Neil’s Notebook: No.11 Penn State Holds Off Spartans
1/12/2019 9:18:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Michigan State played a solid, spirited game against Penn State on Friday night. The Spartans' compete level was high and they defended fairly well against the highest-scoring team in the nation.
But it still wasn't enough as the Nittany Lions held off late second period and early third period surges by MSU and held on for a 4-2 victory in a Big Ten series opener in front of a crowd of 6,096 at Pegula Arena.
"There's not too many things I'm disappointed in, other than the score,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "We have to tighten up things, but overall our guys worked hard.
"Penn State is a good team and they play fast, and I thought our guys did a good job with that. Both teams battled, played physical. It was a good game and we just came out on the wrong side.''
For the second consecutive Friday, the Spartans found themselves trailing by three goals, only unlike last week against Ohio State, MSU was down 3-0 midway through the second period instead of trailing (7-4) with five minutes left in the third period. Last Friday, MSU rallied to tie the Buckeyes 7-7 and win in the 3-on-3 overtime for two points in the Big Ten standings.
The same formula fell short on Friday in Happy Valley – rather Unhappy Valley for the Spartans.
Michigan State battled back, cut the deficit to 3-2 with a pair of goals within 4:23 in the second period, and had a couple of excellent chances to tie it in the third period. The rally was ignited by the standout effort of the Spartans' KHL line – Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski.
The unit teamed up for both goals. Khodorenko scored at 13:19 of the second period, set up by Lewandowski and Hirose, to make it 3-1, and Hirose connected on a power play at 17:42 to suddenly make it anyone's game at 3-2.
But MSU couldn't finish off some quality chances in the third period, and then lost momentum when Penn State's Liam Folkes scored a fluky goal at 10:43 from the goal line on the right.
A shot from the slot by defenseman Kris Myllari went wide and left of the net, but the puck caromed of the boards to Folkes, who gained possession from a wide angle on the right. He fired it out front and it hit the left skate of MSU defenseman Tommy Miller and caromed into the net past goalie Drew DeRidder (35 saves) for a 4-2 lead.
The Spartans still had a couple of scoring chances late, but PSU goalie Peyton Jones (25 saves) was solid and shut down the comeback bid by MSU, which had 13 shots on goal during the final 20 minutes.
Michigan State (6-12-3, 2-7-2-2) will try to salvage a series split when it faces Penn State (13-6-2, 5-5-1-1) in the series finale at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pegula Arena.
The Spartans, who played a strong first period despite giving up the only goal at 12:48 by defenseman Kevin Kerr, were hurt by a less-than-two-minute stretch early in the second period. And it came with some controversy.
After Brandon Biro was tripped up by Lewandowski at the right side of the goal, Nikita Pavlychev retrieved the puck behind the net, came out from and slipped it into the net while DeRidder was struggling to get back in position at 6:36.
The Spartans claimed a PSU player was in the crease when Pavlychev brought the puck to the net and prevented DeRidder from scrambling back to the right post. The play was reviewed by referees Brian Thul and Anthony Czech and it was ruled a good goal.
To make things even worse for Michigan State, Lewandowski was penalized for tripping Biro on the play. Penn State went on the power play and Nate Sucese's one-timer from the right circle found the back of the net for a 3-0 lead at 8:19.
"You're down 3-0 from a wide turn of events. They get a goal and then get one right at the end of a power play. It was 1-0 and suddenly it's 3-0 – out of one play really – the penalty,'' Cole said.
"I didn't think we were playing badly. I liked that the guys kept plugging away. We got a couple of bounces (later in the second period) where we didn't in some other areas. All of a sudden, it's 3-2 and you feel good about that.''
Michigan State threated early in the third period but the Nittany Lions survived some close calls and took advantage of a couple of good bounces to add their fourth goal and held on for the victory.
"We had two really good chances in the first period and then got down (by one goal) and our second period was really good,'' said Hirose, still the nation's leading scorer, now with 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points.
"We made them turn the puck over and got some shots on net and scored two goals. We had a lot of momentum in the second period. We had a lot of chances, but they got that tough one from behind the goal line, and that one took some wind out of our sails. But I think we finished the game strong with a lot of shots and chances.
