game and it was fun. That's what you want as a player or fan, to be exciting like that,'' said MSU left wing Hirose, after playing in his first 3-on-3 format. "It was fun to play in.
"There's little plays that we can pick up on to make it a little easier and get more chances. Hopefully, we won't be in that many 3-on-3s, that we'll have finished the game before that with a win.''
Coach Danton Cole liked the excitement level of both the 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 overtimes.
"The 5-on-5 was good. It was up-and-down and both teams played well,'' he said. "When you get to the 3-on-3, are top guys were zapped. When you see a couple guys on both teams that are good skaters lugging up and down the ice, you know they were tired.
"I had fun. The guys were up on the bench, and I liked that they hang together and have confidence in their team.''
UP NEXT: The Spartans play their final Big Ten series before the Christmas break when they meet Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday in Madison. The Badgers are coming off a tie and win at home against Penn State (see below).
Before leaving for their homes for the holiday, the Spartans will play an exhibition game against the U.S. National Team Development Program's U-18 team on Dec. 15 at Munn Arena. A year ago, MSU played the U.S. U-18s in Plymouth and emerged with a 3-0 victory.
The U-18 team is led by standout center Jack Hughes, who's considered a cinch to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in late June. Hughes is the brother of Michigan's Quinn Hughes.
IN THE BIG TEN: In the most bizarre game of the weekend, Wisconsin overcame a 5-3 deficit late in the second period against No. 6 Penn State and scored five straight goals – four in the third period – and cruised to an 8-5 victory on Saturday and earned four of six points their series in Madison.
The Badgers (6-7-3 overall, 2-3-3-1) built a 3-1 lead early in the second period but the Nittany Lions (10-4-1, 2-3-1-1) erupted for four goals in a span of 11 minutes and 35 seconds to go up, 5-3. Wisconsin cut the deficit to 5-4 late in the second period, and then scored three goals in less than six minutes to take a 7-5 lead and sealed the win with a late empty-net goal.
Wisconsin had scored only 14 goals in its previous nine games.
PSU and the Badgers played to a 3-3 tie on Friday, with the Nittany Lions winning the shootout.
No. 5 Ohio State and Minnesota repeated on Saturday what they did on Friday – a 2-2 tie with the Buckeyes winning in the 3-on-3 overtime each night.
OSU (9-4-3, 4-2-2-2) led 2-0 late in the first period but the Gophers scored a late goal and added another midway through the second period. The Buckeyes outshot Minnesota, 45-16.
In non-conference play, No. 8 Notre Dame (10-4-1, 4-2-0-0) completed a sweep of Rensselaer with a 3-1 victory at home. On Friday, the Irish topped the Engineers, 5-1. Notre Dame has won six games in a row.
Next weekend in the Big Ten, in addition to the MSU at Wisconsin series, Minnesota is at Michigan and Penn State plays host to Notre Dame.
Ohio State has the weekend off, and doesn't return to Big Ten play until visiting Michigan State, Jan. 4-5.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
ANN ARBOR – Michigan State came into Saturday's series finale fired up and eager for a sweep. Michigan, also fired up, was determined to salvage a split.
Neither the Spartans and Wolverines got what they wanted, but it was Michigan State that ended the night happy while U-M skated off frustrated.
The puck didn't go in like it did on Friday in the Spartans' 4-3 victory in East Lansing and so the teams on Saturday night settled for a 1-1 tie, with MSU, after scoreless 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 overtimes, winning the shootout in front of a sellout crowd of 5,800 at Yost Arena.
The game is considered a tie in overall records, but in Big Ten play the Spartans earned two points – and five points for the weekend – while the Wolverines get one for the game and the series.
MSU won the shootout in the fourth round when senior left-wing Brennan Sanford, who's from East Lansing, beat U-M goalie Strauss Mann with wrist shot, touching off a spirited celebration along the boards across the Spartans' bench.
Even though the game is still a tie, each team had a different outlook on the finish.
"It's a win for our team. We consider (the series) a sweep,'' Sanford said. "It was a battle. To be able to say we swept Michigan and I was able to get the game-winner, that's really special. It was great.''
The Wolverines were not focusing on the tie either.
"How much this game stinks: It is brutal,'' Michigan coach Mel Pearson said. "If you walked into that locker room now, you would think something drastic had happened.
"It's tough. It's a big rival. (The players) take it serious, they take it to heart. And we felt we deserved better. That's the frustrating thing. I think we had two pretty good games and got one point out of it, but that's sports. It's a tough night for all of us.''
MSU (6-7-1 overall, 2-3-1-1 Big Ten) is undefeated in its last three games at 2-0-1. Michigan (6-6-3, 2-3-3-1) is winless in five games (0-2-3).
