Neil’s Notebook: Senior Trio Embracing Final Regular Season Push

By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer

EAST LANSING – For Michigan State seniors Zach Osburn, Brennan Sanford and Cody Milan, Friday's and Saturday's games against Penn State could be their last at Munn Arena.

However, with a lot of help from their teammates, there's a way for the three seniors to play again at Munn Arena after Saturday's Senior Night game against the Nittany Lions.

The scenario is simple: Play at a high level and win three or four of their last four games against Penn State and at Ohio State next weekend and finish no lower than in fourth place in the Big Ten.

And the reward? Home ice for the first round of the playoffs and more games at Munn Arena. And maybe a good chance to advance even further in the playoffs – to the conference semifinals.

As the seniors prepare for their last regular-season games at home and deal with the emotion of possibly saying goodbye to their home for the last four years, there's the caveat of playing at least two more games that drives them and their teammates.

"Every year we've been picked (in the coaches' poll) to finish last in the Big Ten, and this is the year we're finally making our statement that we can play with anybody,'' Osburn said. "We've beaten some good teams this year and we can absolutely work ourselves into a home playoff spot.

"This year, it's the best team I've (been on here), and we have a chance to make a big impact in the Big Ten playoffs. It's crunch time and we have to bear down and win these next couple of games and get a home spot.''

The challenge starts when the sixth-place Spartans (10-15-5 overall, 6-10-4-2, 24 points, Big Ten) play host to fifth-place Penn State (16-10-2, 8-9-1-1, 26 points) at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday with all sorts of playoff implications on the line.

Senior Night ceremonies on Saturday are expected to start around 6:40-6:45 p.m.

Michigan State, with four games remaining, and Penn State, with six games left, are chasing second-place Michigan, third-place Notre Dame and fourth-place Minnesota. The Spartans are two points behind the Nittany Lions, three in back of Minnesota, four away from Notre Dame and trail Michigan by six points. MSU is also only two points ahead of Wisconsin.

Ohio State has pretty much wrapped up first place with an 11-point lead with six games remaining.

"I definitely think that this is the first year where we're really competing and we still have a chance for home ice,'' Milan said. "We're still fighting and clawing. We still have a chance this late in the season.''

No matter what happens in the weeks ahead, the college careers of Osburn, Sanford and Milan are quickly coming to an end.

The seniors reminisced about their four years with the media after practice on Wednesday. Each said that their time at MSU has gone fast, that they dreaded the season coming to an end, and were bracing for the emotion that will come on Senior Night.

"When you come in here, all the seniors warn you that time flies and that you should appreciate things early on,'' Sanford said. "I thought 'Oh, I have four years and have plenty of time.' And then you become a sophomore and junior and then it's 'I have one more year,' and then you're a senior and you realize that you should have listened to those seniors.

"I have so many great memories – the great wins, coming out of the tunnel and stepping on the ice, and I appreciate everything my teammates have done for me and everything the coaches have done for me.''

Sanford, Osburn and Milan were part of a five-player freshmen class that included forward Mason Appleton and defenseman Jerad Rosburg.

Appleton left school after his sophomore year to turn pro with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. After a season in the minors, Appleton is up with the Jets and playing regularly. Rosburg sat out his freshman year with an injury and with the red-shirt, he has one more season of eligibility.

The seniors played two seasons under former Coach Tom Anastos and the last two years with Danton Cole as their coach.

Milan, 22, a 6-foot-1, 188-pound right wing from White Lake, Mich., has played in 116 games and has 15 goals and 35 assists for 50 points. He has six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in 30 games this season. Milan has been part of the No. 1 power play the last two seasons and is serving as an assistant captain as a senior.

Sanford, 23, a 6-1, 208-pound left wing from East Lansing, has 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in 132 games. This year, as mainstay on MSU's checking line and a top penalty killer, he has three goals and three assists for six points in 30 games. He's served as an assistant captain the last two seasons.

Osburn, 22, a 5-10, 203-pound defenseman from Plymouth, has played in 135 games and has 17 goals and 37 assists for 54 points. This season, as the veteran of the D corps, he has three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 30 games, and plays on the second power play.

