Michigan State University Athletics
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Neil’s Notebook: Spartans Sweep Away Michigan
11/17/2019 9:19:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING - Any two-game series sweep in college hockey is special. But when it comes against your rival, it's extra special, extra sweet and one to savor.
Michigan State has been on a quest for its first series sweep of the season and it came to fruition Saturday night with a solid 3-0 victory over Michigan in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 6,552 at Munn Arena.
The win capped the Spartans' most satisfying week of the season which started with Thursday's come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Wolverines at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor.
Twice this year, MSU went for a sweep on a Saturday night but fell short - at Northern Michigan the first weekend of the season and last week at Penn State.
But thanks to a myriad of factors - balanced scoring, strong penalty killing, solid defense and stellar goaltending by John Lethemon - the Spartans defeated the Wolverines for the second time in three days.
"They all feel good. It's fun winning down there and coming from behind but this was a great crowd and the students were awesome, " MSU coach Danton Cole said when asked which win he enjoyed the most. "Maybe I'll lean more to this one because we've had a couple of chances to close the deal (and couldn't).
"There's a little pressure in that and that's a hungry team on the other side. In college hockey there are a lot of series splits because one team gets more desperate and hungry because of losing on the first night. It's hard to close them out."
Believe it or not, the Spartans' sweep was their first against Michigan in 10 years. On Nov. 13-14, 2009, MSU defeated the Wolverines 3-2 in Ann Arbor and 2-0 at Munn Arena.
Michigan State's last sweep was over Minnesota last season with a pair of 5-3 victories at Munn Arena on Jan. 19-20, 2019.
On a night Michigan State's top two scorers - Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski - were held without a point, the second, third and fourth lines contributed one goal apiece and in different ways.
Freshman Josh Nodler scored on a deflection of defenseman Tommy Miller's shot from the point two minutes into the game.
Austin Kamer made it 2-0 off a faceoff win by linemate Adam Goodsir at 11:38 of the second period, and just 1 minute and 44 seconds later, Tommy Apap finished a nifty break-in and scramble around the net with linemates Nico Müller and Jagger Joshua by picking up a loose puck in front and firing it over U-M goalie Strauss Mann for a 3-0 lead.
MSU penalty killers skated off five Michigan power plays and Lethemon made 35 saves to earn his second shutout in the last three games.
"I liked a lot of things tonight but probably the most important for us was our battle and resiliency," Cole said. "There were a lot of times we had to answer the bell and that was killing penalties or blocking shots. Michigan had a little momentum going when it was 1-0 in the second period and we had to hunker down, but I liked how our guys answered."
The Wolverines (3-7-2 overall, 0-5-1-0 Big Ten) had the Spartans (5-5, 3-1) back on their heels early in the second period and held a 9-0 edge in shots on goal for the first 7 minutes and 30 seconds. But MSU survived the onslaught and then took command a few minutes later with its two quick goals.
"That's something we take pride in. It's being resilient and working hard," Cole said of his team's battling through a challenging stretch, which turned the game around. "It's was really good to get on the right side of it. We're real proud of the way the guys played both nights.
"In terms of mentality, you have to have the right frame of mind, and whether you're a team that scores 6-7 goals a game or you score 1 or 2 and you're clutching and grabbing and clawing to get a win, you have to have that calmness about your work attitude and you're battling. The guys were that way the whole time.
"There was no difference on our bench when it was 3-0 than it was when we were down 3-1 in Ann Arbor on Thursday."
Apap, 23, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound junior center from Bloomfield Hills, had one of his best nights as a Spartan with an outstanding two-way effort. He was good offensively with a key goal and was super effective as a penalty killer and strong, as usual, in a defensive role.
"He was a horse, killing penalties, winning draws and making some plays," Cole said. "I have to see what's in the water he's drinking. He's puck protecting going down the wall and getting off the wall he's making some (offensive) plays.
