Neil’s Notebook: Solid Team Effort Lifts Spartans Past Penn State
2/16/2019 8:59:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Michigan State rebounded from its most disappointing weekend of the season with arguably its most important victory.
The Spartans did a lot of things well with a clutch 5-3 win over No. 17 Penn State on Friday at Munn Arena, and kept their hopes alive for a home first-round playoff berth.
A week after getting swept by Michigan, a solid team effort enabled MSU to capture the first game of a Big Ten series and climb ahead of the Nittany Lions and into fifth place.
"It gives us a chance. If we don't win today, it would have been really hard,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of his team's quest to finish at least in fourth place and start the Big Ten playoffs at home. "This keeps us in the mix.''
The Spartans (11-15-5 overall, 7-10-4-2, 27 points, Big Ten) and Penn State (16-11-2, 8-9-1-1, 26 points) meet in the series final at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It's MSU's Senior Night with ceremonies honoring seniors Cody Milan, Brennan Sanford and Zach Osburn set to start around 6:40 p.m.
While MSU's high-scoring KHL played well and buzzed around the ice creating turnovers in the offensive zone and making great passes, the highly skilled trio of Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski played a secondary role in the critical victory.
Khodorenko got MSU off to a good start with a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 4:20 of the first period, set up by perfect passing play involving Cody Milan, Hirose and Lewandowski.
But a major key to the victory was secondary scoring by players not known for putting the puck in the net, but on this night, they made a huge impact.
Sophomore right wing Austin Kamer scored his second goal of the season to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead with an unassisted goal with five minutes left in the first period.
Sophomore defenseman Tommy Miller got his second goal of the year from the right point early in the second period to boost MSU's lead to 3-1.
Then it was sophomore center Adam Goodsir's turn to get his second goal of the year midway through the second period. He tapped in a rebound at the edge of crease to make it 4-1.
A minute and 12 seconds later, Brennan Sanford found himself alone in front of the net, a PSU defender passed the puck out front and it slid out to Sanford in the slot. He quickly flipped the puck past goalie Oskar Autio, who had replaced starter Peyton Jones after Goodsir's goal.
In addition to his goal, Kamer had one assist, as did rookie defensemen Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier.
All four lines contributed at least one goal, with the unit of Goodsir, Kamer and Jake Smith leading the way with two.
The Spartans' strong team effort was also highlighted by a strong defensive game, shutting down the highest-scoring team in the nation. Penn State, which came into the game averaging 4.68 goals a game, scored two power-play goals.
The Nittany Lions set up a challenging third period for the Spartans with two goals in the second period – at 11:09 and 17:53 – to cut their deficit to two at 5-3.
But MSU played a stellar third period in controlling the puck, keeping PSU from dangerous rushes. Still, the Nittany Lions had 18 shots on MSU goalie John Lethemon in the final 20 minutes, although a number of attempts were from the perimeter.
Lethemon had a strong game with a career-high 44 saves in his second-straight win over the Nittany Lions. He stopped 40 shots in a 6-4 victory at Penn State on Jan. 12.
Cole said secondary scoring "has been a work in progress" all season and he was pleased to see solid balance show up on Friday.
"It takes the pressure off (the KHL line),'' he said. "(The other lines) realize that if they play the right way, forecheck, play down there (in the offensive zone) and throw pucks at the net, good things happen.
"Sometimes they want to make plays like Taro, Patty and Lewie, and it's a little more lunch bucket for the rest of the guys. They were great tonight.''
Cole had special praise for Kamer's contributions and the newly formed forward line of Sam Saliba centering Cody Milan and Logan Lambdin.
"When a guy like Kamer scores a goal, the team gets a great boost. Everybody sees how hard he works and what he does. He brings it every day,'' the Spartans coach said. "He's always out early shooting on the goalies and doing a great job. He's now popped two goals in the last three games.''
Milan and Logan Lambdin have played together most of this season, and this week, Cole inserted Saliba as their centermen, and the trio delivered an outstanding game on Friday.
