Spartans Host Badgers For Two This Weekend at Munn

Wisconsin (9-11-4, 5-5-4-1 B1G) vs. Michigan State (9-13-4, 5-8-3-2 B1G)
Dates | Times: Friday, Feb. 1 | 7 p.m. // Saturday, Feb. 2 | 5:30 p.m.
Location: Munn Ice Arena | East Lansing
Tickets: MSUSpartans.com
Promotions: Friday – 4 seats, 4 treats // Saturday – Family Four Pack
Web Stream: BTN + on BTN2Go (Fri.) | BTN2Go (Sat.)
TV (Sat.): BTN
Radio: Spartan Sports Network | Local: WJIM-AM 1240 (Fri.), WVFN-AM 730 (Sat.)
Live Stats: MSUSpartans.com
Game Notes: Michigan State | Wisconsin | Big Ten
Social Media: @MSU_Hockey

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On The Fly…
• The Spartans begin February by hosting Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday … It's the second to last regular season home series for the Spartans.

• Michigan State is coming off a loss and tie at No. 11 Notre Dame last weekend, while Wisconsin split its road series at Minnesota … The Spartans, Badgers and Penn State are all tied for fifth place in the conference with 20 points apiece and are all five points out of second place.

• For the fourth consecutive week junior Taro Hirose leads the nation in both points (42) and assists (29) … Hirose also leads the country in points per game (1.62) and assists per game (1.12).

• Hirose had a goal in each game last weekend at Notre Dame to extend his point streak to a season-long six games (4-7--11), which is one shy of his career best … He has points in nine of the last 10 games (6-10--16) and has 28 points (8g, 20a) over the last 17 games.

• With 108 points (31g, 77a) in 96 career games, Hirose's 1.12 points per game average is the highest among all Spartans that have hit the 100-point mark since 2000.

• Patrick Khodorenko is tied for eighth in the country in points (29) and goals (14) … Khodorenko has points in five of the last six games (2-6--8)

• Mitchell Lewandowski is on a career best six-game point streak (5-3--8) … He is 21st in the nation in points (27).

• Michigan State boasts three of the top-eight scorers in the Big Ten in Hirose (1st; 13-29--42), Khodorenko (5th; 14-15--29 and Lewandowski (T-7th; 11-16--27) … The KHL line has combined for 47% of the Spartans' point production as their 98 total points are just 10 short the trio's combined total from last season (36 games).

• The Spartans have power-play goals in four of the last six games and are 6-for-19 (.316) over the span … On the season, MSU ranks 13th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten in power-play percentage at .223.

• MSU is averaging 39.0 shots on goal over the last five games, which is fourth best in the country over the span and +9.96 over its season average.

• Dennis Cesana is fourth nationally among all freshmen defensemen with 18 points (3g, 15a).

• Senior Cody Milan has points in four of the last five games (3-4--7) ... He is fifth on the team with 17 points and his six goals equal his career high from last season.

• The Spartans averaged 3.62 goals per game in the month of January, which is ranks ninth nationally and third in the Big Ten during the month.

Parking Information for Saturday
Due to an overlap in athletic events on Saturday, hockey parking passes regardless of designated lot will only be honored at Lot 79 (south of Spartan Stadium) and Ramp 7 (Harrison Road) beginning at 2:30 p.m. Handicap parking with a Lot 63E (Breslin) pass and a handicap tag will still be honored at Lot 63E as space allows as well as Ramp 5 (Trowbridge and Red Cedar) with a shuttle starting at 3 p.m.

About Wisconsin
After falling to Minnesota 9-4 in the opener, the Badgers responded with a 4-3 victory the following night against the Gophers … Wisconsin is one of three teams (MSU, PSU) tied for fifth place in the league with 20 points, but has played two fewer games than the other two schools … Wisconsin is 1-3-1 in its last five games … UW is 12th nationally in goals per game at 3.21 and 46th in goals against per game at 3.38 … Freshman blue liner K'Andre Miller leads the team in points (20) and assists (15) … Sophomore Sean Dhooghe leads in goals with nine … Freshman Daniel Lebedeff has made 14 starts in goal (3.18 GAA, .888 Sv. %), while Jack Berry has made 10 (3.37 GAA, .891 Sv. %).

Against Wisconsin
The all-time series is tied 55-55-3, while MSU leads 28-20-1 in games played at home ... Patrick Khodorenko is the Spartans' active leader in points against the Badgers with 10 (4g, 6a) in 10 games ... Taro Hirose has nine points - all assists - in nine games vs. UW, while Mitchell Lewandowski has six goals in six games against Wisconsin.

