Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Striving for Strong Defensive Effort in Road Series at No. 11/10 Penn State
1/10/2019 8:17:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Defensively, Michigan State is going to have to be very, very good against offensive-minded Penn State if the Spartans hope to have any success this weekend at Pegula Arena.
The Nittany Lions are the highest-scoring team in college hockey, averaging 4.9 goals a game. In their last 13 games, they've failed to score at least four goals four times – two goals at Ohio State, three at Wisconsin in November and one last Saturday at Minnesota.
While the Spartans have the top scorer in the nation (Taro Hirose, 9 goals, 22 assists, 31 points), Penn State has the second- and third-leading scorers (Alex Limoges, 11-19-30; Evan Barratt (13-16-29), two players with 22 points (Liam Folkes, 9-13) and Brandon Biro (7-15) and one with 20 (the 6-foot-7 Nikita Pavlychev (10-10).
Penn State has long been noted for putting lots and lots of shots on goal, and this season is no different. The Nittany Lions are No. 1 in the nation, averaging 39.9 per game.
"They're very aggressive, they shoot from everywhere, as you can see by their shot totals,'' MSU junior defenseman Jerad Rosburg said. "They're not always shooting to score but shooting to create havoc in front of the net and get rebounds to pop out into good scoring areas.''
Michigan State (6-11-3 overall, 2-6-2-2 Big Ten) and No. 10/11 Penn State (12-6-2, 4-5-1-1) meet at 8 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. in Happy Valley. The Spartans are coming off a 7-7 tie (and 3-on-3 OT win) and 6-0 loss to Ohio State, while the Nittany Lions split last weekend at Minnesota – a 4-2 victory and 4-1 loss.
"It's another great test on the road against another good offensive team,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "They have guys that can get up and put pucks on net. And they do a good job of generating speed coming into the offensive zone.
"Their defense is really involved and they attack. They get pucks to the net and bring a lot of bodies to the net. That's their mentality. They attack, find space, put pucks on the net and make you turn around and find the puck. They're hard to play against.''
The Nittany Lions have won a lot of games by simply outscoring their opponents. They've scored five or more goals eight times this season and struck for four goals eight times.
Defensively, Penn State ranks last (7th) in the Big Ten and 55th in the nation, averaging 3.65 goals against. So, the Spartans expect to create offensive opportunities of their own because of the Nittany Lions' aggressiveness.
"When you play an aggressive team, they're up in the play so if you can counteract that, you'll get chances at the other end,'' Rosburg said. "If we can defend properly and get up the ice, we should have numbers going the other way.
"But we have to play them honest, defend well, keep them in front of us and keep them to the outside. Even in the corners, you have to expect shots and so you have to box out in front.
"They have good depth and some fast and skilled guys. A lot of their higher-end forwards have stuck around so they have good experience. It's a challenge and I'm looking forward to it.''
Mitchell Lewandowski played in four games against Penn State as a freshman last season and believes the Spartans played very well in three of them, while going 1-2-1 against the Nittany Lions.
MSU lost the first game at PSU, 7-2, then led by a goal late in the third period before the Nittany Lions tied it with 34 seconds left. But the Spartans won the shootout, 2-1, with Lewandowski scoring the winner.
In the second series, Michigan State won the opener at Munn Arena, 4-2, led by Lewandowski's two goals. In the second game – the Spartans' Senior Night – Penn State edged MSU, 3-2.
"I really remember the win here,'' Lewandowski said. "I remember Patty (Khodorenko) made the pass to me from behind the net at one end (in the first period) and then made a behind-the-back pass to score at the other end (in the second period). The next night was Senior Night and we lost but it was a good game.''
What are Lewandowski's keys to the Spartans having a happy weekend in Happy Valley?
"We have to buckle down and play really well defensively. Our penalty killing and power play – special teams – have to be really good against a very good team,'' said the 5-foot-9, 177-pound sophomore from Clarkston, who has six goals and 19 points in 20 games.
"It's about taking away chances, playing physical on them. Most teams that are really offensive don't like to be hit. So, being physical and not giving them a lot of time and space will be important.
"Their defense is going to jump into the play a lot so if you can get those stops, you can get odd-man rushes the other way, and we have to take advantage of those chances.''