"We kept Milan and Lambdin together and flipped things around and put them with Saliba to try to build a line that could give us a little more,'' Cole said. "Those guys were outstanding tonight.
"They did the best job of getting the puck down low and grinding some clock and getting some good chances. That was really good to see.
"The young guys – Kamer Smith and Goodsir – gave us some good minutes and played hard. We've been kind of stuck lately. When we've been playing four lines – and last week we didn't – that just helps us out a lot. Then we can play with more pace.''
The Saliba, Milan, Lambdin line combined for six shots on goal, and Milan had a shot from in tight go off the crossbar in the third period.
"Any time we can get secondary scoring really helps. It makes us that much more of threat as a team,'' said Saliba, the MSU captain. "I thought our line, with Lambdin and Milan, worked well. We got pucks behind them and created some chances.''
Milan made a great backhand pass from the edge of the crease to a wide-open Khodorenko for a 5-on-3 power-play goal early in the first period and helped create chances with Saliba and Lambdin with aggressive forechecking.
"That's how I want to play. That's my role,'' he said. "When I'm effective as a player, it's getting pucks on net, trying to make plays and being physical.''
Penn State got goals from 6-foot-8, 225-pound junior center Nikita Pavlychev on a power-play in the first period that tied the game 1-1, by graduate transfer Ludwig Larsson on a power-play at 11:09 of the second period that made it 5-2, and by sophomore right wing Sam Sternschein with 2:53 left in the middle period that cut MSU's lead to 5-3.
PSU played most of the game without leading scorer Evan Barratt (15-22-37) who left the game in the second period with a possible injury and didn't return.
The Nittany Lions were 2-for-4 on the power play, while MSU was 1-for-2, with both PSU penalties coming at 3:12 of the first period.
Cole said he was impressed with the way his team reacted to last weekend's frustrating 5-3 and 5-2 losses against Michigan.
"I liked that they were mad and disappointed but I never got the feeling that they thought we were not a pretty good hockey team, if we play the right way,'' he said. "We have our after-action reports on Monday and we had a good talk.
"You lose two games to Michigan and you're feeling pretty lousy. And our guys have done a lot of good things so we didn't need to come in yelling. We talked about things we've done well and things that we need to do better. We had a really good week of practice.''
And the Spartans carried it over into Friday's series opener with the Nittany Lions, who were coming in confident after a 7-2, 6-2 home sweep over Minnesota.
"Last weekend, we put some pressure on ourselves. You have to get something out of every weekend and not getting anything really hurt,'' Cole said of MSU's chances of moving up in the Big Ten race.
"Since our series with Ohio State (in early January), we're like 5-5-3, around .500, and that puts you in the middle of it.''
So, heading into Saturday, with three games left in the regular season, Michigan State probably needs to win at least two games, especially against the Nittany Lions, to finish at least fourth in the conference.
The Spartans, with 27 points, are one point behind fourth-place Notre Dame, and three behind Michigan and Minnesota, who are tied for second with 30 points apiece.
But while the Gophers have only three games left, the Wolverines have four, and Notre Dame, Penn State and seventh-place Wisconsin (25 points) have five. And the Badgers are only one point behind Penn State and two points away from the Spartans.
Michigan State has next week off, while the other contenders are in action. On the final weekend of the regular season, the Spartans are at Ohio State, while Minnesota is idle and is forced to set back watch the other six teams try to add to their point totals.
"Saturday is just as big as tonight was,'' Saliba said. "We still have to gather points and take it one game at a time. But three points would go a long way in getting home ice. And we don't want Saturday to be the seniors' last home game.''
KAMER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In most games, Michigan State's top point-getter is either Taro Hirose, Patrick Khodorenko or Mitchell Lewandowski, members of college hockey's highest-scoring lines.
But not Friday night.
That honor belonged to sophomore forward Austin Kamer, who had two points – an unassisted goal late in the first period and an assist on defenseman Tommy Miller's goal early in the second period.