"He's having a great year and building off what he did last year. He's got some confidence. He's put a lot of work into it. I don't think people realize that his skating is improved and that's hard to do (at his age.) That's made him a more efficient player. "
Apap, who now has three goals in 10 games, seems to be working well with new linemates Nico Müller and Jagger Joshua, both freshmen.
"Our line, we just like to work it down low. Once we get it past their defense we think we can wear them down," Apap said. "Jaggs is really good down low and Nico, who's not a big guy, he can control the puck. And when they put Brody (Stevens) with me and Jaggs, we feel like we can control the puck down low and kind of grind it out."
LETHEMON TAKES CHARGE: Senior John Lethemon has been one busy goalie the last two weeks - busy making saves and busy helping the Spartans get victories. He made 48 saves in a 2-0 win at Penn State a week ago Friday and 25 saves and gave up five goals in a 6-4 loss to the Nittany Lions last Saturday.
This week, the 6-2, 190-pounder from Northville, had a solid game in MSU's 4-3 victory over Michigan on Thursday in Ann Arbor with a 38-save performance. On Saturday, Lethemon earned his sixth career shutout and second against the Wolverines, making 35 saves in a series-sweeping 3-0 victory at jammed-packed Munn Arena.
Over the last two games, Lethemon has not allowed a goal in 88 minutes and 55 seconds, going back to 11:05 of the second period of Thursday's game at Michigan.
"I thought he was really good Thursday night. He had a couple bad bounces but that happens," Coach Danton Cole said. "But after it was 3-1, he shuts the door and with 60 minutes here and almost 30 minutes there, that's a long time.
"And tonight he made it look easy and that's a compliment. He had some tough saves, but he was square (to the shooters), he was moving fast and was ahead of the play and was seeing it. Even at the end there, it felt like the puck was not going in tonight. John was locked in and good for him."
Lethemon didn't necessarily view the sweep of Michigan as his best week as a Spartan, but he still savored beating the Spartans' top rival.
"We've put together some good weekends but it's definitely satisfying obviously. Beating Michigan twice is pretty cool and to (sweep) Saturday night at home is pretty special," he said. "But we try not to think about that. We just want to get better every weekend."
Lethemon is now 3-4-2 vs. Michigan with two of his wins coming in Ann Arbor. In his last four games this season, he's lowered his goals-against average to 2.31 and boosted his saves percentage to .936.
What did he like about his game on Saturday?
"I thought I controlled rebounds and just tried to make timely saves, but the guys really were huge," Lethemon said. "The biggest credit goes out to them. Our defense was phenomenal, the forwards were backchecking, picking up high guys. And our penalty killing was huge for us this weekend and it was last weekend (at Penn State), too. Credit our guys for sacrificing their bodies and blocking shots."
Michigan State skated off five of six Penn State power plays last week, and was a perfect 8-for-8 in the two games with Michigan.
UP NEXT: The Spartans are home next weekend against Notre Dame - at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Munn Arena. Then it's back on the road at Ohio State with a Saturday-Sunday series - at 5 p.m. on Nov. 30 and at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 1.
Michigan, now winless in seven games at 0-6-1, is at New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday and then visit Wisconsin, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
IN THE BIG TEN: No. 4/3 Notre Dame rebounded from Friday's 3-0 loss at Wisconsin and edged the No. 15/15 Badgers 5-4 in overtime on Saturday. The Irish (8-1-1, 4-1-1-1) suffered their first loss on Friday. Wisconsin falls to 6-6 overall and 1-3- in the Big Ten.
No. 8/8 Penn State completed a sweep of Minnesota on Saturday with a come-from-behind 6-3 win in Minneapolis. Minnesota built a 3-1 lead four minutes into the second period. The Nittany Lions (9-2-0, 5-1-0) rolled to an 8-2 win over the Gophers (4-6-2, 1-3-2-1) in the series opener on Friday.
No. 11/11 Ohio State (6-3-1, 2-2-0) had the weekend off.
In addition to the MSU-Notre Dame and Michigan at New Hampshire series next weekend, Ohio State is at Penn State and Minnesota plays host to Wisconsin.