Sanford said his best on-ice memories are about the victories over Michigan and his dramatic shootout goal against the Wolverines in December that gave MSU a win and extra point in the standings at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor. It came one day after the Spartans edged U-M, 4-3, at Munn Arena.

"It's always about beating Michigan. Any time you beat Michigan at home or at Yost, it's always up there,'' he said. "As for a team effort, it was beating them in the Duel in the D (at Joe Louis Arena) my freshman year.

"The (shootout) goal will always be my all-time individual effort.''

Sanford also made a big impact in MSU's 6-4 win at Penn State on Jan. 12 with two goals as the Spartans earned a series split. Sanford scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and then in the last minute, blocked a shot and chased down the puck to score into an empty net to seal the victory.

"There's been a lot of ups and downs, and I've grown as a person and learned a lot of good qualities in life,'' he said. "Anywhere from dealing with a loss on Friday and coming back to win on Saturday to time management with school.

"I've always appreciated the history of the Michigan State program and things I could do to give back to the community, and to the kids that come to the games. I've always had that in the back of my mind.''

Milan also mentioned the ups and downs of being an MSU student-athlete, the games and victories over Michigan and the camaraderie with his teammates.

"There's definitely been ups and downs, but I think everybody goes through that, no matter where you are in life,'' he said. "But it's been an amazing four years and I loved being on the ice with the guys. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"Some of my favorite hockey memories are beating Michigan here last year and this year, and the fans screaming 'Go green, go white.' And just hanging out with the guys in the locker room. You make great relationships with everyone around here.''

Osburn said the best thing about his four years is being around his teammates, his class, and the players that came before him and after him.

"Every team I've been on has been a fun group of guys and we've had fun times,'' he said. "That's the biggest thing I'm going to miss – playing with the boys, coming to the rink, getting to see everybody every day.

"I'm never going to get this chance ever again to come to the rink and see my friends. That's what I'll miss the most.''

Asked what the senior class will be remembered for, Osburn said, "Our identity will be three guys with good work ethics. That's the kind of culture we're trying to implement here. People will remember us for our work ethic.''

Coach Danton Cole has nothing but good things to say about Osburn, Milan and Sanford. He said they bought in to the new coaching staff's way of doing things, promoted the culture he was trying to instill, and improved individually and became proficient in their roles.

"We've spent two years with these guys and they've been dynamic,'' Cole said. "We talk to the seniors before every year and we say that your on-ice performance and actions are going to be important, but it's really the off-the-ice areas that really drive how you remember a senior class. And these guys have been outstanding.

"The three of them have worked extremely hard, they're great teammates and all contributed quite a bit this year. They get a lot of ice time and their leadership has been outstanding.''

The second-year Spartan coach said the biggest compliment he can pay to the three seniors is how they've worked to improve and developed into solid players.

"You don't always get this with seniors. A lot of times, in their sophomore and junior years, you get to a certain level and that's where they're at,'' Cole said. "They work hard and keep going, but our guys have continued to improve from the first year to right now.

"That's their work ethic, that's their understanding and that's their buy-in. You can see it in their eyes that they know time is getting short. And you can also see in their eyes that they're going to play hard right to the end.

"I'm real proud of them. And they have more to accomplish. They're a great group to be around. Saturday, will be a little emotional. The (team) banquet will very emotional.''

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THE MSU-PENN STATE RIVALRY: The Nittany Lions lead the series 12-8-2, thanks to a 10-2-2 edge in the last 14 games. The Spartans went 6-2-1 against Penn State at the start of the series. Last season, MSU was 1-2-1 vs. the Nittany Lions. This season, the Spartans split a series at Penn State, losing 4-2 in the opener and winning 6-4 in the series finale, Jan. 11-12.

In the first game, PSU built a 3-0 lead midway through the second period, but MSU got back in the game on late goals by Patrick Khodorenko and Taro Hirose. The Spartans pushed hard to tie it in the third period but the Nittany Lions capitalized midway through the period to go up 4-2 and held on for the win.

Saturday's game was one of the wildest of the season for the Spartans. They were tied 1-1 late in the first period when Tommy Apap and Hirose scored in the last minute to give MSU a 3-1 lead. But Penn State scored early and late in the second period to tie it 3-3 entering the third period.