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Of Note vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 25-26)
Cody Milan had the first two-goal game of his career in the Spartans' 6-3 loss … MSU held Notre Dame to 0-of-4 on the power play in the 1-1 tie, marking the first time they held an opponent without a power-play goal since Nov. 16 … The Spartans' 52 shots on goal in the loss were a season high and their most in a game since Feb. 11, 2011 at Northern Michigan when they also had 52 … MSU was 1-for-7 on the power play in the series.

Hirose Continuing to Lead the Nation
Junior Taro Hirose has proven to be one of the most consistent offensive producers in the country and for the fourth straight week he leads the country in both points (42) and assists (29). He has had multiple points in half of the Spartans' 26 games this season.

Hirose has points in all but four games this season, including in 15 of the last 17. Over the last 17 games (since Nov. 17), he has produced 28 points, including 20 assists, both of which are the most in the country over the span.

The Calgary native is currently on a six-game point streak (4-7--11), which is tied for his longest of the season and one short of his career best. On the Spartans' 29 goals in the month of January, Hirose had a hand in nearly half (6g, 8a).

Dating back to the end of last season, he has points in 29 of the Spartans' last 35 games.

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For Comparison's Sake…
Hirose's 42 points, which equal his career high total from last season (36 games), are three more than last year's Hobey Baker Award winner, Adam Gaudette, had through 26 games (39) in 2017-18. Hirose also has five more assists (29) than any other player through 26 games last season. The last college hockey player to have more than 29 assists through 26 games was New Hampshire's Tyler Kelleher who had 30 in 2015-16.

On Pace With Elite Spartans
Taro Hirose's offensive pace is placing him with some of the best Spartan point-producers since 2000. With 108 points in 96 games, he became just 15th Spartan to hit the 100-point mark since 2000 (69th in program history).

Most impressively are Hirose's points and assists-per-game averages. Of the 15 Spartans to reach 100 career points since 2000, Hirose has the highest point-per-game average at 1.12, above even Jim Slater (1.1 points per game/172 career points) and Shawn Horcoff (0.98 points per game/152 career points).

With 77 total helpers, Hirose's 0.8 assist per game average is the highest of any Spartan that reached the 100 point mark since 2000. The 77 assists are the sixth most by a Spartan since 2000.

In his career (96 games), Hirose has more games with multiple points (30) than games without a point (27). Hirose has 13 multi-point games this season, including seven three-point games.

January Brings Goals
The Spartan offense has begun to heat up with the beginning of the new calendar year. The Spartans' 29 goals in January are tied for the fifth most in the country during the month, and their average of 3.62 during the month ranks ninth in the country and third in the Big Ten over the span.

MSU scored at least five goals in three straight games (Jan. 12-20) for the first time since Feb. 2008. Their 10 total goals in the sweep of Minnesota were their most in a series since an Oct. 2017 sweep of Lake Superior State (4-3, 6-0).

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Khodorenko's Scoring Touch
Patrick Khodorenko is on the best stretch of his career with 22 points (9g, 13a) over the last 18 games, and has points in four of the last five games (2-6--8) heading into this weekend's series. His team-leading 14 goals, which is one more than his total from last year, are tied for the third in the Big Ten and eighth 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 seven goals on the man-advantage are tied for the Big Ten lead and are third most in the nation.

On Jan. 4 vs. Ohio State he became the first Spartan since Greg Wolfe in 2011 to have four assists in a game. It was his second four-point game of the season as he was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week on Nov. 6 for the first time in his career after a hat trick and assist on Nov. 2 in a win over Ferris State.

Cesana Leading Spartan Rookies
Rookie Dennis Cesana has made an immediate impact on the Spartan blue line as he ranks fourth on the team with 18 points (3g, 15a). He's tied for fourth in points nationally among all freshmen defensemen and is also tied for third among all Big Ten rookies.

The native of Providence, R.I., who led all defensemen in the AJHL in points (75) last season, has produced three three-point games since Dec. 30. Cesana had a goal and two assists against Lake Superior State in the GLI; scored the tying goal with 47 seconds to play - and added two helpers - in the 7-7 tie vs. Ohio State on January 4; and had three assist in the Jan. 19 5-3 win over Minneosta. He has 10 points (2g, 8a) over the last 10 games.

Of Note vs. Minnesota (Jan. 19-20)
The sweep was the Spartans' first of Minnesota since 1976; first Big Ten sweep since Feb. 2016 at Wisconsin and first home sweep of a Big Ten opponent since March 2015 vs. Wisconsin … The Spartans scored in all three periods in back-to-back games for the first time this season … MSU scored 10 goals in a series for the first time since Oct. 2017 … The Spartans averaged 38.0 shots on goal – their highest in a series this season.

