Michigan State University Athletics
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Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Run Out of Steam in Game Two vs. No. 7/4 OSU
1/6/2019 9:46:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – After a fairly solid first period, things looked pretty good for Michigan State.
But after missing some quality scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes, the game went sour for the Spartans in the second period. And it wasn't much better in the third.
Ohio State lived up to its No. 4 ranking on Saturday night and MSU paid the price.
The Buckeyes scored three goals in a span of 8 minute and 46 seconds starting early in the second period and cruised to a 6-0 victory over the Spartans in front of 4,923 fans at Munn Arena.
Michigan State overcame a three-goal deficit in Friday's 7-7 tie and eventual 3-on-3 overtime win in Big Ten play, but couldn't find the same formula on Saturday as OSU scored three-power play goals, two early in the third period.
"It was a tough game. Ohio State played well and buried their chances,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "It wasn't that we were without chances. (OSU goalie Tommy) Nappier made some good saves and we had some good plays.
"We'll get some things out of it. Ohio State is a good team and we have to be really on to beat them and tonight we weren't.''
MSU's line of Tommy Apap, Brennan Sanford and Austin Kamer had three shots on goal during the second shift of the game, including a re-direct by Kamer off a rush that was stopped by Nappier.
The Spartans played at a fast pace early in the first period, moved the puck well and had some good looks at the net. But they couldn't convert, and the Buckeyes got back in sync later in the scoreless first 20 minutes.
"You get a goal and it gives you energy. We were good out of the gate in the first half of the first period and then it leveled out,'' Cole said. "They were pretty good the rest of the way. We couldn't get back to that level of energy.''
Michigan State (6-11-3 overall, 2-6-2-2 Big Ten) was playing in its fourth game in seven days and it showed as the game went on. They played in the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit on Sunday and Monday, while Ohio State (12-4-4, 5-2-3-2) two games against Mercyhurst last Friday and Saturday.
"Four games in seven night and three overtimes – we talk a lot about when we have energy and we're physical we're a better team – and in a lot of ways we ran out of gas,'' Cole said. "At the start of the third period, when it was 3-0, the guys dug down and we were actually playing all right. We were moving (the puck) and grinding it out, but then the penalty stuff started and then it's 5-0.''
The Buckeyes took control with a three-goal surge early in the middle period. Ronnie Hein gave OSU a 1-0 lead by getting to a puck caroming off the boards and ending up in the slot, and he fired it past MSU goalie John Lethemon at 4:40.
Less than four minutes later, Ohio State won a faceoff in the left circle in the MSU zone and Quinn Preston gained possession along the left boards. He came out from the corner and drove to the net to beat Lethemon at 8:14.
The Buckeyes made it 3-0 on a power-play goal by senior Mason Jobst after a scramble in the crease at 13:26. It was Jobst's 13th goal of the season and 12th of his career against Michigan State.
"I liked our first 10-15 minutes of the first period. I thought we were in good position after the period,'' MSU junior center and captain Sam Saliba said. "But in the second period, we were kind of flat and had a couple of defensive breakdowns, and it ended up in the back of the net. Just like that, it was 2-0.
"Our penalty kill has to be better. They have a good power play and it was a focal point coming in that we had to be good on the penalty kill, and they capitalized on three chances. It's not going to be a good outcome if you give up three power-play goals.''
Ohio State took advantage of MSU penalties early in the third period.
The Spartans' Logan Lambdin was assessed a major penalty for contact-to-the-head charging and given a game misconduct at 3:09. John Wiitala scored for OSU at 5:25, easily tapping in a loose puck in the crease, for a 4-0 lead.
With Lambdin's major penalty was still in effect, MSU went down two men when Sanford was called for roughing 6:24. With a 5-on-3 advantage, the Buckeyes worked the puck around the MSU zone and Dakota Joshua converted from close it at 7:31 for a 5-0 cushion.
Brendan Kearney closed out the scoring for Ohio State with 3:29 left.
"We didn't play the full 60 minutes and got a little frustrated toward the end, and we let it boil over and gave them some power plays,'' MSU's Taro Hirose said. "They have those top-skilled players and so they're going to make us pay.
"They were good. They shut us down in the neutral zone and when we were trying to make plays in the neutral zone, they turned it over and transitioned and put a lot of pucks on net.
"It was tough to get to their net. They have some good defenders and it was a solid game for them.''
