Neil’s Notebook: New Year Starts With Challenge in No. 7/4 Ohio State

By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer

EAST LANSING – Michigan State has dealt with a lot of challenges through the first 18 games of the season. The Spartans believe those experiences will lead to better success in the next 16 games.

MSU is ready to embark on a steady diet of Big Ten teams and first up is one of the best teams in the conference and in the nation: No. 4/7 Ohio State.

The Spartans (6-10-2 overall, 2-5-1-1 Big Ten) and Buckeyes (11-4-3, 4-2-2-2) launch the 2019 part of the schedule with a pair of games at Munn Arena – at 7 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Michigan State, coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to Lake Superior State and a 2-2 tie with Michigan in the Great Lakes Invitational, is striving to improve on an up-and-down first half of the season.

The Spartans' early challenges included road series at Cornell, Arizona State, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Spartans swept Cornell, lost two at ASU, split with the Gophers and were swept by the Badgers.

Another positive was a home win vs. Michigan and a tie and shootout victory at U-M. Another disappointment was two home losses against Notre Dame.

MSU coach Danton Cole said there's several things to like about the first half of the season, and lots of areas to improve on and potential to have a successful run heading into the postseason.

"There some of the same characteristics that we had last year. What we're trying to have is a team with a culture that works extremely hard, that understands what it's doing and sticks together. There's been a lot of that,'' he said. "Where we need to improve is to get over the hump where we understand what we have to do and believe we're able to do it without thinking about it.

"When we do that and find ourselves down in a game, that's how we play – desperate. And play without thinking. As odd as that sounds, that's a better way to play. When we get over that hump, we're a better team.''

To be better over the next two-and-a-half months, the Spartans will have to be improve in just about every area of the game, some more than others. They have to score more goals, be better defensively, improve their penalty killing and capitalize on the power play. And get over the hump where consistency is the norm.

"Our depth has been better but we have to get more minutes out of the bottom of our lineup and get more scoring out of our second, third and fourth lines, which we did in the GLI,'' Cole said. "In most weekends, that'll get us two wins.''

Michigan State sits in seventh place in the seven-team Big Ten with eight points in eight games, with two-thirds of the 24-game conference schedule coming up. The Spartans are three points (one victory) behind sixth-place Penn State and four behind Michigan, which has played two more games than both MSU and the Nittany Lions.

Spartans junior center and captain Sam Saliba believes his team has to find a high level of consistency to move up in the Big Ten standings and pass some very good teams.

"We're fighting through some pains for sure. It hasn't been easy the last four games,'' Saliba said. "We're kind of a team that can go in stretches. We'll play well and get on a little streak and then we find ourselves not doing the right things again and kind of get on the wrong side of the score.

"For us, it's important that we find that consistency. We know what we want to do and how we have to play. It's playing to that consistency every single game.''

Senior defenseman Zach Osburn wants to see his team play every game like it does against Michigan – physical, intense, emotional, energetic and for a full 60 or 65 minutes.
"We're a hard team to play against, one that is very gritty, and you see it all the time against Michigan where there is a different element in the air,'' he said. "If we come to play a full 60 like that, we can be a very dangerous team.''

Osburn sees an improved second half of the season because of the experience of the freshmen got over the first 18 games.

"A lot of our freshmen played some heavy minutes, getting time on the penalty kill and power play,'' he said. "In the GLI, our three freshmen defensemen had to step up when Jerad (Rosburg) got ejected (late in the second period).

"We had to roll through five defensemen and that was tough for our veterans to do, let alone our rookies. They have a lot of experience and that's going to carry on to the second half. They'll be a lot more comfortable and that will help them get better.''

Over the next nine weekends, the Spartans will face Ohio State and Penn State four times and Minnesota, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan two times. MSU has a bye, Feb. 22-23, the second-last weekend of the regular season.

"If we can come out and play and battle every night like we do against Michigan, we can really turn things around in the second half,'' Osburn said.

STANLEY CUP VISITS MUNN: The Stanley Cup, long recognized as the most famous trophy in all of sports, will be on display on Friday night at Munn Arena when Michigan State plays host to Ohio State in the first game of a Big Ten series.

The Cup will be on the Munn Arena north concourse starting at 6 p.m., when doors open to the public, through the end of the second intermission.

Eleven Spartans have hoisted the Stanley Cup, including current MSU coach Danton Cole with the New Jersey Devils in 1995.

The other MSU players to hoist the Cup include Harley Hotchkiss, owner, Calgary Flames, 1989; Craig Simpson, Edmonton Oilers, 1988 1990; Joe Murphy, 1990; Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes, 2006; Andrew Hutchinson, Carolina Hurricanes, 2006; Drew Miller, Anaheim Ducks, 2007; Newell Brown, assistant coach, Anaheim Ducks, 2007; Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings, 2008; Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks, 2010, 2013 and 2015, and Bob Essensa, assistant coach, Boston Bruins, 2011.