For the second straight night, freshman goaltender Drew DeRidder was Michigan's biggest nemesis. He made 43 saves on Friday and stopped 35 shots on Saturday, including a couple of game-saving saves in the 5-on-5 overtime. He was also unbeatable in the 3-on-3 overtime, which is used to break ties and counts only in the Big Ten standings.
"I'm a little bit at a loss for words. It's such an incredible feeling to come down here and get the (shootout) win,'' said the 5-foot-10, 167-pound rookie from Fenton and a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program.
"I thought I played pretty well on Friday and tonight, I think I could have done some things better, but I can't complain. We got a win in the shootout and that's great.''
In the shootout, DeRidder made clutch saves on three elite Wolverines – forwards Josh Norris and Will Lockwood and defenseman Quinn Hughes and red-shirt sophomore Luke Morgan. Meanwhile, Michigan freshman goalie Strauss Mann stopped MSU's top three players – Taro Hirose, Mitchell Lewandowski and Patrick Khodorenko.
Sanford then got the call from Coach Danton Cole and he delivered to end the game, much to DeRidder's delight.
"In the shootout, I thought 'This is getting to be a long game and it's past my bedtime,'' DeRidder said with sly smile.
Sanford said he was surprised when Cole told him he was next up in the shootout.
"I wasn't expecting to go fourth, but when coach calls your name, you have to be ready,'' he said. "I just thought, 'keep it simple and trust why you're playing.' Coach told me to shoot. You have to keep the goalie guessing and act like you might be making a move and then shoot the wrister.''
Cole said picking his first three shooters was easy. You go with the KHL line. And then decisions have to be made. Assistant coach Joe Exter was pushing for Sanford.
"I said 'all right, lets send Sandy out there – as long as he goes down and takes a snap shot,''' Cole said. "Sandy has a really good shot. He went down and buried it. As a senior and a Lansing kid, that's a pretty cool thing. Good for him.''
Both goals in the game came on power plays. Michigan took a 1-0 lead on defenseman Nick Boka's power-play goal from the left circle at 8:13 of the first period, set up by Hughes and Jimmy Lambert.
The Spartans tied it on Taro Hirose's unassisted power-play goal at 5:52 of the second period. The puck squirted loose from the right boards and slid right to Hirose a few feet inside the blue line. He went to the net, took a look and fired the puck between the legs of Mann for his seventh goal of the season and first on the power play.
"They sort of turned the puck over in the middle and I've been shooting five-hole more lately so that's my spot. It was five-hole,'' Hirose said. "He sorta went up on one knee. There was a guy in front of him so I'm not sure what he saw.''
Penalty killing was solid for both teams as each killed four of five power plays. MSU had six shots on its power plays, while U-M, big chucks of zone time, had five shots on goal with a manpower advantage.
The Spartans had three power plays in the third period, although the last one, with two minutes left in the period, lasted only 21 seconds. The Wolverines had two power plays in the third period but their last one also was for only 21 seconds.
"It was an exciting game and everyone got bonus hockey. We all enjoyed it,'' Cole said of the game, the two overtimes and shootout. "It's funny, you get to the shootout and it's just one (extra) point in the Big Ten standings, but you just feel better afterwards when you win. It makes a different in the standings but it doesn't nationally.
"It was a good hockey game both teams battled hard both nights. Both games were interesting but different kind of games. But hey, we ended on the right side of it and that will make the bus trip home a lot better.''
The Spartans are 2-0-1 since ending their sixth-game losing streak, and Hirose believes his team is headed in the right direction.
"It's big for us and the program to string some good games together and we've played really well. The last couple of years, that's been a struggle for us,'' he said. "It was nice to see us put some games like these together.''
MSU has some momentum and the challenge now is to continue to improve and add to its victory total.
"As long as we take the same approach on Monday and come out looking to get better and moving things forward, then this is (a meaningful stretch),'' Cole said. "There's things we have to work on. If this gives us extra energy, then it's a good thing.''
DERIDDER TIME: A week ago, Drew DeRidder's first start at Minnesota ended less than four minutes into the first period when he was beaten on the first two shots he faced. With the Spartans down, 6-2, after two periods, Coach Danton Cole sent DeRidder back in for the third period. He gave up one more goal, MSU lost 7-2, but the freshman goaltender got some confidence back, and he's been stellar ever since.
He's started the last three games and he's played a major role in the Spartans' three-game unbeaten streak – a 4-2 win at Minnesota, 4-3 over Michigan on Friday and Saturday's 1-1 tie and shootout win.
"Last Friday, that was a tough start but I got a chance to come back in the third period and it went pretty well and that prepared me for the next game,'' DeRidder said. "I had a good week of practice and got a little better.
"It's a lot of fun. That's why you stay on the ice after practice. You work on breakaways, you work on competing, getting to every puck. You have to perfect all the little things.
"As for the shootouts, you don't to showcase it that much, but when you do, it's a big deal. There's a lot of pressure.''