THE MSU-PENN STATE RIVALRY: The Nittany Lions lead the series 11-7-2, thanks to a 9-1-2 edge in the last 12 games. The Spartans went 6-2-1 against Penn State at the start of the series. Last season, MSU was 1-2-1 vs. the Nittany Lions. The teams met during Thanksgiving weekend in 2017, with Penn State winning the series opener 7-2, but the Spartans bounced back and played well in the second game in a 2-2 tie and flew home happy after winning the shootout. In mid-February, MSU's final home series was against the Nittany Lions, with the Spartans capturing the first game, 4-2, and Penn State spoiling Senior Night with a 3-2 victory. Taro Hirose is MSU's leading scorer against PSU with four goals and six assists for 10 points in eight games. Patrick Khodorenko is next with a goal and five assists for six points in eight games, while the third member of the KHL line – Mitchell Lewandowski – is third with two goals and two assists for four points in four games.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: Penn State started the season with a six-game winning streak before getting upset at home by Arizona State, 4-3 in overtime. The Nittany Lions' overall record of 12-6-2 is enhanced by a strong non-conference record of 8-1-1. In the Big Ten, Penn State is under .500 at 4-5-1, with series splits against Michigan and Notre Dame, both a home, and a splits on the road at Ohio State and Minnesota, and a tie (shootout win) and loss at Wisconsin.
The Nittany Lions feature one of the best forward lines in the nation with sophomore Evan Barratt centering sophomore Alex Limoges on left wing and junior Liam Folkes on right wing. Limoges (11-19-30) and Barratt (13-16-29) are the second and third-leading scorers in the nation.
Barratt, a 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Bristol, Pa., was Penn State's 10th leading scorer last year as a freshman, with 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points. Barratt, 19, played two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program, while MSU coach Danton Cole was there. Cole coached the U-18 team when Barratt played for the U-17s and was in charge of the U-17 team when Barratt played for the U-18s.
So, Cole didn't coach him directly but still watched him develop, and he's not surprised that Barratt has turned into a top scorer.
"He's a good leader and we loved him around there. He worked really hard and had a great shot,'' Cole said. "This is a good pace for a true sophomore. Most guys his age are just starting college hockey or are still a year away. He definitely had the parts – the big shot, he's tough down the middle and goes to the net. So, the scoring part hasn't surprised anyone that knows him.''
In goal, junior Peyton Jones has started nine of the last 10 games and has an 8-4-2 record, a 3.27 goals-against average and a .902 saves percentage.
3-GOAL RALLY MEMORY: It's not often a team can rally from three goals behind late in the third period and tie the game, send it into overtime and escape what looked like a sure defeat. Michigan State's crazy comeback from a 7-4 deficit with five minutes left against Ohio State last Friday at Munn Arena is a game that will talked about for years, especially among fans who witnessed the 7-7 tie and subsequent 3-on-3 overtime win, giving the Spartans two points in the Big Ten standings.
The last time MSU rallied from a three-goal deficit to tie a game in the third period was at Notre Dame in a 4-4 tie on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 1996. The Spartans trailed 4-1 with four minutes left. Tony Tuzzolino made it 4-2 with a goal at 16:27. MSU pulled goalie Chad Alban at 18:38 and Richard Keyes scored at 18:45 to make it a one-goal game. Alban again skated off for a sixth attacker at 18:51 and Keyes tied it 4-4 at 19:05. That's three goals in 2 minutes and 38 seconds, with the last two coming 20 seconds apart
The overtime was scoreless. MSU outshot the Irish, 47-27, in a game witness by only 1,671 fans. The tie left the Spartans with records of 26-8-1 overall and 22-5-1 in the CCHA.
FROM TEAMMATES TO RIVALS: Michigan State's Tommy Miller, Brody Stevens, Cody Milan, Adam Goodsir, David Keefer, Brennan Sanford, Tommy Apap, Cole Krygier, Christian Krygier and Drew DeRidder were once junior teammates with several Penn State players.
Miller played with the Nittany Lions' Evan Barratt with the U.S. U-18 team in 2016-17. Stevens and Apap were teammates with Denis Smirnov with the Fargo Force of the USHL – Stevens in 2014-15 and Apap in 2015-16. Stevens also played with Alec Marsh in Fargo in 2014-15 and he played with PSU defenseman Cole Hults with the USHL's Madison Capitols in 2015-16. Apap was teammates with defenseman Kris Myllari with the Youngstown Phantoms in 2015-16
Milan and Chris Berger played for the Tri City Storm of the USHL in 2013-14. Goodsir and high-scoring forward Alex Limoges were teammates with Tri City in 2016-17. Keefer and the Nittany Lions' Nikita Pavlychev and James Gobetz played together with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL in 2015-16.