Keith was the last Spartan to celebrate with the famous trophy with his third Stanley Cup in 2015.

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THE MSU-OSU RIVALRY: Michigan State holds a 90-43-12 edge in a series which started on Dec. 7, 1957 with an 18-0 victory for the Spartans in Columbus. MSU went 25-4-1 in the first 30 meetings and dominated the Buckeyes in the 1980s and 1990s. However, over the last 30 games, starting in October 2011, Ohio State is 18-8-4 and 7-1 in the last eight games. Last season, the Buckeyes won twice (4-1, 5-3) at Munn Arena in January, the teams split (4-2 OSU win, 6-3 MSU win) in Columbus in February, and Ohio State swept the Spartans (6-2, 4-3 in OT) in a Big Ten best-of-three playoff series in March, also at Value City Arena in Columbus.

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State isn't lighting it up on offense this season, but the Buckeyes have an outstanding on defense with a stellar 2.06 goals-against average, best in the Big Ten and No. 7 in the nation. Sophomore goaltender Tommy Nappier has the second-lowest GAA in the nation at 1.70 and his stellar .941 save percentage is No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 2 nationally.

The Buckeyes and Spartans are fairly close in offensive production. OSU has scored 49 goals in 18 games for a 2.72 average, 6^th in the conference. MSU has 47 goals in 18 goals for a 2.61 average, 7^th in the Big Ten. Power-play and penalty-kill statistics are similar, too. MSU is at 18.3 percent on the power play, while OSU is at 18.1. The Buckeyes hold a slight edge in penalty killing – 80.8 percent to 79.2.

"Ohio State is a good team. They're different that Notre Dame but they have similarities in the sense that they don't beat themselves, and they put a lot of pressure on you,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "They make you play 200 feet for 60 minutes. That's a tough challenge or a young team like ours.''

OSU has some top-end forwards led by senior Mason Jobst, who has 11 goals and 16 points and shares the team scoring lead with junior Tanner Laczynski (5-11-16). Junior Carson Meyer (6-6-12) and senior Dakota Joshua (4-8-12) are tied for third in team scoring. Other top forwards include junior Ronnie Hein (6-5-11), freshman Gutsaf Westlund (0-11-11), and seniors Freddy Gerard (3-5-8), Brendon Kearney (4-3-7) and John Wiitala (3-4-7).

There plenty of experience on defense with seniors Sasha Larocque and Tommy Parran and juniors Matt Miller, Wyatt Ege and Gordi Myer.

Nappier and senior Sean Romeo have shared the goaltending duties, with each starting nine games. Nappier is 6-1-2 with two shutouts while Romeo (2.19 GAA, .916 saves percentage) is 5-3-1 with three shutouts. In fact, Romeo had three shutouts in a row in early November against Notre Dame (1-0), Colgate (3-0) and Wisconsin (4-0).

Cole said he's not surprised Ohio State has moved up to No. 4 in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Poll.

"Coming back this season, they lost a couple of good players but one forward (Matthew Weiss) didn't play in the (NCAA) playoffs. That's a final four team, with great goaltending, veteran D and scoring and depth up front,'' Cole said. "It'll be a good challenge for us.''

The Buckeyes are coming off a non-conference sweep of Mercyhurst, 3-1 and 5-4, in Columbus last weekend. They're undefeated in their last five games at 3-0-2 and 7-1-2 in their last 12 games.

Only four teams have defeated OSU – Massachusetts, now No. 1 in the nation, 6-3, in mid-October; Bowling Green, 8-2, in late October; at Notre Dame, 2-1, in early November, and Penn State, 4-3, over Thanksgiving weekend. On Nov. 30-Dec. 1, the Buckeyes played a pair of 2-2 ties at Minnesota, with OSU winning the extra point in the Big Ten standings with a victory in the 3-on-3 overtime in both games.

"They're an experienced team with a lot of scoring depth and their defense moves the puck well,'' MSU junior center Sam Saliba said. "They play really well as a group.

"It's important for us that we're managing pucks very well. It seems like when we make a mistake it finds a way to end up in our net. It's important that we manage the puck well offensively and defensively.''

Saliba and Patrick Khodorenko are MSU's top scorers against Ohio State. Saliba has seven goals and two assists for nine points in 11 games, while Khodorenko has four goals and five assists for nine points, also in 11 contests. Senior Cody Milan has seven points (2-5-7, 14 games), as does junior Logan Lambdin (5-2-7, 11 games).

Steve Rohlik, a 1990 Wisconsin graduate, is in his sixth season as Buckeyes coach, and has a record of 104-77-26.

Ohio State has played in the NCAA Tournament the two last seasons, and advanced to the Frozen Four last year, losing to eventual national champion Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals, 2-1.

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GOALTENDING, DEFENSE BETTER: With junior John Lethemon and freshman Drew DeRidder sharing the duties in goal and a defense that includes three freshmen, Coach Danton Cole believes those two areas have been better this season and have improved over the last three months.