Kamer and his linemates, freshman center Adam Goodsir and sophomore left wing Jake Smith, made a strong impact in the Spartans' 5-3 victory over Penn State. Kamer and Goodsir each scored goals.
Kamer, who scored his first goal of the season and second of his career last Friday at Michigan, was selected as the No. 1 star on Friday.
"It felt good. It's always nice to get secondary scoring and be part of that. It's ice to contribute and chipping in on offense, too. That's definitely ideal,'' said Kamer, 22, a 5-foot-10, 185-pounder from Grand Rapids.
"It feels good to break the ice. That's my first goal at home. Its exciting and my family is here so it's great to do it in front of them.''
Kamer's first career goal came in a 6-3 win at Ohio State late last season.
On Friday, he was on the ice with Tommy Apap and Brennan Sanford and their persistent forechecking led to MSU taking a 2-1 lead at 14:46 of the first period. Apap forced a turnover, Kamer kept the puck alive and got it down low, where Sanford and Apap battled with a couple of PSU defenders.
A Nittany Lion tried to get the puck to a teammate out front, but it went sliding out to the high slot, where Kamer gained possession and, from between the circles, fired the puck past goalie Peyton Jones.
"You're eyes light up. Those chances don't come around too often,'' Kamer said of watching the puck come right to him for a quality scoring chance. "It was good forechecking by Apap and Sanford.
"They were in the corner putting pressure on them and the puck kind of squirts out, and you definitely don't expect it. Mistakes happen and it was good that I got a chance to take advantage of one.''
Kamer has played in 18 games this season and has two goals and one assist for three points.
"The game was getting a little close but it was good. I think that is a testament to how far we've come,'' Kamer said. "We didn't hit the panic button. We kept playing our game, playing hard and we were able to close it out.''
SUCCESSFUL RETURN: All season long, Michigan State's coaches have had a goalie platoon that involves going with the goaltender who they believe gives the team the best chance to win, based on play in practice and recent games.
After backing up freshman Drew DeRidder for the last five games, junior John Lethemon returned to the goal crease on Friday with a solid outing, resulting in his second-straight win over a high-scoring Penn State team.
"That's just kind of the way the position is here. They're riding the hot guy and that pushes us to get better, but it feels really good to get back in the net,'' Lethemon said. "And get a big win for the guys. That win means a lot in the Big Ten standings.''
Lethemon made several dazzling saves from around the crease and looked sharp and calm while making a career high 44 saves in Friday's 5-3 victory. He stopped 11 shots in the first period, 14 in the second and 18 in the third as the Spartans held off the Nittany Lions' bit to come back from a four-goal deficit.
"I think I just competed and had that next-shot mentality, even when things weren't going my way with a couple of weird bounces,'' Lethemon said. "Their third goal I'd like to have back, obviously. But I thought even when I maybe looked a little rattled, I felt calm and was focusing on the net shot.''
PSU's first two goals came on power plays and were scored after scrambles in the crease. The only 5-on-5 goal came on a shot from along the right boards by Sam Sternschein that rocketed over Lethemon's catching glove and left shoulder late in the second period.
That gave the Nittany Lions some life and hope for a third-period rally, but Lethemon was solid and the Spartans played excellent defense in the final 20 minutes and closed out it's most important win of the season.
"That's how they play. It's kind of just chaos,'' Lethemon said of Penn State's fast pace and focus on putting lots of shots on goal. "Ever since the second period, they were floating guys toward our blue line, so we had to be aware of that.
"We did a good job managing the third period. We were smart, our forwards did a good job down low and we always had a guy high (in the offensive zone) and guys coming back and picking up guys. That back pressure is key against them because they're trying to push the pace and come in waves and throw the puck on net and even hit that second wave.
"It was key for us to keep them to the outside and have good back pressure.''
Coach Danton Cole said "it was good to get Lethemon in and had a nice game for us.''
Lethemon's last start was at Notre Dame in a 6-3 loss on Jan. 25. Lethemon took over and played the last five – one vs. the Irish, two each against Wisconsin and Michigan.
