Photo by: Mike Miller/Fighting Irish Media
Neil’s Notebook: Four-Goal Surge Dooms Spartans on Friday
1/26/2019 9:21:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the first 38 minutes, Michigan State and Notre Dame were in a tight, back-and-forth hockey game with the Irish holding a 2-1 lead nearing the end of the second period.
For a few minutes, Notre Dame would control the puck and put pressure on in the offensive zone. Then it was the Spartans' turn. Both teams created good scoring chances, both goalies made some good saves.
But then came the turning point.
It was a six-minute stretch from late in the second period to early in the third period in which this game was decided. The Irish scored four goals – two in the second period within 27 seconds and two power-play goals in the third – to surge into a 6-1 lead.
The Spartans fought back with two goals midway through the final period, but Notre Dame held on for a 6-3 victory on Friday night in the Big Ten series opener in front of 4,462 fans at Lefty Smith Rink at Compton Family Ice Arena.
Defensive zone mistakes and penalty killing woes – Notre Dame was 3-for-4 on the power play – doomed the Spartans, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a disappointing end.
Despite the loss, there were some positives. MSU had a season-high 52 shots on a goal and 81 shot attempts, with 13 off target and three shot hitting posts.
"There were an awful lot of things we did well. And when you get 50 shots against Notre Dame, you've done something right,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "But a common theme for me – obviously we can't give up six goals – we had a couple of blown backchecks, our penalty killing (wasn't good), and then in the defensive zone, we kind of lost our coverage.
"It was an urgency aspect that we needed to bring. They picked us apart a little but we'll take the good and learn from the things that (weren't good). There were things we've been doing well that we didn't do tonight.
"Notre dame deserved to win. They played a good game and we'll be better tomorrow.''
The Spartans (9-13-3 overall, 5-8-2-2 Big Ten), now in fifth place, will try to salvage a split in the series when they face the third-place Irish (14-8-2, 7-6-1-1) in the second game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Compton Family Arena.
Cody Milan led MSU with two goals – a 5-on-3 power-play in the second period and the final score of the game midway through the third period. He had five shots on goal
Taro Hirose scored MSU's second goal of the game in the final period just 22 seconds before Milan tapped in a loose puck to make it 6-3. It was Hirose's 12th goal of the season and boosted his nation-leading points total to 41.
Notre Dame had several stellar performances. Freshman Michael Graham had two goals and two assists, linemate Dylan Malmquist had two goals and one assist and junior Mike O'Leary – the third member of the line – chipped in with four assists.
And in goal, junior Cale Morris stopped a season-high 49 shots, including 18 in each of the second and third periods.
After going down 2-0 on two goals by Malmquist – late in the first period and on a power play early in the second – the Spartans got back into the game on Milan's 5-on-3 power-play goal at 6:25 of the first period, set up by Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski.
But the momentum only shifted slightly, and the Irish capitalized on defensive miscues and hit wide-open forwards in the slot to score at 18:20 by Cam Burke and 18:47 by defenseman Torey Dello to turn a 2-1 game into a 4-1 cushion.
"Our goal didn't drive us or get us going. I don't think it got us right there,'' Cole said. "We were getting our chances and, in some ways, maybe we felt we were all right, but you have to have that edge. We're not a good enough team to not play with that edge and urgency, and push the point of attack. You give team a chance to make plays and all of a sudden, it's 4-1 for no reason.
"We had most of the plays read but most of the plays read means the puck could be in the back of your net.''
MSU goalie John Lethemon, starting his fourth straight game, made 25 saves. The Spartans were 1-for-4 on the power play with 19 shots on goal during 7 minutes and 21 seconds of power-play time.
To escape with a series split, Cole said the Spartans must play with more urgency in the areas that cost them Friday and continue to put pucks on net and have players lurking around the crease and in the slot.
"You have to play every game like it's you against the world. Like (against) U of M and there's no tomorrow,'' he said. "When you play like that good things happen. We did enough things well so the competency was there. The urgency part was what we needed. We have to have a little bit of jam to get the result you want.
"The guys are ticked off in (the locker room). And I'm sure they'll be better. But we're learning as we move along. And it's hard to win four straight games in this league.''
MILAN'S POINTS PILE UP: In his first 17 games this season, senior forward Cody Milan scored two goals and had five assists for seven points In his last 10 games – starting with the 2-2 tie with Michigan in the GLI – Milan has four goals and six assists for 10 points. Five points – 3 goals and 2 assists came via the power play. Four points (1 goal, 3 assists) came at even strength and one point (an assist) was the result of an extra-attacker goal.
Milan, a 6-foot-1, 188-pound right wing from White Lake, scored two goals in Friday's 6-3 loss to Notre Dame. He converted from the edge of the crease during a two-man advantage early in the second period, and he banged in a loose puck in the crease during 5-on-5 play midway through the third period.