Sanford also played with Pavlychev in Des Moines in 2014-15. Cole and Christian Krygier were teammates with Penn State forward Sam Sternschein with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in 2016-17, and DeRidder and Sternschein played together briefly in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in 2016-17.
IN THE BIG TEN: First-place Ohio State (20 points) plays host to Michigan (15 points, tied for third) on Friday and Saturday in the first series of the season between the two teams. Last season, the Buckeyes went 5-0 vs. the Wolverines. No. 4/3 OSU (12-4-4 overall, 5-2-3-2 Big Ten) is coming of a 7-7 tie (and shootout loss) and 6-0 win at Michigan State. Michigan (7-8-6, 3-4-4-2) defeated Notre Dame 4-2 last Saturday but was upset by Merrimack of Hockey East, 4-2, in a non-conference game on Tuesday in Ann Arbor.
Notre Dame (12-6-1, 5-4-0-0), ranked No. 9, is home against Minnesota (7-8-4, 4-3-3-0) also on Friday and Saturday. The Irish and Gophers each have 15 points and are in a three-way tie with Michigan for third place. But the Wolverines have played 11 games, the Gophers 10 and Irish nine.
Wisconsin, which is in second place in the Big Ten with 16 points, plays the U.S. Under-18 team on Saturday night in Madison. The Badgers (8-9-3, 4-3-3-1) are coming off two home losses last weekend against Denver, 6-3 and 4-3 in overtime. Wisconsin hasn't played a Big Ten series since Dec. 7-8.
In the scoring race in Big Ten play, MSU's Taro Hirose is in a three-way tie with Penn State's Evan Barratt and Ohio State's Mason Jobst with 15 points apiece. Hirose has four goals and 11 assists in 10 games. Barratt has eight goals and seven assists in eight games, while Jobst has nine goals and six assists in 10 games. The Spartans' Patrick Khodorenko is in a four-way tie for fourth in conference scoring with six goals and seven assists for 13 points.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Defensively, Michigan State is going to have to be very, very good against offensive-minded Penn State if the Spartans hope to have any success this weekend at Pegula Arena.
The Nittany Lions are the highest-scoring team in college hockey, averaging 4.9 goals a game. In their last 13 games, they've failed to score at least four goals four times – two goals at Ohio State, three at Wisconsin in November and one last Saturday at Minnesota.
While the Spartans have the top scorer in the nation (Taro Hirose, 9 goals, 22 assists, 31 points), Penn State has the second- and third-leading scorers (Alex Limoges, 11-19-30; Evan Barratt (13-16-29), two players with 22 points (Liam Folkes, 9-13) and Brandon Biro (7-15) and one with 20 (the 6-foot-7 Nikita Pavlychev (10-10).
Penn State has long been noted for putting lots and lots of shots on goal, and this season is no different. The Nittany Lions are No. 1 in the nation, averaging 39.9 per game.
"They're very aggressive, they shoot from everywhere, as you can see by their shot totals,'' MSU junior defenseman Jerad Rosburg said. "They're not always shooting to score but shooting to create havoc in front of the net and get rebounds to pop out into good scoring areas.''
Michigan State (6-11-3 overall, 2-6-2-2 Big Ten) and No. 10/11 Penn State (12-6-2, 4-5-1-1) meet at 8 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. in Happy Valley. The Spartans are coming off a 7-7 tie (and 3-on-3 OT win) and 6-0 loss to Ohio State, while the Nittany Lions split last weekend at Minnesota – a 4-2 victory and 4-1 loss.
"It's another great test on the road against another good offensive team,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "They have guys that can get up and put pucks on net. And they do a good job of generating speed coming into the offensive zone.
"Their defense is really involved and they attack. They get pucks to the net and bring a lot of bodies to the net. That's their mentality. They attack, find space, put pucks on the net and make you turn around and find the puck. They're hard to play against.''
The Nittany Lions have won a lot of games by simply outscoring their opponents. They've scored five or more goals eight times this season and struck for four goals eight times.