OSU was 3-for-5 on the power play with 16 shots on goal. MSU had one power play and one shot on goal. Nappier made 29 saves, including 12 in the third period. Lethemon stopped 38 shots, 15 in the third period.
With a four-point weekend in the Big Ten, Ohio State took over first place with 20 points, four ahead of Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are undefeated in their last seven games at 4-0-3 and are 8-1-2 in their last 12. OSU's lost loss was to Penn State (4-3) on Nov. 23.
"Ohio State is a deep team. Last night was a bit of an aberration for them,'' Cole said. "They kept coming tonight, and when you get up 3-0, it's a lot easier to manage the game, and they're good at it.
"When we did break them down and had some of our better players with the puck on the doorstep and wide-open nets, (Nappier) made some good saves. Any chance to get back in it, he kind of diffused that.''
Nappier has the second-best goals-against average in all of college hockey at 1.54, and Saturday's shutout was his third of the season. He's 7-1-2 overall.
For the Spartans, it's all about learning from Saturday's loss and moving on to next week's series at Penn State.
"We'll take a step back and watch this and pull some good and some bad, just like last night when we pulled some good and bad,'' Cole said. "The process doesn't change. We'll keep it moving forward.''
BRIGHT SPOTS: There weren't a lot of positives for MSU to take away from Saturday's 6-0 loss to Ohio State but a few players made their presence felt.
Sophomore Austin Kamer had a solid night playing right wing on a line with Tommy Apap and Brennan Sanford. Kamer had three shots on goal, just missing a good chance from the edge of the crease in the first minute of the game, and blocked one shot.
Patrick Khodorenko had a team-high five shots on goal and worked hard forechecking, turning pucks over deep in the OSU zone and keep plays alive.
MSU coach Danton Cole was impressed with both players.
"Kamer has played well for us lately. He brings us energy and he had a couple of good shots tonight and did some good things,'' Cole said. "He doesn't cheat you. He's going to be good defensively. And whatever you ask him to do, he's going to do it for you.''
Khodorenko, who had four assists in Friday's 7-7 tie, is MSU's second-leading scorer with 21 points in 20 games - a team-leading 12 goals and nine assists.
"Patty was grinding tonight and he can do that,'' the Spartans coach said. "Friday night was a game where it was more flow-and-go and tonight (the KHL line, with Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski) was trying to find their ice. He was battling and in the middle of a lot of the scrums and coming up with pucks.''
UP NEXT: The Spartans take to the road or the first time in 2019 when they visit Penn State next Friday and Saturday for a two-game series at Pegula Arena in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions are the highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging 4.95 goals per game.
Michigan State returns home Jan. 19-20 (Saturday-Sunday) against Minnesota. The teams meet at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 and 5 p.m. on Jan. 20.
IN THE BIG TEN: Michigan upset No. 6 Notre Dame with a 4-2 victory on Saturday outdoors at Notre Dame Stadium. It was the Wolverines' first victory since Nov. 16 at Penn State. The loss was only Notre Dame's second in its last 10 games. U-M took a 1-0 lead 4:42 into the game when defenseman Joseph Cecconi's 130-foot shot – from 15 feet inside his own blue line on the right side of the ice – eluded Irish goalie Cale Morris, a returning NCAA West All-American.
The Wolverines scored again 16 seconds later on Will Lockwood's goal and went up 3-0 before the period ended. Notre Dame cut its deficit to 3-1 with a power-play goal early in the second period and made it close at 3-2 late in the third period. But U-M scored into an empty net to seal the win and spoil Notre Dame's first outdoor game at home, witnessed by a crowd of 23,422.
Minnesota earned a split of its series with No.9 Penn State with a 4-1 victory on Saturday in Minneapolis. The Gophers broke a 1-1 tie with two goals in the second period and added a late empty-net goal to end a two-game losing streak. The Nittany Lions won 4-2 on Friday night.
Wisconsin took a 3-2 lead into the third period in its non-conference series final against No. 7/8 Denver, but the Pioneers tied it midway through the period and won it 4-3 at 1:42 of overtime to complete a series sweep of the Badgers. Denver outshot Wisconsin, 40-16. The Pioneers won the series opener on Friday, 6-3.
In an upcoming non-conference game, Merrimack is at Michigan on Tuesday for the Wolverines' final non-league contest of the season.
Next weekend, in addition to the MSU-Penn State series, Michigan is at Ohio State and Notre Dame plays host to Minnesota. Wisconsin plays the U.S. U-18 team in an exhibition game next Saturday.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – After a fairly solid first period, things looked pretty good for Michigan State.