Brennan Sanford gave MSU the lead for good at 1:34 of the final period and Mitchell Lewandowski's power-play goal made it 5-3 at 6:43. The Nittany Lions answered with a power-play goal at 13:28, setting up a nail-biting finish for the Spartans.

In the last minute, Sanford blocked a shot in the MSU zone, raced after the puck, stumbled for a second and then hit the empty net with 24 seconds left for one of the biggest victories of the season. Goalie John Lethemon had an excellent game, making 40 saves, including a few clutch stops in the last few minutes.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: Like most Big Ten teams, except for Ohio State, Penn State has been plagued by inconsistency, mostly during the Big Ten season. At Thanksgiving, the Nittany Lions had a 10-2-0 overall record and were 2-1 in the conference. Then, they went 1-3-2 overall just before the Christmas break.

Penn State opened 2019 with a 2-5 record but now have won three straight – a 5-2 win over Michigan at Madison Square Garden in New York, and after a week off, the Nittany Lions swept Minnesota last weekend at home, 7-2, 6-2.

So, PSU is six games over .500 overall (16-10-2) but under .500 in Big Ten play (8-9-1). The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 18 in the PairWise Rankings, which determine at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament, and need to finish at least No. 15 to make the 16-team tournament.

With six games left in the regular season, Penn State is striving for home ice in the Big Ten playoffs and to improve its NCAA resume.

The Nittany Lions continue to be the highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging 4.68 goals per game. They're also the only team to boast six players with 10 goals or more, and there's one forward with nine goals.

While Michigan State has the most productive forward line in college hockey - Taro Hirose (15-32-47), Patrick Khodorenko (16-17-33) and Mitchell Lewandowski (15-18-33) combining for 113 points – Penn State has the second-best unit.

The line of Evan Barratt (15-22-37), Alex Limoges (16-20-36) and Liam Folkes (13-16-29) has contributed 102 points.

During MSU's split with Penn State in mid-January, the Spartans held PSU's top line to a goal and three assists. Barratt, tied for third in the national scoring race, had one assist and five shots on goal in the two games.

In last weekend's sweep of Minnesota, the Barrett, Limoges, Folkes line scored four goals and had five assists for nine points.

But the Nittany Lions have plenty of weapons. Other top forwards include juniors Brandon Biro (9-22-31) and Nate Sucese (13-14-27), senior Chase Berger (12-11-23) and junior Nikita Pavlychev (12-11-23).

While Penn State scores a lot of goals, it gives up a lot, too. The Nittany Lions have the worst defense in the Big Ten, allowing 3.64 goals a game. That's 54^st nationally.

Michigan State is No. 6 defensively in the Big Ten (3.47) and No. 51 overall. But the Spartans' offense is averaging 2.90 so they can't afford to get into a wide-open, high-scoring game with Penn State.

"They have a pretty high-test offense. They have four lines that can really push it,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "They throw a lot of pucks on net. It should be really exciting hockey. I look at the last two games we played with them last year and the two this year and they've been very fast, with good physicality and lots of offensive chances.

"But if the games get to seven or eight goals, that's doesn't favor us so much.''

The two teams are fairly even on special teams. PSU's power play is converting at 25.8 percent, which is No. 2 in the Big Ten. MSU is at 22.2 percent, No. 3 in the conference. Penn State's penalty killing is at 78.1 percent (No. 5) and Michigan State's is at 76.8 percent (No. 6).

"We know what these guys can do. They like to shoot from everywhere and they're a hard-working team,'' MSU senior defenseman Zach Osburn said. "We have to come to play and outwork them. It's going to be games where we have to do our things – outbattle them and outwork them.''

Hirose is MSU's leading scorer against Penn State with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 10 games. Khodorenko is next with two goals and seven assists for nine points in 10 games. Lewandowski (3-3) and senior Cody Milan (1-5) are tied with six points apiece vs. the Nittany Lions – Lewandowski in six games and Milan in six.

"I think we can take some of the things we did well against them the last time and just play our game,'' Milan said. "We're not focusing on what Penn State can do. We're aware they have good guys and play a good system. But we want to focus on what we do well and what we can control, and if we do, we'll play well.''

