Neil’s Notebook: Khodorenko’s Continued Improvement Helping to Power Spartans

By Neil Koepke
MSUSpartans.com staff writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Taro Hirose has received lots of attention and compliments this season for being Michigan State's most dynamic player and the nation's leading scorer since early January.

Hirose is on track to be the Big Ten's most valuable player, first-team All-Big Ten, a first-team All-American and one of the 10 Hobey Baker finalists as the most outstanding player in college hockey.

While the junior left wing is having his greatest season as a Spartan, his KHL linemates – junior center Patrick Khodorenko and sophomore right wing Mitchell Lewandowski – are also having stellar seasons, especially Khodorenko.

Entering the last weekend of the Big Ten's regular season, Hirose has 15 goals and 35 assists for 50 points.

Khodorenko has been overshadowed a bit by Hirose and his consistent wizardry, but he's also put up great numbers, improved his game in all areas, and has emerged as a standout power forward. And like his linemates, he's scored some jaw-dropping goals.

He's shooting more, scoring goals, using his size and strength to create chances for his linemates with aggressive forechecking. And he's even teaming up with Hirose as another set of penalty killers.

"He's been a big, strong, power horse for us this season,'' Lewandowski said.

The 6-foot, 201-pound Khodorenko has 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 32 games. He's tied for 14^th in the country in points, ranks 8^th in goals. In the Big Ten, he's in a three-way tie for first in goals and tied for fifth in points.

"He's playing a more solid game at both ends of the ice,'' Hirose said of his linemate for the last three seasons. "That makes it a lot easier breaking out of the zone, coming up the ice with speed and getting odd-man rushes.

"He's been a horse down low. And he's been able to hang on to the puck and make plays more than he did the first couple of years. He's always getting on pucks and being able to hold off guys and beat them one-on-one. He's got unbelievable vision.''

Khodorenko will try to add to his numbers, MSU's win total and its place in the Big Ten standings this weekend as the Spartans (11-16-5 overall, 7-11-4-2 Big Ten) close out the regular season against regular-season champion Ohio State (19-8-5, 12-6-4-3). The teams meet at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday at Value City Arena in Columbus.

Last season as a sophomore, Khodorenko had 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points, and was named MSU's most improved player. This year, he's added to his improvement and he could end up capturing the most-improved award again.

"We've had discussions about if you can win the most improved player two years in a year,'' MSU coach Danton Cole said. "Patty certainly would be in that conversation.

"His physical abilities and the way he can pass the puck and shoot and skate have always been there. But I think a lot of times, the biggest jump guys make tend to be with mindset problems.

"What he's done particularly well this year is his confidence has grown, he's played more of a power game, and more of a puck possession game. He's not entering the zone saying 'we get one chance off this rush.' He's willing to buy some time and get guys off his back.''

In MSU's first 16 games, Khodorenko scored 11 goals and had five assists for 16 points. He had three multi-point games, including a four-pointer – three goals and one assist – against Ferris State on Nov. 2.

In the last 16 games, Khodorenko has six goals and 14 assists for 20 points and six multi-point outings. He had four assists against Ohio State in a 7-7 tie and eventual 3-on-3 overtime win on Jan. 4.

Khodorenko, 20, who's from Walnut Creek, Calif., said he's been pleased with the overall consistency of his game this season, and that his goal of shooting more has paid off.

"I've tried to shoot as many pucks as I can. That's kind of been my role on our line most of this year,'' he said. "I've tried to get pucks off my stick quickly. And be a big body in the corners and get loose pucks. That's been a big part of my game this year.''

What's also been part of his game is an uncanny knack of being able to fire the puck past goalies from wide angles, like from along the goal line. His rocket-like shots into the top corners of the need have left a few goaltenders wondering "how did that go in.''

The KHL line, with Hirose centering Khodorenko on left wing and Lewandowski on right wing, has been even better than it was last year when Lewandowski joined as a freshman. The trio totaled 108 points – 44 goals and 64 assists in 36 games.

This season, Khodorenko (17-19-36), Hirose (15-35-50) and Lewandowski (15-18-33) have combined for 119 points – 47 goals and 72 assists in 32 games, with at least four games remaining, and maybe more. It's the highest-scoring line in the nation.

"Our goal this year was to control the puck more below the goal line and try to get it to the net any way we could,'' Khodorenko said. "We wanted more puck possession and not be a line that just makes plays off the rush, but also make plays down low.

"I think we have the best chemistry of any line in the NCAA. We're grinding each other all the time. We push each other to play our best and I think that has contributed to our success.''

Khodorenko and Lewandowski have a long history of being linemates going back to their days in minor hockey in the Detroit area. They played together for two years on the Honeybaked Bantam Major AAA and U-16 teams, and even won a national championship on the U-16 team.

"We were a good line back in the day. We won a national championship and Lewie scored the winning goal," Khodorenko said. "The one thing I remember the most was I was out there right behind him watching him (score the winner) against Shattuck St. Mary.

He was the same as he is now – skilled, good accurate shot and he makes plays.''