On the power play or with linemates Adam Goodsir and Logan Lambdin, Milan is hanging out in the dangerous scoring zones – around the net and near the slot.
All this reminds MSU coach Danton Cole a story from a few years back.
"I remember Senator (Phil) Gramm from Texas used to tell a story about a bank robber who was asked 'Why do you rob banks?' And he said, 'That's where the money is,''' Cole said. "Well, that's where the goals are – in front of the net. And he's going there and getting rewarded.''
Milan is now MSU's fifth-leading scorer with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 25 games. Last season, he had six goals and 15 assists for a career-high 21 points after totaling seven points (2-5) as a freshman and five (1-4) as a sophomore.
"He's assertive, he's been aggressive and he's putting pucks in the net,'' Cole said. "Look where he's scoring. Right around the net.''
Milan said his first goal was from being in the right place at the right time, and the second one was because of persistent digging around the net by his linemates.
"It was a 5-on-3 and I was just moving around, just trying to get open and I was in the right place (for a rebound) and I put it in,'' he said of his first goal that cut Notre Dame's lead to 2-1 early in the middle period.
"On the second goal, there was a scramble in front and Goodsir and Lambdin were working hard and I kind of snuck in there. The puck popped right to me and I was able to whack at it, and it popped up and went into the net. It was good work by my linemates.''
As a senior, Milan has experienced frustrating games like Friday's, but he's confident his team will take the good aspects, make some adjustments and be in good position to rebound on Saturday and skate away with a victory.
"I think we did 90 percent of things well and it was the 10 percent that we need to be better at,'' he said. "We need to be better with back pressure and picking up guys. But there are good things we can take into Saturday.
"We have to focus on our back pressure, tune it up and bring more energy and intensity.''
SPARTAN POTPOURRI: Taro Hirose's goal in the third period increased his point streak to five games (3 goals, 7 assists 10 points). He has a point in eight of his last nine contests (6-10-16). Hirose has been held pointless in only five games this season. Meanwhile, Hirose, a strong candidate for Hobey Baker Award and an NCAA West All-American spot, still leads the country in scoring with 12 goals and 29 assists for 41 points in 25 games. He has a five-point lead on Mercyhurst defenseman Joseph Duszak, who has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 26 games.
THE IRISH VIEW: Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson had high praise for two of his new forward line combinations, caused by recent injuries and illness to three top-scoring forwards – Cal Burke (9-12-21); Cam Morrison (7-7-14) and Joe Wegwerth (7-4-11).
The unit with junior Mike O'Leary centering senior Dylan Malmquist on left wing and freshman Michael Graham on the right side accounted for four goals and seven assists for 11 points. Malmquist had two goals and an assist, Graham scored twice and had two assists while O'Leary chipped in with four assists.
Meanwhile, an all-freshman line was challenged with containing MSU's KHL line of Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski. And they did a solid job, even though the Spartan trio combined for 16 shots, with Lewandowski the team leader with six. Defenseman Zach Osburn also had six shots on goal.
"It wasn't just about the O'Leary line. We had a freshman line (Jake Pivonka, Graham Slaggert and Alex Steeves) playing against the best line in college hockey. They played hard and they played smart,'' Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said.
"You can never figure this game out. I've been doing this for a long time. You lose three primary scorers and it causes lines to change and you find something.''
Burke, Morrison and Wegwerth had combined for 23 goals before being sidelined a few weeks ago.
After losing three games in a row, including getting swept at home by Minnesota, the Irish are 2-0-1 in their last three, starting with a 6-4 win and 2-2 tie against Wisconsin last weekend.
IN THE BIG TEN: In arguably college hockey's most bizarre game on Friday, Minnesota and Wisconsin combined for nine goals in the third period as the Gophers turned a close game into a runaway with 9-4 victory in Minneapolis.
Minnesota led 3-0 after one period and carried a 3-1 edge into the third period when the red light started blinking frequently. Wisconsin made it 3-2 early in the period but Minnesota got it back two minutes later and then boosted its lead to 5-2. Game over? Not quite.
The Badgers scored two goals within 1 minute and 45 seconds to cut the Gophers lead to 5-4 with 7:32 left. But Minnesota erupted for four goals – none into an empty net – in 3 minutes and 48 seconds, including two on the power play, to secure the victory. The teams meet again on Saturday night.
On Thursday, Michigan scored four goals in the second period, breaking a 0-0 tie, and went to hand Penn State its fourth consecutive loss with a 5-1 victory in Ann Arbor. The teams complete their weekend series on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ohio State, which remains in first place, now with a five-point lead over Minnesota, has the weekend off. The Buckeyes play host to Notre Dame next weekend.