Defensively, Penn State ranks last (7th) in the Big Ten and 55th in the nation, averaging 3.65 goals against. So, the Spartans expect to create offensive opportunities of their own because of the Nittany Lions' aggressiveness.
"When you play an aggressive team, they're up in the play so if you can counteract that, you'll get chances at the other end,'' Rosburg said. "If we can defend properly and get up the ice, we should have numbers going the other way.
"But we have to play them honest, defend well, keep them in front of us and keep them to the outside. Even in the corners, you have to expect shots and so you have to box out in front.
"They have good depth and some fast and skilled guys. A lot of their higher-end forwards have stuck around so they have good experience. It's a challenge and I'm looking forward to it.''
Mitchell Lewandowski played in four games against Penn State as a freshman last season and believes the Spartans played very well in three of them, while going 1-2-1 against the Nittany Lions.
MSU lost the first game at PSU, 7-2, then led by a goal late in the third period before the Nittany Lions tied it with 34 seconds left. But the Spartans won the shootout, 2-1, with Lewandowski scoring the winner.
In the second series, Michigan State won the opener at Munn Arena, 4-2, led by Lewandowski's two goals. In the second game – the Spartans' Senior Night – Penn State edged MSU, 3-2.
"I really remember the win here,'' Lewandowski said. "I remember Patty (Khodorenko) made the pass to me from behind the net at one end (in the first period) and then made a behind-the-back pass to score at the other end (in the second period). The next night was Senior Night and we lost but it was a good game.''
What are Lewandowski's keys to the Spartans having a happy weekend in Happy Valley?
"We have to buckle down and play really well defensively. Our penalty killing and power play – special teams – have to be really good against a very good team,'' said the 5-foot-9, 177-pound sophomore from Clarkston, who has six goals and 19 points in 20 games.
"It's about taking away chances, playing physical on them. Most teams that are really offensive don't like to be hit. So, being physical and not giving them a lot of time and space will be important.
"Their defense is going to jump into the play a lot so if you can get those stops, you can get odd-man rushes the other way, and we have to take advantage of those chances.''
THE MSU-PENN STATE RIVALRY: The Nittany Lions lead the series 11-7-2, thanks to a 9-1-2 edge in the last 12 games. The Spartans went 6-2-1 against Penn State at the start of the series. Last season, MSU was 1-2-1 vs. the Nittany Lions. The teams met during Thanksgiving weekend in 2017, with Penn State winning the series opener 7-2, but the Spartans bounced back and played well in the second game in a 2-2 tie and flew home happy after winning the shootout. In mid-February, MSU's final home series was against the Nittany Lions, with the Spartans capturing the first game, 4-2, and Penn State spoiling Senior Night with a 3-2 victory. Taro Hirose is MSU's leading scorer against PSU with four goals and six assists for 10 points in eight games. Patrick Khodorenko is next with a goal and five assists for six points in eight games, while the third member of the KHL line – Mitchell Lewandowski – is third with two goals and two assists for four points in four games.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: Penn State started the season with a six-game winning streak before getting upset at home by Arizona State, 4-3 in overtime. The Nittany Lions' overall record of 12-6-2 is enhanced by a strong non-conference record of 8-1-1. In the Big Ten, Penn State is under .500 at 4-5-1, with series splits against Michigan and Notre Dame, both a home, and a splits on the road at Ohio State and Minnesota, and a tie (shootout win) and loss at Wisconsin.
The Nittany Lions feature one of the best forward lines in the nation with sophomore Evan Barratt centering sophomore Alex Limoges on left wing and junior Liam Folkes on right wing. Limoges (11-19-30) and Barratt (13-16-29) are the second and third-leading scorers in the nation.
Barratt, a 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Bristol, Pa., was Penn State's 10th leading scorer last year as a freshman, with 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points. Barratt, 19, played two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program, while MSU coach Danton Cole was there. Cole coached the U-18 team when Barratt played for the U-17s and was in charge of the U-17 team when Barratt played for the U-18s.
So, Cole didn't coach him directly but still watched him develop, and he's not surprised that Barratt has turned into a top scorer.
"He's a good leader and we loved him around there. He worked really hard and had a great shot,'' Cole said. "This is a good pace for a true sophomore. Most guys his age are just starting college hockey or are still a year away. He definitely had the parts – the big shot, he's tough down the middle and goes to the net. So, the scoring part hasn't surprised anyone that knows him.''