"Leth had won three in a row, then lost one and Drew came in and a had a nice run,'' Cole said. "So, Leth had won the last time he played against Penn State and he's really battled in practice. So, we're saying, let's give him a shot, he's earned it. He's a junior and has won a lot of games.''
SPARTAN POTPOURRI: MSU has scored five goals or more in seven games this season, and that is the most since the 2009-10 season when the Spartans had eight games with five or more goals. Last season, Michigan State had four games with five goals or more… The Spartans have now scored 11 goals in their last two games against Penn State. They scored six on Jan. 12 in a 6-4 victory at Pegula Arena in University Park, Pa. … With one assist, Taro Hirose maintained his eight-point lead in the national scoring race with 48 points – 15 goals and a nation-leading 33 assists. He's still eight points up on Mercyhurst defenseman Joseph Duszak (15-25-40), who had goal on Friday in a 1-1 tie with Army. Quinnipiac forward Odeen Tufto (13-25) and American International College forward Blake Christensen 13-25) are tied for third with 38 points.
IN THE BIG TEN: First-place Ohio State's winning streak came to an end at seven games with a 4-3 loss to Minnesota on Friday in Columbus. The Gophers never trailed, taking a 1-0 lead in the first period, boosting it to 2-0 in the second before the Buckeyes scored with 16 seconds left. Minnesota went up 3-1 and 4-2 in the third. OSU scored an extra-attacker goal with 3:35 left, but the Gophers held on to move into a second-place tie with Michigan with 30 points. Minnesota had lost four of its last five games.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin ended a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) with a 2-1 victory at Notre Dame, thanks in part to suburb goaltending by freshman Daniel Lebedeff, who made 30 saves.
Michigan has this weekend off. The Wolverines host Ohio State next weekend.
Entering Saturday's games, first-place Ohio State (41 points) has an 11-point lead over second-place Michigan and Minnesota, each with 30 points. Notre Dame (28) is fourth, followed by Michigan State (27), Penn State (26) and Wisconsin (25).
MSUSpartans.com staff writer
EAST LANSING – Michigan State rebounded from its most disappointing weekend of the season with arguably its most important victory.
The Spartans did a lot of things well with a clutch 5-3 win over No. 17 Penn State on Friday at Munn Arena, and kept their hopes alive for a home first-round playoff berth.
A week after getting swept by Michigan, a solid team effort enabled MSU to capture the first game of a Big Ten series and climb ahead of the Nittany Lions and into fifth place.
"It gives us a chance. If we don't win today, it would have been really hard,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said of his team's quest to finish at least in fourth place and start the Big Ten playoffs at home. "This keeps us in the mix.''
The Spartans (11-15-5 overall, 7-10-4-2, 27 points, Big Ten) and Penn State (16-11-2, 8-9-1-1, 26 points) meet in the series final at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It's MSU's Senior Night with ceremonies honoring seniors Cody Milan, Brennan Sanford and Zach Osburn set to start around 6:40 p.m.
While MSU's high-scoring KHL played well and buzzed around the ice creating turnovers in the offensive zone and making great passes, the highly skilled trio of Patrick Khodorenko, Taro Hirose and Mitchell Lewandowski played a secondary role in the critical victory.
Khodorenko got MSU off to a good start with a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 4:20 of the first period, set up by perfect passing play involving Cody Milan, Hirose and Lewandowski.
But a major key to the victory was secondary scoring by players not known for putting the puck in the net, but on this night, they made a huge impact.
Sophomore right wing Austin Kamer scored his second goal of the season to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead with an unassisted goal with five minutes left in the first period.
Sophomore defenseman Tommy Miller got his second goal of the year from the right point early in the second period to boost MSU's lead to 3-1.
Then it was sophomore center Adam Goodsir's turn to get his second goal of the year midway through the second period. He tapped in a rebound at the edge of crease to make it 4-1.
A minute and 12 seconds later, Brennan Sanford found himself alone in front of the net, a PSU defender passed the puck out front and it slid out to Sanford in the slot. He quickly flipped the puck past goalie Oskar Autio, who had replaced starter Peyton Jones after Goodsir's goal.