MSUSpartans.com
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the first 38 minutes, Michigan State and Notre Dame were in a tight, back-and-forth hockey game with the Irish holding a 2-1 lead nearing the end of the second period.
For a few minutes, Notre Dame would control the puck and put pressure on in the offensive zone. Then it was the Spartans' turn. Both teams created good scoring chances, both goalies made some good saves.
But then came the turning point.
It was a six-minute stretch from late in the second period to early in the third period in which this game was decided. The Irish scored four goals – two in the second period within 27 seconds and two power-play goals in the third – to surge into a 6-1 lead.
The Spartans fought back with two goals midway through the final period, but Notre Dame held on for a 6-3 victory on Friday night in the Big Ten series opener in front of 4,462 fans at Lefty Smith Rink at Compton Family Ice Arena.
Defensive zone mistakes and penalty killing woes – Notre Dame was 3-for-4 on the power play – doomed the Spartans, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a disappointing end.
Despite the loss, there were some positives. MSU had a season-high 52 shots on a goal and 81 shot attempts, with 13 off target and three shot hitting posts.
"There were an awful lot of things we did well. And when you get 50 shots against Notre Dame, you've done something right,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "But a common theme for me – obviously we can't give up six goals – we had a couple of blown backchecks, our penalty killing (wasn't good), and then in the defensive zone, we kind of lost our coverage.
"It was an urgency aspect that we needed to bring. They picked us apart a little but we'll take the good and learn from the things that (weren't good). There were things we've been doing well that we didn't do tonight.
"Notre dame deserved to win. They played a good game and we'll be better tomorrow.''
The Spartans (9-13-3 overall, 5-8-2-2 Big Ten), now in fifth place, will try to salvage a split in the series when they face the third-place Irish (14-8-2, 7-6-1-1) in the second game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Compton Family Arena.
Cody Milan led MSU with two goals – a 5-on-3 power-play in the second period and the final score of the game midway through the third period. He had five shots on goal
Taro Hirose scored MSU's second goal of the game in the final period just 22 seconds before Milan tapped in a loose puck to make it 6-3. It was Hirose's 12th goal of the season and boosted his nation-leading points total to 41.
Notre Dame had several stellar performances. Freshman Michael Graham had two goals and two assists, linemate Dylan Malmquist had two goals and one assist and junior Mike O'Leary – the third member of the line – chipped in with four assists.
And in goal, junior Cale Morris stopped a season-high 49 shots, including 18 in each of the second and third periods.
After going down 2-0 on two goals by Malmquist – late in the first period and on a power play early in the second – the Spartans got back into the game on Milan's 5-on-3 power-play goal at 6:25 of the first period, set up by Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski.
But the momentum only shifted slightly, and the Irish capitalized on defensive miscues and hit wide-open forwards in the slot to score at 18:20 by Cam Burke and 18:47 by defenseman Torey Dello to turn a 2-1 game into a 4-1 cushion.
"Our goal didn't drive us or get us going. I don't think it got us right there,'' Cole said. "We were getting our chances and, in some ways, maybe we felt we were all right, but you have to have that edge. We're not a good enough team to not play with that edge and urgency, and push the point of attack. You give team a chance to make plays and all of a sudden, it's 4-1 for no reason.
"We had most of the plays read but most of the plays read means the puck could be in the back of your net.''
MSU goalie John Lethemon, starting his fourth straight game, made 25 saves. The Spartans were 1-for-4 on the power play with 19 shots on goal during 7 minutes and 21 seconds of power-play time.
To escape with a series split, Cole said the Spartans must play with more urgency in the areas that cost them Friday and continue to put pucks on net and have players lurking around the crease and in the slot.
"You have to play every game like it's you against the world. Like (against) U of M and there's no tomorrow,'' he said. "When you play like that good things happen. We did enough things well so the competency was there. The urgency part was what we needed. We have to have a little bit of jam to get the result you want.
"The guys are ticked off in (the locker room). And I'm sure they'll be better. But we're learning as we move along. And it's hard to win four straight games in this league.''
MILAN'S POINTS PILE UP: In his first 17 games this season, senior forward Cody Milan scored two goals and had five assists for seven points In his last 10 games – starting with the 2-2 tie with Michigan in the GLI – Milan has four goals and six assists for 10 points. Five points – 3 goals and 2 assists came via the power play. Four points (1 goal, 3 assists) came at even strength and one point (an assist) was the result of an extra-attacker goal.
Milan, a 6-foot-1, 188-pound right wing from White Lake, scored two goals in Friday's 6-3 loss to Notre Dame. He converted from the edge of the crease during a two-man advantage early in the second period, and he banged in a loose puck in the crease during 5-on-5 play midway through the third period.