But after missing some quality scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes, the game went sour for the Spartans in the second period. And it wasn't much better in the third.
Ohio State lived up to its No. 4 ranking on Saturday night and MSU paid the price.
The Buckeyes scored three goals in a span of 8 minute and 46 seconds starting early in the second period and cruised to a 6-0 victory over the Spartans in front of 4,923 fans at Munn Arena.
Michigan State overcame a three-goal deficit in Friday's 7-7 tie and eventual 3-on-3 overtime win in Big Ten play, but couldn't find the same formula on Saturday as OSU scored three-power play goals, two early in the third period.
"It was a tough game. Ohio State played well and buried their chances,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "It wasn't that we were without chances. (OSU goalie Tommy) Nappier made some good saves and we had some good plays.
"We'll get some things out of it. Ohio State is a good team and we have to be really on to beat them and tonight we weren't.''
MSU's line of Tommy Apap, Brennan Sanford and Austin Kamer had three shots on goal during the second shift of the game, including a re-direct by Kamer off a rush that was stopped by Nappier.
The Spartans played at a fast pace early in the first period, moved the puck well and had some good looks at the net. But they couldn't convert, and the Buckeyes got back in sync later in the scoreless first 20 minutes.
"You get a goal and it gives you energy. We were good out of the gate in the first half of the first period and then it leveled out,'' Cole said. "They were pretty good the rest of the way. We couldn't get back to that level of energy.''
Michigan State (6-11-3 overall, 2-6-2-2 Big Ten) was playing in its fourth game in seven days and it showed as the game went on. They played in the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit on Sunday and Monday, while Ohio State (12-4-4, 5-2-3-2) two games against Mercyhurst last Friday and Saturday.
"Four games in seven night and three overtimes – we talk a lot about when we have energy and we're physical we're a better team – and in a lot of ways we ran out of gas,'' Cole said. "At the start of the third period, when it was 3-0, the guys dug down and we were actually playing all right. We were moving (the puck) and grinding it out, but then the penalty stuff started and then it's 5-0.''
The Buckeyes took control with a three-goal surge early in the middle period. Ronnie Hein gave OSU a 1-0 lead by getting to a puck caroming off the boards and ending up in the slot, and he fired it past MSU goalie John Lethemon at 4:40.
Less than four minutes later, Ohio State won a faceoff in the left circle in the MSU zone and Quinn Preston gained possession along the left boards. He came out from the corner and drove to the net to beat Lethemon at 8:14.
The Buckeyes made it 3-0 on a power-play goal by senior Mason Jobst after a scramble in the crease at 13:26. It was Jobst's 13th goal of the season and 12th of his career against Michigan State.
"I liked our first 10-15 minutes of the first period. I thought we were in good position after the period,'' MSU junior center and captain Sam Saliba said. "But in the second period, we were kind of flat and had a couple of defensive breakdowns, and it ended up in the back of the net. Just like that, it was 2-0.
"Our penalty kill has to be better. They have a good power play and it was a focal point coming in that we had to be good on the penalty kill, and they capitalized on three chances. It's not going to be a good outcome if you give up three power-play goals.''
Ohio State took advantage of MSU penalties early in the third period.
The Spartans' Logan Lambdin was assessed a major penalty for contact-to-the-head charging and given a game misconduct at 3:09. John Wiitala scored for OSU at 5:25, easily tapping in a loose puck in the crease, for a 4-0 lead.
With Lambdin's major penalty was still in effect, MSU went down two men when Sanford was called for roughing 6:24. With a 5-on-3 advantage, the Buckeyes worked the puck around the MSU zone and Dakota Joshua converted from close it at 7:31 for a 5-0 cushion.
Brendan Kearney closed out the scoring for Ohio State with 3:29 left.
"We didn't play the full 60 minutes and got a little frustrated toward the end, and we let it boil over and gave them some power plays,'' MSU's Taro Hirose said. "They have those top-skilled players and so they're going to make us pay.
"They were good. They shut us down in the neutral zone and when we were trying to make plays in the neutral zone, they turned it over and transitioned and put a lot of pucks on net.
"It was tough to get to their net. They have some good defenders and it was a solid game for them.''
OSU was 3-for-5 on the power play with 16 shots on goal. MSU had one power play and one shot on goal. Nappier made 29 saves, including 12 in the third period. Lethemon stopped 38 shots, 15 in the third period.