In addition to his goal, Kamer had one assist, as did rookie defensemen Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier.
All four lines contributed at least one goal, with the unit of Goodsir, Kamer and Jake Smith leading the way with two.
The Spartans' strong team effort was also highlighted by a strong defensive game, shutting down the highest-scoring team in the nation. Penn State, which came into the game averaging 4.68 goals a game, scored two power-play goals.
The Nittany Lions set up a challenging third period for the Spartans with two goals in the second period – at 11:09 and 17:53 – to cut their deficit to two at 5-3.
But MSU played a stellar third period in controlling the puck, keeping PSU from dangerous rushes. Still, the Nittany Lions had 18 shots on MSU goalie John Lethemon in the final 20 minutes, although a number of attempts were from the perimeter.
Lethemon had a strong game with a career-high 44 saves in his second-straight win over the Nittany Lions. He stopped 40 shots in a 6-4 victory at Penn State on Jan. 12.
Cole said secondary scoring "has been a work in progress" all season and he was pleased to see solid balance show up on Friday.
"It takes the pressure off (the KHL line),'' he said. "(The other lines) realize that if they play the right way, forecheck, play down there (in the offensive zone) and throw pucks at the net, good things happen.
"Sometimes they want to make plays like Taro, Patty and Lewie, and it's a little more lunch bucket for the rest of the guys. They were great tonight.''
Cole had special praise for Kamer's contributions and the newly formed forward line of Sam Saliba centering Cody Milan and Logan Lambdin.
"When a guy like Kamer scores a goal, the team gets a great boost. Everybody sees how hard he works and what he does. He brings it every day,'' the Spartans coach said. "He's always out early shooting on the goalies and doing a great job. He's now popped two goals in the last three games.''
Milan and Logan Lambdin have played together most of this season, and this week, Cole inserted Saliba as their centermen, and the trio delivered an outstanding game on Friday.
"We kept Milan and Lambdin together and flipped things around and put them with Saliba to try to build a line that could give us a little more,'' Cole said. "Those guys were outstanding tonight.
"They did the best job of getting the puck down low and grinding some clock and getting some good chances. That was really good to see.
"The young guys – Kamer Smith and Goodsir – gave us some good minutes and played hard. We've been kind of stuck lately. When we've been playing four lines – and last week we didn't – that just helps us out a lot. Then we can play with more pace.''
The Saliba, Milan, Lambdin line combined for six shots on goal, and Milan had a shot from in tight go off the crossbar in the third period.
"Any time we can get secondary scoring really helps. It makes us that much more of threat as a team,'' said Saliba, the MSU captain. "I thought our line, with Lambdin and Milan, worked well. We got pucks behind them and created some chances.''
Milan made a great backhand pass from the edge of the crease to a wide-open Khodorenko for a 5-on-3 power-play goal early in the first period and helped create chances with Saliba and Lambdin with aggressive forechecking.
"That's how I want to play. That's my role,'' he said. "When I'm effective as a player, it's getting pucks on net, trying to make plays and being physical.''
Penn State got goals from 6-foot-8, 225-pound junior center Nikita Pavlychev on a power-play in the first period that tied the game 1-1, by graduate transfer Ludwig Larsson on a power-play at 11:09 of the second period that made it 5-2, and by sophomore right wing Sam Sternschein with 2:53 left in the middle period that cut MSU's lead to 5-3.
PSU played most of the game without leading scorer Evan Barratt (15-22-37) who left the game in the second period with a possible injury and didn't return.
The Nittany Lions were 2-for-4 on the power play, while MSU was 1-for-2, with both PSU penalties coming at 3:12 of the first period.
Cole said he was impressed with the way his team reacted to last weekend's frustrating 5-3 and 5-2 losses against Michigan.
"I liked that they were mad and disappointed but I never got the feeling that they thought we were not a pretty good hockey team, if we play the right way,'' he said. "We have our after-action reports on Monday and we had a good talk.