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING - Any two-game series sweep in college hockey is special. But when it comes against your rival, it's extra special, extra sweet and one to savor.
Michigan State has been on a quest for its first series sweep of the season and it came to fruition Saturday night with a solid 3-0 victory over Michigan in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 6,552 at Munn Arena.
The win capped the Spartans' most satisfying week of the season which started with Thursday's come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Wolverines at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor.
Twice this year, MSU went for a sweep on a Saturday night but fell short - at Northern Michigan the first weekend of the season and last week at Penn State.
But thanks to a myriad of factors - balanced scoring, strong penalty killing, solid defense and stellar goaltending by John Lethemon - the Spartans defeated the Wolverines for the second time in three days.
"They all feel good. It's fun winning down there and coming from behind but this was a great crowd and the students were awesome, " MSU coach Danton Cole said when asked which win he enjoyed the most. "Maybe I'll lean more to this one because we've had a couple of chances to close the deal (and couldn't).
"There's a little pressure in that and that's a hungry team on the other side. In college hockey there are a lot of series splits because one team gets more desperate and hungry because of losing on the first night. It's hard to close them out."
Believe it or not, the Spartans' sweep was their first against Michigan in 10 years. On Nov. 13-14, 2009, MSU defeated the Wolverines 3-2 in Ann Arbor and 2-0 at Munn Arena.
Michigan State's last sweep was over Minnesota last season with a pair of 5-3 victories at Munn Arena on Jan. 19-20, 2019.
On a night Michigan State's top two scorers - Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski - were held without a point, the second, third and fourth lines contributed one goal apiece and in different ways.
Freshman Josh Nodler scored on a deflection of defenseman Tommy Miller's shot from the point two minutes into the game.
Austin Kamer made it 2-0 off a faceoff win by linemate Adam Goodsir at 11:38 of the second period, and just 1 minute and 44 seconds later, Tommy Apap finished a nifty break-in and scramble around the net with linemates Nico Müller and Jagger Joshua by picking up a loose puck in front and firing it over U-M goalie Strauss Mann for a 3-0 lead.
MSU penalty killers skated off five Michigan power plays and Lethemon made 35 saves to earn his second shutout in the last three games.
"I liked a lot of things tonight but probably the most important for us was our battle and resiliency," Cole said. "There were a lot of times we had to answer the bell and that was killing penalties or blocking shots. Michigan had a little momentum going when it was 1-0 in the second period and we had to hunker down, but I liked how our guys answered."
The Wolverines (3-7-2 overall, 0-5-1-0 Big Ten) had the Spartans (5-5, 3-1) back on their heels early in the second period and held a 9-0 edge in shots on goal for the first 7 minutes and 30 seconds. But MSU survived the onslaught and then took command a few minutes later with its two quick goals.
"That's something we take pride in. It's being resilient and working hard," Cole said of his team's battling through a challenging stretch, which turned the game around. "It's was really good to get on the right side of it. We're real proud of the way the guys played both nights.
"In terms of mentality, you have to have the right frame of mind, and whether you're a team that scores 6-7 goals a game or you score 1 or 2 and you're clutching and grabbing and clawing to get a win, you have to have that calmness about your work attitude and you're battling. The guys were that way the whole time.
"There was no difference on our bench when it was 3-0 than it was when we were down 3-1 in Ann Arbor on Thursday."
Apap, 23, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound junior center from Bloomfield Hills, had one of his best nights as a Spartan with an outstanding two-way effort. He was good offensively with a key goal and was super effective as a penalty killer and strong, as usual, in a defensive role.
"He was a horse, killing penalties, winning draws and making some plays," Cole said. "I have to see what's in the water he's drinking. He's puck protecting going down the wall and getting off the wall he's making some (offensive) plays.