On the power play or with linemates Adam Goodsir and Logan Lambdin, Milan is hanging out in the dangerous scoring zones – around the net and near the slot.
All this reminds MSU coach Danton Cole a story from a few years back.
"I remember Senator (Phil) Gramm from Texas used to tell a story about a bank robber who was asked 'Why do you rob banks?' And he said, 'That's where the money is,''' Cole said. "Well, that's where the goals are – in front of the net. And he's going there and getting rewarded.''
Milan is now MSU's fifth-leading scorer with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 25 games. Last season, he had six goals and 15 assists for a career-high 21 points after totaling seven points (2-5) as a freshman and five (1-4) as a sophomore.
"He's assertive, he's been aggressive and he's putting pucks in the net,'' Cole said. "Look where he's scoring. Right around the net.''
Milan said his first goal was from being in the right place at the right time, and the second one was because of persistent digging around the net by his linemates.
"It was a 5-on-3 and I was just moving around, just trying to get open and I was in the right place (for a rebound) and I put it in,'' he said of his first goal that cut Notre Dame's lead to 2-1 early in the middle period.
"On the second goal, there was a scramble in front and Goodsir and Lambdin were working hard and I kind of snuck in there. The puck popped right to me and I was able to whack at it, and it popped up and went into the net. It was good work by my linemates.''
As a senior, Milan has experienced frustrating games like Friday's, but he's confident his team will take the good aspects, make some adjustments and be in good position to rebound on Saturday and skate away with a victory.
"I think we did 90 percent of things well and it was the 10 percent that we need to be better at,'' he said. "We need to be better with back pressure and picking up guys. But there are good things we can take into Saturday.
"We have to focus on our back pressure, tune it up and bring more energy and intensity.''
SPARTAN POTPOURRI: Taro Hirose's goal in the third period increased his point streak to five games (3 goals, 7 assists 10 points). He has a point in eight of his last nine contests (6-10-16). Hirose has been held pointless in only five games this season. Meanwhile, Hirose, a strong candidate for Hobey Baker Award and an NCAA West All-American spot, still leads the country in scoring with 12 goals and 29 assists for 41 points in 25 games. He has a five-point lead on Mercyhurst defenseman Joseph Duszak, who has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 26 games.
THE IRISH VIEW: Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson had high praise for two of his new forward line combinations, caused by recent injuries and illness to three top-scoring forwards – Cal Burke (9-12-21); Cam Morrison (7-7-14) and Joe Wegwerth (7-4-11).
The unit with junior Mike O'Leary centering senior Dylan Malmquist on left wing and freshman Michael Graham on the right side accounted for four goals and seven assists for 11 points. Malmquist had two goals and an assist, Graham scored twice and had two assists while O'Leary chipped in with four assists.
Meanwhile, an all-freshman line was challenged with containing MSU's KHL line of Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski. And they did a solid job, even though the Spartan trio combined for 16 shots, with Lewandowski the team leader with six. Defenseman Zach Osburn also had six shots on goal.
"It wasn't just about the O'Leary line. We had a freshman line (Jake Pivonka, Graham Slaggert and Alex Steeves) playing against the best line in college hockey. They played hard and they played smart,'' Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said.
"You can never figure this game out. I've been doing this for a long time. You lose three primary scorers and it causes lines to change and you find something.''
Burke, Morrison and Wegwerth had combined for 23 goals before being sidelined a few weeks ago.
After losing three games in a row, including getting swept at home by Minnesota, the Irish are 2-0-1 in their last three, starting with a 6-4 win and 2-2 tie against Wisconsin last weekend.
IN THE BIG TEN: In arguably college hockey's most bizarre game on Friday, Minnesota and Wisconsin combined for nine goals in the third period as the Gophers turned a close game into a runaway with 9-4 victory in Minneapolis.
Minnesota led 3-0 after one period and carried a 3-1 edge into the third period when the red light started blinking frequently. Wisconsin made it 3-2 early in the period but Minnesota got it back two minutes later and then boosted its lead to 5-2. Game over? Not quite.
The Badgers scored two goals within 1 minute and 45 seconds to cut the Gophers lead to 5-4 with 7:32 left. But Minnesota erupted for four goals – none into an empty net – in 3 minutes and 48 seconds, including two on the power play, to secure the victory. The teams meet again on Saturday night.
On Thursday, Michigan scored four goals in the second period, breaking a 0-0 tie, and went to hand Penn State its fourth consecutive loss with a 5-1 victory in Ann Arbor. The teams complete their weekend series on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Ohio State, which remains in first place, now with a five-point lead over Minnesota, has the weekend off. The Buckeyes play host to Notre Dame next weekend.
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