And DeRidder handled the pressure very well on Saturday – during the 65-minute game, in the 3-on-3 overtime and in the shootouts, making clutch several clutch saves, controlling rebounds and being alert around the net.
"I think he was a lot cleaner tonight. There were probably more clean chances on Friday in tight when he had to scramble,'' Cole said. "Tonight, we kept things to the outside and our backpressure was better. There weren't as many clean looks off the rush. Drew was better in controlling the play and with his rebounds and he got us faceoffs when we needed them.''
Cole said he and his assistant coaches talked about Saturday's starter and decided to come back with DeRidder because of his performance on Friday. It was for the same reason that junior goalie John Lethemon made both starts at Cornell, winning both games.
"Some times you come back with them when they play very well and sometimes you come back with them when they don't and you want them to prove it to themselves that they can battle back,'' Cole said. "Drew played really well on Friday and he was ready to go tonight.
"He was outstanding this weekend, and now it's up to Lethemon to come out and be our best player in practice on Monday. That's the mentality he has to have.''
DeRidder is now 2-3-1 with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .906 saves percentage. Lethemon is 4-4 with a 3.06 GAA and a .897 saves percentage.
"Drew was our safety valve back there whenever there was a mistake, and he came up big,'' junior left wing Taro Hirose said. "He came up big, especially in overtime when they were putting on some pressure. It's great for him to come into a building like this, with a hostile crowd, and play like that.''
3-ON-3 OVERTIME LESSONS: Michigan played its first 3-on-3 overtime a week ago after a series-opening 1-1 tie with Wisconsin, and scored in the OT to skate off with two points in the Big Ten. In the second game of that series, the Badgers won in a shootout.
But Saturday was Michigan State's first experience with the 3-on-3 overtime and the coaches and players learned a lot from actually playing in it.
"It's a long game and it was fun. That's what you want as a player or fan, to be exciting like that,'' said MSU left wing Hirose, after playing in his first 3-on-3 format. "It was fun to play in.
"There's little plays that we can pick up on to make it a little easier and get more chances. Hopefully, we won't be in that many 3-on-3s, that we'll have finished the game before that with a win.''
Coach Danton Cole liked the excitement level of both the 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 overtimes.
"The 5-on-5 was good. It was up-and-down and both teams played well,'' he said. "When you get to the 3-on-3, are top guys were zapped. When you see a couple guys on both teams that are good skaters lugging up and down the ice, you know they were tired.
"I had fun. The guys were up on the bench, and I liked that they hang together and have confidence in their team.''
UP NEXT: The Spartans play their final Big Ten series before the Christmas break when they meet Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday in Madison. The Badgers are coming off a tie and win at home against Penn State (see below).
Before leaving for their homes for the holiday, the Spartans will play an exhibition game against the U.S. National Team Development Program's U-18 team on Dec. 15 at Munn Arena. A year ago, MSU played the U.S. U-18s in Plymouth and emerged with a 3-0 victory.
The U-18 team is led by standout center Jack Hughes, who's considered a cinch to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in late June. Hughes is the brother of Michigan's Quinn Hughes.
IN THE BIG TEN: In the most bizarre game of the weekend, Wisconsin overcame a 5-3 deficit late in the second period against No. 6 Penn State and scored five straight goals – four in the third period – and cruised to an 8-5 victory on Saturday and earned four of six points their series in Madison.
The Badgers (6-7-3 overall, 2-3-3-1) built a 3-1 lead early in the second period but the Nittany Lions (10-4-1, 2-3-1-1) erupted for four goals in a span of 11 minutes and 35 seconds to go up, 5-3. Wisconsin cut the deficit to 5-4 late in the second period, and then scored three goals in less than six minutes to take a 7-5 lead and sealed the win with a late empty-net goal.
Wisconsin had scored only 14 goals in its previous nine games.
PSU and the Badgers played to a 3-3 tie on Friday, with the Nittany Lions winning the shootout.
No. 5 Ohio State and Minnesota repeated on Saturday what they did on Friday – a 2-2 tie with the Buckeyes winning in the 3-on-3 overtime each night.
OSU (9-4-3, 4-2-2-2) led 2-0 late in the first period but the Gophers scored a late goal and added another midway through the second period. The Buckeyes outshot Minnesota, 45-16.
In non-conference play, No. 8 Notre Dame (10-4-1, 4-2-0-0) completed a sweep of Rensselaer with a 3-1 victory at home. On Friday, the Irish topped the Engineers, 5-1. Notre Dame has won six games in a row.
Next weekend in the Big Ten, in addition to the MSU at Wisconsin series, Minnesota is at Michigan and Penn State plays host to Notre Dame.
Ohio State has the weekend off, and doesn't return to Big Ten play until visiting Michigan State, Jan. 4-5.
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