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LEADING THE COUNTRY: Taro Hirose is not only leading the nation in total points but he's also No. 1 or tied for the top spot in 10 other offensive categories.

The MSU junior left wing and strong Hobey Baker candidate heads into the weekend series against Penn State with 15 goals and 32 assists for 47 points, and six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in his last 10 games.

Hirose is also leading the country in:

Assists (32); Points-Per-Game (1.57); Assists Per Game, 1.07; Multi-Point Games, 14 (tied for first); 3-Point Games, 9; Game-Winning Points, 9 (tied for first); Even-Strength Points, 34; Even Strength Assists, 22; Primary Assists, 20, and Multi-Assist Games, 9.

Hirose, a 5-foot-10, 165-pounder from Calgary, has more career games with multiple points (31) than games without a point (28). He has a point on the winning goal in nine of MSU's 10 victories.

Hirose has the most career points (113) of any junior in the country.

As a freshman, he had six goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 34 games to rank second in team scoring. Last season, Hirose led the Spartans in scoring with 12 goals and 30 assists for 42 points. The KHL line, with Patrick Khodorenko, Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski, was put together at the start of last season.

This season, Khodorenko (16-17) and Lewandowski (15-18) are tied for second in team scoring with 33 points.

Hirose, the first Spartan to reach 100 career points since 2009, is a finance major with a 3.681 cumulative grade-point-average.

IN THE BIG TEN: Notre Dame on Tuesday climbed from fifth place to third with a 5-2 victory at home over Michigan, ending a three-game (0-2-1) winless streak which started with a 1-1 tie against second-place Michigan State on Jan. 26.

Here's the standings going into the third-last weekend of the season:

1. Ohio State, 41 points; 2. Michigan, 30; 3. Notre Dame 28; 4. Minnesota, 27; 5. Penn State, 26; 6. Michigan State, 24; 7. Wisconsin, 22.

The Irish (15-10-3, 8-8-2-2) remain at home this weekend with a series against seventh-place Wisconsin (9-14-5, 5-8-5-2). A month ago, Notre Dame defeated the Badgers, 6-4, in Madison, and the teams tied 2-2 in the series finale at the United Center in Chicago, with the Irish earning the extra point in the Big Ten standings with a victory in the 3-on-3 overtime.

In the other conference series this weekend, fourth-place Minnesota (11-14-4, 8-9-3-0) is at first-place Ohio State (19-5-4, 12-3-3-2), ranked No. 2/3 in the nation. In their first series, the teams played to pair of 2-2 ties in Minneapolis, with the Buckeyes earning the extra point in both games with victories in the 3-on-3 overtime.

Michigan (12-12-6, 8-8-4-2) is off this weekend. The Wolverines have four games remaining – Ohio State at home next weekend and at Wisconsin, March 1-2.

Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin have six games remaining. Minnesota, MSU and U-M have four conference games left.

The Buckeyes are home to Minnesota this weekend, at Michigan next weekend and play host to Michigan State, March 1-2. After playing at MSU, Penn State is home against Wisconsin next weekend and closes the season at Notre Dame, March 1-2.

After facing Wisconsin, the Irish are at Minnesota next weekend and then end the regular season at home vs. Penn State. Wisconsin is on the road for the next two series – at Notre Dame and Penn State – and then finishes at home against Michigan.

Minnesota, which has lost four of the last five and six of its last eight games, is at Ohio State this weekend and finishes Big Ten play next weekend at home vs. Notre Dame. The Gophers play a non-conference series against No. 12 Arizona State in Minneapolis, March 1-2.

The Big Ten playoffs start with best-of-three series March 8-10. The first-place team earns a first-round bye. The second, third and fourth-place teams host first-round series. The matchups: No. 7 at No. 2; No. 6 at No. 3 and No. 5 at No. 4.

The three winners are reseeded with the regular-season champion – the No. 1 seed - for the semifinals on campus sites March 16. No. 1 plays host to No. 4 and No. 2 is home against No. 3.

The Big Ten championship game is March 23 at the home site of the highest surviving seed.