A Weekend of Firsts
The Spartans' last three wins have been aided largely by production from up and down the lineup. In the sweep of Minnesota, four players notched their first career goals or assists. Freshmen Cole Krygier and Adam Goodsir both scored in Sunday's 5-3 win, while Christian Krygier and goaltender John Lethemon got their first career points with assists in Saturday's 5-3 win. Lethemon's assist on Jerad Rosburg's empty-net goal was the first by a Spartan goaltender since Jake Hildebrand on Jan. 29, 2016, in a 4-2 win at Ohio State.

Lewandowski Regaining Form
After being held without a point in the final three games of December, Mitchell Lewandowski has started 2019 with points in seven of eight games (6-5--11). Last year's Big Ten Rookie of the Year brings a career best six-game point streak into Friday's game over which he has produced five goals and three assists. He was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week on Jan. 22 after scoring two goals in both games of the sweep of Minnesota.

Historical Comeback vs. Ohio State
The Spartans' dramatic rally from two separate three-goal, third-period deficits on Jan. 4 vs. No. 7/4 Ohio State included several feats not seen by the program in years:

• It was the Spartans' first three-goal, third-period comeback for a tie or win since Feb. 20, 1996 at Notre Dame (4-4 T) … MSU trailed Notre Dame 4-1 and scored three goals in the final 3:33.

• The Spartans scored five goals in the third period for the first time since doing so vs. Lake Superior State on Oct. 24, 2002 (7-0 W).

• MSU's seven goals were its most since topping New Hampshire 7-4 in November 2015.

Against Ohio State on Jan. 4, the Spartans trailed 4-2 entering the third period and were down 7-4 with 5:00 to play. MSU scored three goals in a 3:48 span to tie the game (Zach Osburn, 4:35 remaining; Taro Hirose, 3:29 remaining; and Dennis Cesana, 47 seconds remaining). MSU also trailed 6-3 with 12:36 to play.

Down, But Never Out
Michigan State has demonstrated it is never out of games this season as the Spartans have trailed in the second period in three of their nine wins, and in the second period or later in both of their extra-point OT/shootout wins in league play. MSU trailed in wins at Cornell on Oct. 27 (down 1-0 in 2nd period, won 4-3); at Minnesota (down 2-0 in the 2nd period, won 4-2); and vs. Michigan on Nov. 30 (down 2-1 in the 2nd period, won 4-3). The Spartans' most dramatic comeback of the year took place on Jan. 4 vs. No. 7/4 Ohio State when they rallied from two separate three-goal deficits (6-3, 7-4) in the third period and wound up tying the Buckeyes, 7-7, before earning the extra point with a 3-on-3 OT win. It was the first time MSU rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period to tie or win since Feb. 20, 1996. MSU was down 1-0 to Michigan on Dec. 1, but came back to tie the game and then won the shootout for the extra point.

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Young on the Back End
For the second straight year, the Spartans have just one senior defenseman in Zach Osburn. While Osburn is the Spartans' active leader in games played at 131, he is surrounded by youth with three freshmen – Dennis Cesana, Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier – and a sophomore – Tommy Miller – in the regular playing group. Redshirt junior Jerad Rosburg has played in all 26 games, while junior Butrus Ghafari has played in 18.

In B1G Play…
Taro Hirose leads the league in points (26) and assists (18) … Patrick Khodorenko is fourth in points (21) and is tied with Lewandowski and Hirose for fourth in goals (8) … Tommy Apap leads in faceoff wins (176) and his .566 faceoff winning percentage is fourth best among regular centermen.

All KHL
Since playing together in the first game of last season, Patrick Khodorenko (14-15--29), Taro Hirose (13-29--42) and Mitchell Lewandowski (11-16--27) have combined to form one of the Big Ten's – and college hockey's – most dangerous lines. Last season, the unit produced a total of 108 points (44 goals, 64 assists) in playing together in all 36 games. This season, the trio has combined for 98 of 206 (47%) of the Spartans' total points this season. The trio combined for a season-high 10 points on Jan. 4 vs. Ohio State.

Khodorenko – Has a team and career-high 14 goals – tied for third most in the Big Ten … His Big Ten-leading seven power-play goals rank third in the nation ... MSU's active career leader in goals (34) ... Ranked 12th in the Big Ten and third on the team in points (32) last season.

Hirose – Leads the nation in points (42) assists (29) … Has two game-winning goals ... Has points in 29 of 35 games dating back to last season ... Has 13 multi-point games this season and 30 in his career ... Has 108 points (31g, 77a) in 96 career games - just the 15th Spartan since 2000 to hit the 100-career point mark ... 2018 All-Big Ten second team … His 42 points last season were the most by a Spartan since Corey Tropp had the same number in 2009-10.

Lewandowski – Team leader with four game-winning goals ... Currently on a career best six-game point streak (5-3--8) … 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.