"You lose two games to Michigan and you're feeling pretty lousy. And our guys have done a lot of good things so we didn't need to come in yelling. We talked about things we've done well and things that we need to do better. We had a really good week of practice.''
And the Spartans carried it over into Friday's series opener with the Nittany Lions, who were coming in confident after a 7-2, 6-2 home sweep over Minnesota.
"Last weekend, we put some pressure on ourselves. You have to get something out of every weekend and not getting anything really hurt,'' Cole said of MSU's chances of moving up in the Big Ten race.
"Since our series with Ohio State (in early January), we're like 5-5-3, around .500, and that puts you in the middle of it.''
So, heading into Saturday, with three games left in the regular season, Michigan State probably needs to win at least two games, especially against the Nittany Lions, to finish at least fourth in the conference.
The Spartans, with 27 points, are one point behind fourth-place Notre Dame, and three behind Michigan and Minnesota, who are tied for second with 30 points apiece.
But while the Gophers have only three games left, the Wolverines have four, and Notre Dame, Penn State and seventh-place Wisconsin (25 points) have five. And the Badgers are only one point behind Penn State and two points away from the Spartans.
Michigan State has next week off, while the other contenders are in action. On the final weekend of the regular season, the Spartans are at Ohio State, while Minnesota is idle and is forced to set back watch the other six teams try to add to their point totals.
"Saturday is just as big as tonight was,'' Saliba said. "We still have to gather points and take it one game at a time. But three points would go a long way in getting home ice. And we don't want Saturday to be the seniors' last home game.''
KAMER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In most games, Michigan State's top point-getter is either Taro Hirose, Patrick Khodorenko or Mitchell Lewandowski, members of college hockey's highest-scoring lines.
But not Friday night.
That honor belonged to sophomore forward Austin Kamer, who had two points – an unassisted goal late in the first period and an assist on defenseman Tommy Miller's goal early in the second period.
Kamer and his linemates, freshman center Adam Goodsir and sophomore left wing Jake Smith, made a strong impact in the Spartans' 5-3 victory over Penn State. Kamer and Goodsir each scored goals.
Kamer, who scored his first goal of the season and second of his career last Friday at Michigan, was selected as the No. 1 star on Friday.
"It felt good. It's always nice to get secondary scoring and be part of that. It's ice to contribute and chipping in on offense, too. That's definitely ideal,'' said Kamer, 22, a 5-foot-10, 185-pounder from Grand Rapids.
"It feels good to break the ice. That's my first goal at home. Its exciting and my family is here so it's great to do it in front of them.''
Kamer's first career goal came in a 6-3 win at Ohio State late last season.
On Friday, he was on the ice with Tommy Apap and Brennan Sanford and their persistent forechecking led to MSU taking a 2-1 lead at 14:46 of the first period. Apap forced a turnover, Kamer kept the puck alive and got it down low, where Sanford and Apap battled with a couple of PSU defenders.
A Nittany Lion tried to get the puck to a teammate out front, but it went sliding out to the high slot, where Kamer gained possession and, from between the circles, fired the puck past goalie Peyton Jones.
"You're eyes light up. Those chances don't come around too often,'' Kamer said of watching the puck come right to him for a quality scoring chance. "It was good forechecking by Apap and Sanford.
"They were in the corner putting pressure on them and the puck kind of squirts out, and you definitely don't expect it. Mistakes happen and it was good that I got a chance to take advantage of one.''
Kamer has played in 18 games this season and has two goals and one assist for three points.
"The game was getting a little close but it was good. I think that is a testament to how far we've come,'' Kamer said. "We didn't hit the panic button. We kept playing our game, playing hard and we were able to close it out.''
SUCCESSFUL RETURN: All season long, Michigan State's coaches have had a goalie platoon that involves going with the goaltender who they believe gives the team the best chance to win, based on play in practice and recent games.
After backing up freshman Drew DeRidder for the last five games, junior John Lethemon returned to the goal crease on Friday with a solid outing, resulting in his second-straight win over a high-scoring Penn State team.