"He's having a great year and building off what he did last year. He's got some confidence. He's put a lot of work into it. I don't think people realize that his skating is improved and that's hard to do (at his age.) That's made him a more efficient player. "
Apap, who now has three goals in 10 games, seems to be working well with new linemates Nico Müller and Jagger Joshua, both freshmen.
"Our line, we just like to work it down low. Once we get it past their defense we think we can wear them down," Apap said. "Jaggs is really good down low and Nico, who's not a big guy, he can control the puck. And when they put Brody (Stevens) with me and Jaggs, we feel like we can control the puck down low and kind of grind it out."
LETHEMON TAKES CHARGE: Senior John Lethemon has been one busy goalie the last two weeks - busy making saves and busy helping the Spartans get victories. He made 48 saves in a 2-0 win at Penn State a week ago Friday and 25 saves and gave up five goals in a 6-4 loss to the Nittany Lions last Saturday.
This week, the 6-2, 190-pounder from Northville, had a solid game in MSU's 4-3 victory over Michigan on Thursday in Ann Arbor with a 38-save performance. On Saturday, Lethemon earned his sixth career shutout and second against the Wolverines, making 35 saves in a series-sweeping 3-0 victory at jammed-packed Munn Arena.
Over the last two games, Lethemon has not allowed a goal in 88 minutes and 55 seconds, going back to 11:05 of the second period of Thursday's game at Michigan.
"I thought he was really good Thursday night. He had a couple bad bounces but that happens," Coach Danton Cole said. "But after it was 3-1, he shuts the door and with 60 minutes here and almost 30 minutes there, that's a long time.
"And tonight he made it look easy and that's a compliment. He had some tough saves, but he was square (to the shooters), he was moving fast and was ahead of the play and was seeing it. Even at the end there, it felt like the puck was not going in tonight. John was locked in and good for him."
Lethemon didn't necessarily view the sweep of Michigan as his best week as a Spartan, but he still savored beating the Spartans' top rival.
"We've put together some good weekends but it's definitely satisfying obviously. Beating Michigan twice is pretty cool and to (sweep) Saturday night at home is pretty special," he said. "But we try not to think about that. We just want to get better every weekend."
Lethemon is now 3-4-2 vs. Michigan with two of his wins coming in Ann Arbor. In his last four games this season, he's lowered his goals-against average to 2.31 and boosted his saves percentage to .936.
What did he like about his game on Saturday?
"I thought I controlled rebounds and just tried to make timely saves, but the guys really were huge," Lethemon said. "The biggest credit goes out to them. Our defense was phenomenal, the forwards were backchecking, picking up high guys. And our penalty killing was huge for us this weekend and it was last weekend (at Penn State), too. Credit our guys for sacrificing their bodies and blocking shots."
Michigan State skated off five of six Penn State power plays last week, and was a perfect 8-for-8 in the two games with Michigan.
UP NEXT: The Spartans are home next weekend against Notre Dame - at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Munn Arena. Then it's back on the road at Ohio State with a Saturday-Sunday series - at 5 p.m. on Nov. 30 and at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 1.
Michigan, now winless in seven games at 0-6-1, is at New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday and then visit Wisconsin, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
IN THE BIG TEN: No. 4/3 Notre Dame rebounded from Friday's 3-0 loss at Wisconsin and edged the No. 15/15 Badgers 5-4 in overtime on Saturday. The Irish (8-1-1, 4-1-1-1) suffered their first loss on Friday. Wisconsin falls to 6-6 overall and 1-3- in the Big Ten.
No. 8/8 Penn State completed a sweep of Minnesota on Saturday with a come-from-behind 6-3 win in Minneapolis. Minnesota built a 3-1 lead four minutes into the second period. The Nittany Lions (9-2-0, 5-1-0) rolled to an 8-2 win over the Gophers (4-6-2, 1-3-2-1) in the series opener on Friday.
No. 11/11 Ohio State (6-3-1, 2-2-0) had the weekend off.
In addition to the MSU-Notre Dame and Michigan at New Hampshire series next weekend, Ohio State is at Penn State and Minnesota plays host to Wisconsin.
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