After his Honeybaked days, Khodorenko moved on to the U.S. National Team Development Program's U-17 and U-18 teams, with Danton Cole as his head coach. Lewandowski played one more season with the Honeybaked U-18 team, and then spent two seasons in the U.S. Hockey League with the Chicago Steel.

Khodorenko arrived at MSU in the fall of 2016 and Lewandowski followed a year later.

"He got a lot bigger and stronger but even on the U-14s and U-16s, Khodo was strong on his stick and hard to knock him off the puck,'' Lewandowski said. "He's done a lot of hard work over the years and it's showing.''

Cole believes that Khodorenko can take his game to an even higher level in college and then as a solid pro.

"He's really starting to show some of the things he can do at an elite level. And that's protect the puck and do some things off the forecheck,'' the second-year Spartans coach said. "I think he's added that dimension to his game. It's a little more of a power game, a little more of a hard-driving game.

"I still think there's another level with him with leadership and another in terms of driving to the net, and how he backpressures and getting back to the defensive zone.

"He can be a dominant 200-foot player, and have a chance to play in the NHL.''

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MSU PLAYOFF OPPONENT? The Spartans can still finish in 5^th, 6^th or 7^th place in the Big Ten, and possible opponents include Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State and Minnesota. MSU is in seventh place with 27 points, one point behind sixth-place Wisconsin (28) and five in back of fifth-place Penn State (32).

With just six points left, the Spartans can't catch Notre Dame and Michigan, who are tied for third (34 points), two behind second-place Minnesota (36). But the Gophers have completed Big Ten play and because PSU and Notre Dame play each other, the Gophers can't finish second and will wind up third or fourth, still hosting a first-round playoff series.

If all the teams involved in the battle for the second-to-sixth place spots split series, Michigan State will finish seventh and play at second-place Notre Dame in the first round of the playoffs. But other scenarios could find the Spartans facing Notre Dame or Michigan.

For MSU to finish fifth and play at fourth-place Minnesota, it needs to sweep Ohio State, Notre Dame has to win two from Penn State and Michigan to needs win at least one game at Wisconsin.

The Spartans and Buckeyes play their regular-season finale at 5 p.m. on Saturday but the final standings and playoff matches probably won't be determined until the end of the Michigan at Wisconsin game, which begins at 9 p.m. (EST).

The first-round best-of-three series are set for March 8-10 with teams finishing No. 2, 3 and 4 hosting series. It's No. 7 at No. 2, No. 6 at No. 3 and No. 5 at No. 5. Ohio State, the regular-season champion, has a first-round bye and will host a single-game semifinal at 3:30 p.m. on March 17 against the lowest surviving seed from the first round. The other two winners meet in the semifinals at the highest seed, probably on March 16.

The Big Ten championship game is March 23 on a campus site. The semifinal winner with the highest regular-season finish hosts the title game.

THE OSU-MSU RIVALRY: The Spartans lead the series, 90-44-13. But the Buckeyes hold a 13-5-2 edge in the last 20 games and are 8-1-1 in the last 10. Two months ago, Michigan State rallied from a 7-4 deficit with five minutes left in the third period and earned a dramatic 7-7 tie at Munn Arena, and then won the 3-on-3 overtime on a goal by Logan Lambdin to earn the extra point in the Big Ten standings. Ohio State came back to win the second game of the series, 6-0, as sophomore goalie Tommy Nappier made 29 saves. The Buckeyes scored three goals in second period and added three more in the third. Last year, MSU split a regular-season series at OSU, losing 4-2 in the opener and winning the series finale, 6-3. In the first round of the 2017-18 Big Ten playoffs, the Buckeyes swept the Spartans, 6-2 and 4-3 in overtime. OSU has eliminated MSU from the conference playoffs in each of the last three seasons

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: MSU coach Danton Cole describes Ohio State as "a complete team.''

He said they're solid in every area – offense, defense, goaltending and special teams, and it's not a surprise that the Buckeyes cruised to the Big Ten's regular-season title.

"If you look at the way Notre Dame won (the Big Ten) last year, (Ohio State) is a very similar team,'' he said. "There's nothing missing in the way they play – defensively, in net, and with their transitional offense and defense.

"They have spread out scoring. If you put together a team that wants to make a long run in the postseason or have a good run in the regular season, that's a pretty good template. Their consistency and the way they play the game is outstanding.''

While the six other Big Ten teams had trouble putting together long win streaks, Ohio State starting putting things together in early November. The Buckeyes went 8-1-3 from Nov. 9 to Jan. 5. And after a 2-1 home loss against Michigan, they continued their consistency with a seven-game winning streak.

However, OSU has stumbled a bit the last two weekends, starting with two home losses against Minnesota, 4-3 and 4-3, Feb. 15-16. Last weekend at Michigan, the Buckeyes lost 4-2 in the series opener and then tied the Wolverines, 3-3, winning the 3-on-3 overtime. But with the tie, they clinched the Big Ten regular season championship.

It was Ohio State's first hockey title since 1971-72 when it won the playoff championship in the inaugural year of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, which only had three teams.