In goal, junior Peyton Jones has started nine of the last 10 games and has an 8-4-2 record, a 3.27 goals-against average and a .902 saves percentage.
3-GOAL RALLY MEMORY: It's not often a team can rally from three goals behind late in the third period and tie the game, send it into overtime and escape what looked like a sure defeat. Michigan State's crazy comeback from a 7-4 deficit with five minutes left against Ohio State last Friday at Munn Arena is a game that will talked about for years, especially among fans who witnessed the 7-7 tie and subsequent 3-on-3 overtime win, giving the Spartans two points in the Big Ten standings.
The last time MSU rallied from a three-goal deficit to tie a game in the third period was at Notre Dame in a 4-4 tie on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 1996. The Spartans trailed 4-1 with four minutes left. Tony Tuzzolino made it 4-2 with a goal at 16:27. MSU pulled goalie Chad Alban at 18:38 and Richard Keyes scored at 18:45 to make it a one-goal game. Alban again skated off for a sixth attacker at 18:51 and Keyes tied it 4-4 at 19:05. That's three goals in 2 minutes and 38 seconds, with the last two coming 20 seconds apart
The overtime was scoreless. MSU outshot the Irish, 47-27, in a game witness by only 1,671 fans. The tie left the Spartans with records of 26-8-1 overall and 22-5-1 in the CCHA.
FROM TEAMMATES TO RIVALS: Michigan State's Tommy Miller, Brody Stevens, Cody Milan, Adam Goodsir, David Keefer, Brennan Sanford, Tommy Apap, Cole Krygier, Christian Krygier and Drew DeRidder were once junior teammates with several Penn State players.
Miller played with the Nittany Lions' Evan Barratt with the U.S. U-18 team in 2016-17. Stevens and Apap were teammates with Denis Smirnov with the Fargo Force of the USHL – Stevens in 2014-15 and Apap in 2015-16. Stevens also played with Alec Marsh in Fargo in 2014-15 and he played with PSU defenseman Cole Hults with the USHL's Madison Capitols in 2015-16. Apap was teammates with defenseman Kris Myllari with the Youngstown Phantoms in 2015-16
Milan and Chris Berger played for the Tri City Storm of the USHL in 2013-14. Goodsir and high-scoring forward Alex Limoges were teammates with Tri City in 2016-17. Keefer and the Nittany Lions' Nikita Pavlychev and James Gobetz played together with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL in 2015-16.
Sanford also played with Pavlychev in Des Moines in 2014-15. Cole and Christian Krygier were teammates with Penn State forward Sam Sternschein with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in 2016-17, and DeRidder and Sternschein played together briefly in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in 2016-17.
IN THE BIG TEN: First-place Ohio State (20 points) plays host to Michigan (15 points, tied for third) on Friday and Saturday in the first series of the season between the two teams. Last season, the Buckeyes went 5-0 vs. the Wolverines. No. 4/3 OSU (12-4-4 overall, 5-2-3-2 Big Ten) is coming of a 7-7 tie (and shootout loss) and 6-0 win at Michigan State. Michigan (7-8-6, 3-4-4-2) defeated Notre Dame 4-2 last Saturday but was upset by Merrimack of Hockey East, 4-2, in a non-conference game on Tuesday in Ann Arbor.
Notre Dame (12-6-1, 5-4-0-0), ranked No. 9, is home against Minnesota (7-8-4, 4-3-3-0) also on Friday and Saturday. The Irish and Gophers each have 15 points and are in a three-way tie with Michigan for third place. But the Wolverines have played 11 games, the Gophers 10 and Irish nine.
Wisconsin, which is in second place in the Big Ten with 16 points, plays the U.S. Under-18 team on Saturday night in Madison. The Badgers (8-9-3, 4-3-3-1) are coming off two home losses last weekend against Denver, 6-3 and 4-3 in overtime. Wisconsin hasn't played a Big Ten series since Dec. 7-8.
In the scoring race in Big Ten play, MSU's Taro Hirose is in a three-way tie with Penn State's Evan Barratt and Ohio State's Mason Jobst with 15 points apiece. Hirose has four goals and 11 assists in 10 games. Barratt has eight goals and seven assists in eight games, while Jobst has nine goals and six assists in 10 games. The Spartans' Patrick Khodorenko is in a four-way tie for fourth in conference scoring with six goals and seven assists for 13 points.
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