With a four-point weekend in the Big Ten, Ohio State took over first place with 20 points, four ahead of Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are undefeated in their last seven games at 4-0-3 and are 8-1-2 in their last 12. OSU's lost loss was to Penn State (4-3) on Nov. 23.
"Ohio State is a deep team. Last night was a bit of an aberration for them,'' Cole said. "They kept coming tonight, and when you get up 3-0, it's a lot easier to manage the game, and they're good at it.
"When we did break them down and had some of our better players with the puck on the doorstep and wide-open nets, (Nappier) made some good saves. Any chance to get back in it, he kind of diffused that.''
Nappier has the second-best goals-against average in all of college hockey at 1.54, and Saturday's shutout was his third of the season. He's 7-1-2 overall.
For the Spartans, it's all about learning from Saturday's loss and moving on to next week's series at Penn State.
"We'll take a step back and watch this and pull some good and some bad, just like last night when we pulled some good and bad,'' Cole said. "The process doesn't change. We'll keep it moving forward.''
BRIGHT SPOTS: There weren't a lot of positives for MSU to take away from Saturday's 6-0 loss to Ohio State but a few players made their presence felt.
Sophomore Austin Kamer had a solid night playing right wing on a line with Tommy Apap and Brennan Sanford. Kamer had three shots on goal, just missing a good chance from the edge of the crease in the first minute of the game, and blocked one shot.
Patrick Khodorenko had a team-high five shots on goal and worked hard forechecking, turning pucks over deep in the OSU zone and keep plays alive.
MSU coach Danton Cole was impressed with both players.
"Kamer has played well for us lately. He brings us energy and he had a couple of good shots tonight and did some good things,'' Cole said. "He doesn't cheat you. He's going to be good defensively. And whatever you ask him to do, he's going to do it for you.''
Khodorenko, who had four assists in Friday's 7-7 tie, is MSU's second-leading scorer with 21 points in 20 games - a team-leading 12 goals and nine assists.
"Patty was grinding tonight and he can do that,'' the Spartans coach said. "Friday night was a game where it was more flow-and-go and tonight (the KHL line, with Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski) was trying to find their ice. He was battling and in the middle of a lot of the scrums and coming up with pucks.''
UP NEXT: The Spartans take to the road or the first time in 2019 when they visit Penn State next Friday and Saturday for a two-game series at Pegula Arena in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions are the highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging 4.95 goals per game.
Michigan State returns home Jan. 19-20 (Saturday-Sunday) against Minnesota. The teams meet at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 and 5 p.m. on Jan. 20.
IN THE BIG TEN: Michigan upset No. 6 Notre Dame with a 4-2 victory on Saturday outdoors at Notre Dame Stadium. It was the Wolverines' first victory since Nov. 16 at Penn State. The loss was only Notre Dame's second in its last 10 games. U-M took a 1-0 lead 4:42 into the game when defenseman Joseph Cecconi's 130-foot shot – from 15 feet inside his own blue line on the right side of the ice – eluded Irish goalie Cale Morris, a returning NCAA West All-American.
The Wolverines scored again 16 seconds later on Will Lockwood's goal and went up 3-0 before the period ended. Notre Dame cut its deficit to 3-1 with a power-play goal early in the second period and made it close at 3-2 late in the third period. But U-M scored into an empty net to seal the win and spoil Notre Dame's first outdoor game at home, witnessed by a crowd of 23,422.
Minnesota earned a split of its series with No.9 Penn State with a 4-1 victory on Saturday in Minneapolis. The Gophers broke a 1-1 tie with two goals in the second period and added a late empty-net goal to end a two-game losing streak. The Nittany Lions won 4-2 on Friday night.
Wisconsin took a 3-2 lead into the third period in its non-conference series final against No. 7/8 Denver, but the Pioneers tied it midway through the period and won it 4-3 at 1:42 of overtime to complete a series sweep of the Badgers. Denver outshot Wisconsin, 40-16. The Pioneers won the series opener on Friday, 6-3.
In an upcoming non-conference game, Merrimack is at Michigan on Tuesday for the Wolverines' final non-league contest of the season.
Next weekend, in addition to the MSU-Penn State series, Michigan is at Ohio State and Notre Dame plays host to Minnesota. Wisconsin plays the U.S. U-18 team in an exhibition game next Saturday.
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