"That's one thing we've been focusing on – shooting from anywhere and getting shots on net. We accomplished that and we just needed to finish those chances. Tomorrow, we have to bear down a little more on our chances. We don't want to get swept here.''
KHL LINE DOMINATES: Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky got his first look at this season's edition of Michigan State's high-scoring KHL line, made up of juniors Patrick Khodorenko and Taro Hirose and sophomore Mitchell Lewandowski, on Friday night and came away very impressed.
Khodorenko and Hirose each had a goal and an assist and Lewandowski had one assist, setting up MSU's first goal by Khodorenko. The line combined for 11 shots on goal – six by Hirose, four by Lewandowski and one by Khodorenko – and seemed to take their team on their shoulders midway through the second period.
Hirose especially had suburb game with intense forechecking, rushes in the PSU zone, pulling up and making good passes and playing a lot of minutes, along with his linemates, in trying to everything he could to tie the game.
"They're an excellent line. They move the puck extremely well and they're heavy, too,'' Gadowsky said. "It's no coincidence that they're as successful as they are.''
Hirose felt his line played with great energy and was in sync most of the game.
"All three of us were really going, making plays without the puck and getting in on their defense and that creates chances for us,'' he said. "I think we were just sticking to the game plan – getting pucks to the net We had those chances but it didn't go our way.''
Hirose continues to lead the nation in scoring, now with 10 goals and 23 assists for 23 points in 21 games. And he's one point away from his 100th career point as a Spartan. In his two-and-a-half-year career, Hirose has 28 goals and 71 assists for 99 points in 91 career games.
Meanwhile, Khodorenko has a team-leading 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 21 games this season. Lewandowski has six goals and 14 assists for 20 points.
"Taro had good jump tonight, and Patrick has been a horse for us, and when Lewie gets in straight lines and gets in on the forecheck, it drives some good things,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "They were good. They handle the puck and move with it and without it and did a great job or us.
"Sometimes, its just those guys getting good chances but we had some other guys that got good chances but it just didn't go in.''
Penn State used a checking line of center Nikita Pavlychev, left wing Blake Gober and right wing Sam Sternschein against the KHL line, and it worked hard in keeping up with one of the best lines in the nation. But the Nittany Lion trio got some help from teammates.
"I thought they handled it really well. They managed their shifts well,'' Gadowsky said. "They (the KHL line) were on the ice a lot, but I thought Pav, Gober and Sternschein stayed fresh. They didn't stay out full time. When they were tired, they got off and it was the next line up that was playing against them.''
Penn State's high-scoring line of Evan Barratt centering Alex Limoges on left wing and Folkes on the right side was held to a goal and one assist and six shots on goal. Folkes scored the Nittany Lions' fourth goal with Barratt earning the second assist. Limoges didn't have a point but had three shots on goal, while Folkes had two and Barratt one.
Other than the KHL line, MSU had six players with two shots on goal – forwards Sam Saliba, Wojciech Stachowiak, David Keefer and Cody Milan and defensemen Dennis Cesana and Jerad Rosburg. Adam Goodsir hit the left post with an open shot midway through the first period.
Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play. The Nittany Lions had five shots on goal during their power plays while the Spartans had three.
IN THE BIG TEN: In the first meeting of the season between first-place Ohio State and Michigan, the Wolverines shut down the No. 4/3 Buckeyes' offense and pulled out a 2-1 victory on Friday in Columbus. Will Lockwood's goal late in the second period broke a 1-1 tie and U-M kept OSU from scoring in the final 20 minutes. The Buckeyes led 1-0 after the first period.
At Notre Dame, the No. 9 Irish outshot Minnesota, 43-22, but the Gophers were better at putting pucks in the net in a 5-1 victory. It was Minnesota's second-straight win and Notre Dame's second loss in a row. The Gophers led only 1-0 entering the third period but they scored three-straight goals to go up 4-0 before the Irish finally scored.
OSU and U-M and Minnesota and Notre Dame close out their series on Saturday night.