"The big thing is that we've had some timely saves and that's really important to a young team that can be a little fragile at times,'' Cole said. "We've made some good saves, and have had a couple of games where our goalies want back, but they're like the rest of the team. It hasn't been a handful.''

Lethemon and DeRidder have each started nine games and delivered some high-level performances. And there's been a few struggles. Lethemon is 4-6-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .902 saves percentage. DeRidder, who has played three strong games against Michigan with a victory and two ties, is 2-4-2 with a 3.06 GAA and a .908 saves percentage.

Lethemon started six of MSU's first eight games, including a sweep at Cornell. DeRidder started the next five, including back-to-back victories against Minnesota on the road and U-M at home and a tie and shootout win against the Wolverines. Lethemon started the next two, including the Spartans' GLI semifinal game against Lake Superior State, and DeRidder was in goal in Monday's 2-2 tie against the Wolverines in the GLI third-place game.

"Both goalies are pushing each other, and seem to be improving together, which is a good thing,'' Cole said.

On defense, freshmen Dennis Cesana, Christian Krygier and Cole Krygier have played big roles along with senior Zach Osburn, junior Jerad Rosburg, sophomore Tommy Miller and junior Butrus Ghafari.

Cole Krygier was injured at Ferris State in early November and just returned to the lineup in the GLI.

"That's been the biggest challenge. It's something you underestimate coming into the season. We only lost (Carson) Gatt (on defense), but we have three freshmen playing a lot of minutes,'' Cole said. "Dennis Cesana has played a ton of minutes right from the beginning. Cole Krygier just got back last weekend. And with Christian, if those guys keep bumping up and can play that way in the second half, we have a chance.''

Cesana, a solid puck-moving defenseman who plays on the power play, is tied for third among freshman scoring in the Big Ten with two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 18 games.

STACHOWIAK BREAKS OUT: Freshman left wing Wojciech Stachowiak started the Great Lakes Invitational tied for 15^th on the team with no goals in 13 games. He emerged from the GLI the Spartans' fifth-leading goal scorer with three goals.

Stachowiak, a 6-foot, 197-pound, left-hand shooting forward from Gdansk, Poland, scored two goals in MSU's 4-3 overtime loss to LSSU on Sunday and scored the Spartans' first goal on a power play in Monday's 2-2 tie against Michigan.

Michigan State's top four goal scorers are Patrick Khodorenko (12), Taro Hirose (7), Mitchell Lewandowski (5) and Brody Stevens (4).

"He's had chances and made plays, and sometimes when you go a while without scoring, you start to think that you can't score,'' Coach Danton Cole said of Stachowiak. "The mind is a huge part of what the game is.

"You get a goal and you relax a little and start playing the game. You're not trying any harder but you're more relaxed. That's a good feeling.''

It's a feeling Stachowiak and Cole are eager to see continue.

SPARTAN POTPOURRI: Taro Hirose continues to lead the nation in assists with 21 after collecting one assist in both games in the GLI. Hirose, who has seven goals and 28 points, is third in NCAA scoring, two points behind Penn State's Evan Barratt (13-16-29) and Alex Limoges (10-19-29). Hirose has at least one point in eight of his last nine games. During this stretch, he's scored two goals and earned 12 assists for 14 points, starting on Nov. 17.

Patrick Khodorenko scored his sixth power-play goal of the season on Monday against Michigan and is in a six-way tie for fourth place in the NCAA in power-play goals. Johnny Walker of Arizona State leads with eight.

In the Big Ten, Khodorenko is tied for the lead with Ohio State's Mason Jobst and Sean Dhooghe of Wisconsin.

IN THE BIG TEN: In conference play, No. 9 Penn State (11-5-2, 3-4-1-1) plays at Minnesota (6-7-4, 3-2-3-0) on Friday and Saturday. The Nittany Lions will be without leading scorer Evan Barratt. He's away playing for the U.S. Junior Team in the World Junior Championships in Vancouver. The U.S. team plays Russia in the semifinals on Friday and in the finals or consolation game on Saturday against Finland or Switzerland.

No. 6 Notre Dame (12-5-1, 5-3-0) and Michigan (6-7-6, 2-4-4-2) meet in an outdoor game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines, who are 0-3-6 in their last night games and haven't won a game since Nov. 16 at Penn State, still have two players still away with the U.S. Junior Team – defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward Josh Norris.

Wisconsin (8-7-3, 4-3-3-1) plays a non-conference series against No. 7/8 Denver (10-4-2) on Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. The Badgers have been off since Dec. 8.

Jeff Jackson is now the all-time winningest coach at Notre Dame. With the Irish's 4-0 win over Boston College on New Year's Eve, Jackson won his 308^th game at Notre Dame, surpassing Lefty Smith's record of 307. Jackson, a Michigan State graduate, is 308-182-55 in 14 seasons at Notre Dame. Smith spent 19 season as Irish coach and had a 307-320-31 record.