"That's just kind of the way the position is here. They're riding the hot guy and that pushes us to get better, but it feels really good to get back in the net,'' Lethemon said. "And get a big win for the guys. That win means a lot in the Big Ten standings.''
Lethemon made several dazzling saves from around the crease and looked sharp and calm while making a career high 44 saves in Friday's 5-3 victory. He stopped 11 shots in the first period, 14 in the second and 18 in the third as the Spartans held off the Nittany Lions' bit to come back from a four-goal deficit.
"I think I just competed and had that next-shot mentality, even when things weren't going my way with a couple of weird bounces,'' Lethemon said. "Their third goal I'd like to have back, obviously. But I thought even when I maybe looked a little rattled, I felt calm and was focusing on the net shot.''
PSU's first two goals came on power plays and were scored after scrambles in the crease. The only 5-on-5 goal came on a shot from along the right boards by Sam Sternschein that rocketed over Lethemon's catching glove and left shoulder late in the second period.
That gave the Nittany Lions some life and hope for a third-period rally, but Lethemon was solid and the Spartans played excellent defense in the final 20 minutes and closed out it's most important win of the season.
"That's how they play. It's kind of just chaos,'' Lethemon said of Penn State's fast pace and focus on putting lots of shots on goal. "Ever since the second period, they were floating guys toward our blue line, so we had to be aware of that.
"We did a good job managing the third period. We were smart, our forwards did a good job down low and we always had a guy high (in the offensive zone) and guys coming back and picking up guys. That back pressure is key against them because they're trying to push the pace and come in waves and throw the puck on net and even hit that second wave.
"It was key for us to keep them to the outside and have good back pressure.''
Coach Danton Cole said "it was good to get Lethemon in and had a nice game for us.''
Lethemon's last start was at Notre Dame in a 6-3 loss on Jan. 25. Lethemon took over and played the last five – one vs. the Irish, two each against Wisconsin and Michigan.
"Leth had won three in a row, then lost one and Drew came in and a had a nice run,'' Cole said. "So, Leth had won the last time he played against Penn State and he's really battled in practice. So, we're saying, let's give him a shot, he's earned it. He's a junior and has won a lot of games.''
SPARTAN POTPOURRI: MSU has scored five goals or more in seven games this season, and that is the most since the 2009-10 season when the Spartans had eight games with five or more goals. Last season, Michigan State had four games with five goals or more… The Spartans have now scored 11 goals in their last two games against Penn State. They scored six on Jan. 12 in a 6-4 victory at Pegula Arena in University Park, Pa. … With one assist, Taro Hirose maintained his eight-point lead in the national scoring race with 48 points – 15 goals and a nation-leading 33 assists. He's still eight points up on Mercyhurst defenseman Joseph Duszak (15-25-40), who had goal on Friday in a 1-1 tie with Army. Quinnipiac forward Odeen Tufto (13-25) and American International College forward Blake Christensen 13-25) are tied for third with 38 points.
IN THE BIG TEN: First-place Ohio State's winning streak came to an end at seven games with a 4-3 loss to Minnesota on Friday in Columbus. The Gophers never trailed, taking a 1-0 lead in the first period, boosting it to 2-0 in the second before the Buckeyes scored with 16 seconds left. Minnesota went up 3-1 and 4-2 in the third. OSU scored an extra-attacker goal with 3:35 left, but the Gophers held on to move into a second-place tie with Michigan with 30 points. Minnesota had lost four of its last five games.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin ended a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) with a 2-1 victory at Notre Dame, thanks in part to suburb goaltending by freshman Daniel Lebedeff, who made 30 saves.
Michigan has this weekend off. The Wolverines host Ohio State next weekend.
Entering Saturday's games, first-place Ohio State (41 points) has an 11-point lead over second-place Michigan and Minnesota, each with 30 points. Notre Dame (28) is fourth, followed by Michigan State (27), Penn State (26) and Wisconsin (25).
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/ Men's Ice Hockey
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
G
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
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