Wisconsin plays the U.S. U-18 Team in an exhibition game on Saturday in Madison.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Michigan State played a solid, spirited game against Penn State on Friday night. The Spartans' compete level was high and they defended fairly well against the highest-scoring team in the nation.
But it still wasn't enough as the Nittany Lions held off late second period and early third period surges by MSU and held on for a 4-2 victory in a Big Ten series opener in front of a crowd of 6,096 at Pegula Arena.
"There's not too many things I'm disappointed in, other than the score,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "We have to tighten up things, but overall our guys worked hard.
"Penn State is a good team and they play fast, and I thought our guys did a good job with that. Both teams battled, played physical. It was a good game and we just came out on the wrong side.''
For the second consecutive Friday, the Spartans found themselves trailing by three goals, only unlike last week against Ohio State, MSU was down 3-0 midway through the second period instead of trailing (7-4) with five minutes left in the third period. Last Friday, MSU rallied to tie the Buckeyes 7-7 and win in the 3-on-3 overtime for two points in the Big Ten standings.
The same formula fell short on Friday in Happy Valley – rather Unhappy Valley for the Spartans.
Michigan State battled back, cut the deficit to 3-2 with a pair of goals within 4:23 in the second period, and had a couple of excellent chances to tie it in the third period. The rally was ignited by the standout effort of the Spartans' KHL line – Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski.
The unit teamed up for both goals. Khodorenko scored at 13:19 of the second period, set up by Lewandowski and Hirose, to make it 3-1, and Hirose connected on a power play at 17:42 to suddenly make it anyone's game at 3-2.
But MSU couldn't finish off some quality chances in the third period, and then lost momentum when Penn State's Liam Folkes scored a fluky goal at 10:43 from the goal line on the right.
A shot from the slot by defenseman Kris Myllari went wide and left of the net, but the puck caromed of the boards to Folkes, who gained possession from a wide angle on the right. He fired it out front and it hit the left skate of MSU defenseman Tommy Miller and caromed into the net past goalie Drew DeRidder (35 saves) for a 4-2 lead.
The Spartans still had a couple of scoring chances late, but PSU goalie Peyton Jones (25 saves) was solid and shut down the comeback bid by MSU, which had 13 shots on goal during the final 20 minutes.
Michigan State (6-12-3, 2-7-2-2) will try to salvage a series split when it faces Penn State (13-6-2, 5-5-1-1) in the series finale at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pegula Arena.
The Spartans, who played a strong first period despite giving up the only goal at 12:48 by defenseman Kevin Kerr, were hurt by a less-than-two-minute stretch early in the second period. And it came with some controversy.
After Brandon Biro was tripped up by Lewandowski at the right side of the goal, Nikita Pavlychev retrieved the puck behind the net, came out from and slipped it into the net while DeRidder was struggling to get back in position at 6:36.
The Spartans claimed a PSU player was in the crease when Pavlychev brought the puck to the net and prevented DeRidder from scrambling back to the right post. The play was reviewed by referees Brian Thul and Anthony Czech and it was ruled a good goal.
To make things even worse for Michigan State, Lewandowski was penalized for tripping Biro on the play. Penn State went on the power play and Nate Sucese's one-timer from the right circle found the back of the net for a 3-0 lead at 8:19.
"You're down 3-0 from a wide turn of events. They get a goal and then get one right at the end of a power play. It was 1-0 and suddenly it's 3-0 – out of one play really – the penalty,'' Cole said.
"I didn't think we were playing badly. I liked that the guys kept plugging away. We got a couple of bounces (later in the second period) where we didn't in some other areas. All of a sudden, it's 3-2 and you feel good about that.''
Michigan State threated early in the third period but the Nittany Lions survived some close calls and took advantage of a couple of good bounces to add their fourth goal and held on for the victory.
"We had two really good chances in the first period and then got down (by one goal) and our second period was really good,'' said Hirose, still the nation's leading scorer, now with 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points.
"We made them turn the puck over and got some shots on net and scored two goals. We had a lot of momentum in the second period. We had a lot of chances, but they got that tough one from behind the goal line, and that one took some wind out of our sails. But I think we finished the game strong with a lot of shots and chances.
"That's one thing we've been focusing on – shooting from anywhere and getting shots on net. We accomplished that and we just needed to finish those chances. Tomorrow, we have to bear down a little more on our chances. We don't want to get swept here.''
KHL LINE DOMINATES: Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky got his first look at this season's edition of Michigan State's high-scoring KHL line, made up of juniors Patrick Khodorenko and Taro Hirose and sophomore Mitchell Lewandowski, on Friday night and came away very impressed.
Khodorenko and Hirose each had a goal and an assist and Lewandowski had one assist, setting up MSU's first goal by Khodorenko. The line combined for 11 shots on goal – six by Hirose, four by Lewandowski and one by Khodorenko – and seemed to take their team on their shoulders midway through the second period.
Hirose especially had suburb game with intense forechecking, rushes in the PSU zone, pulling up and making good passes and playing a lot of minutes, along with his linemates, in trying to everything he could to tie the game.
"They're an excellent line. They move the puck extremely well and they're heavy, too,'' Gadowsky said. "It's no coincidence that they're as successful as they are.''
Hirose felt his line played with great energy and was in sync most of the game.
"All three of us were really going, making plays without the puck and getting in on their defense and that creates chances for us,'' he said. "I think we were just sticking to the game plan – getting pucks to the net We had those chances but it didn't go our way.''
Hirose continues to lead the nation in scoring, now with 10 goals and 23 assists for 23 points in 21 games. And he's one point away from his 100th career point as a Spartan. In his two-and-a-half-year career, Hirose has 28 goals and 71 assists for 99 points in 91 career games.
Meanwhile, Khodorenko has a team-leading 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 21 games this season. Lewandowski has six goals and 14 assists for 20 points.
"Taro had good jump tonight, and Patrick has been a horse for us, and when Lewie gets in straight lines and gets in on the forecheck, it drives some good things,'' Coach Danton Cole said. "They were good. They handle the puck and move with it and without it and did a great job or us.
"Sometimes, its just those guys getting good chances but we had some other guys that got good chances but it just didn't go in.''
Penn State used a checking line of center Nikita Pavlychev, left wing Blake Gober and right wing Sam Sternschein against the KHL line, and it worked hard in keeping up with one of the best lines in the nation. But the Nittany Lion trio got some help from teammates.
"I thought they handled it really well. They managed their shifts well,'' Gadowsky said. "They (the KHL line) were on the ice a lot, but I thought Pav, Gober and Sternschein stayed fresh. They didn't stay out full time. When they were tired, they got off and it was the next line up that was playing against them.''
Penn State's high-scoring line of Evan Barratt centering Alex Limoges on left wing and Folkes on the right side was held to a goal and one assist and six shots on goal. Folkes scored the Nittany Lions' fourth goal with Barratt earning the second assist. Limoges didn't have a point but had three shots on goal, while Folkes had two and Barratt one.
Other than the KHL line, MSU had six players with two shots on goal – forwards Sam Saliba, Wojciech Stachowiak, David Keefer and Cody Milan and defensemen Dennis Cesana and Jerad Rosburg. Adam Goodsir hit the left post with an open shot midway through the first period.
Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play. The Nittany Lions had five shots on goal during their power plays while the Spartans had three.
IN THE BIG TEN: In the first meeting of the season between first-place Ohio State and Michigan, the Wolverines shut down the No. 4/3 Buckeyes' offense and pulled out a 2-1 victory on Friday in Columbus. Will Lockwood's goal late in the second period broke a 1-1 tie and U-M kept OSU from scoring in the final 20 minutes. The Buckeyes led 1-0 after the first period.
At Notre Dame, the No. 9 Irish outshot Minnesota, 43-22, but the Gophers were better at putting pucks in the net in a 5-1 victory. It was Minnesota's second-straight win and Notre Dame's second loss in a row. The Gophers led only 1-0 entering the third period but they scored three-straight goals to go up 4-0 before the Irish finally scored.
OSU and U-M and Minnesota and Notre Dame close out their series on Saturday night.
Wisconsin plays the U.S. U-18 Team in an exhibition game on Saturday in Madison.
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