The Buckeyes head into the last week of the regular season ranked No. 7 in the PairWise and are also No. 7 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.

The Buckeyes, who last season made it to the Frozen Four, losing to Minnesota Duluth, 2-1 in the semifinals, are loaded with experience. They have eight seniors and eight juniors in the lineup most every night and play only three freshmen.

OSU has solid group of forwards but it's defense and goaltending that has kept this team high in the polls and PairWise Rankings.

There's a solid goaltender rotation with senior Sean Romeo (2.55 goals-against average, .904 saves percentage, 8-6-2 record) starting on Fridays and sophomore Tommy Nappier (1.82, .937 saves percentage, 11-2-3) playing on Saturdays. Nappier's saves percentage is No. 1 in the nation and his GAA is 6^th.

The defense is led by seniors Sasha Larocque and Tommy Parran and juniors Matt Miller, Wyatt Ege and Gordi Meyer.

Mason Jobst, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior center and a Second Team All-Big Ten selection last season, leads OSU in scoring with 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 32 games. Tanner Laczynski, who returned last weekend from an injury that kept him out of nine games, is second in scoring with nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points.

Jobst has been a Spartan killer throughout his college career. He has 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 18 games against MSU.

Other top forwards include senior Dakota Joshua (9-13-22), junior Carson Meyer (9-13-22), junior Ronnie Hein (10-9-19), freshman Gustaf Westlund (5-14-19), seniors Freddy Gerard (6-11-17) and John Wiitala (7-7-14), freshman Quinn Preston (5-8-13) and senior Brendon Kearney (7-4-11).

Joshua and Westlund have been injured the last few weeks. Joshua sat out last week's series at Michigan, and Westlund has missed the last seven games. Their status for this weekend is unknown.

OSU's power play (22.5 percent) ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten and 40^th in the nation, while its penalty killing (81.8 percent) is No. 1 in the Big Ten and 28^th nationally.

"We have to get pucks in their zone and keep them out of our zone as much as possible,'' MSU sophomore right wing Mitchell Lewandowski said. "They're a very skilled team and we have to weather their storm, block a lot of shots and do the right things defensively.''

"They're a solid defensive team and they're not going to give up much,'' junior left wing Taro Hirose said. "We had that one crazy game (7-7 tie in January) but I wouldn't expect to see that again. They have two good goalies and a strong defense and have some high-end forwards that are dangerous.''

Patrick Khodorenko is MSU's top scorer against the Buckeyes. He has four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 13 games. Junior center Sam Saliba and senior right wing Cody Milan are tied for second with nine points. Saliba has seven goals and two assists in 13 games and Milan has three goals and six assists in 16 games.

Hirose (2-6) and junior left wing Logan Lambdin (6-2) follow with eight points, each in 13 games against the Buckeyes.

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POWER PLAY THRIVING: The Spartans' power play is converting at 23.9 percent and ranks No. 8 in the nation and No. 3 in the Big Ten. Only Penn State (26 percent) and Minnesota (25.4 percent) rank higher in the conference.

Harvard (31.6 percent) is No. 1 in the nation and Massachusetts (30.4) is No. 2.

MSU struggled on the power play from early November to late December, scoring only two power-play goals in 11 games.
But starting with the 2-2 tie against Michigan at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 31, the Spartans have converted on 16 of 48 opportunities in the last 15 games. That's a success rate of 33.3 percent. There's only been four games during this stretch when the power play failed to score.

"When you have guys like Taro (Hirose) and Patty (Khodorenko), and Cody Milan does a great job getting pucks to the net, and with Dennis (Cesana) doing a great job up top, you're going to have success,'' said Mitchell Lewandowski, the fifth member of the No. 1 power play.

"Each one of us brings somethings special to the power play and it's nice to see things working out.''

Last season, MSU's power play (19.1 percent) was 29^th in the nation.

Khodorenko leads the team with eight power-play goals. Milan has six, Lewandowski has five and Hirose has three.

Khodorenko and Hirose each have 16 points on the power play, with Milan at 12, Lewandowski has 11 and Cesana has eight, all assists.

Michigan State will need strong special teams play this weekend as it seeks to end the regular season with a victory or two and climb ahead of Wisconsin and finish either fifth or six, and not in last place.

"Ohio State knows that our power play has been hot and they'll try to different things against us, and they'll be aggressive,'' Khodorenko said. "We have to wear them down, take our chances when we get them and put as many pucks on net as we can.''

IN THE BIG TEN: In addition to the MSU-OSU games, two other Friday-Saturday series will have a huge impact on the final standings and first-round playoff matchups.

Notre Dame (17-12-3 overall, 10-10-2-2 and 34 points Big Ten), which is tied with Michigan for third place, plays host to fifth-place Penn State (18-12-2, 10-11-1-1, 32 points). The Irish can finish anywhere from second place to fifth. The Nittany Lions can climb as high as second and fall into seventh (last) place.

The Wolverines (13-12-7, 9-8-5-2, 34 points) close out the regular season at sixth-place Wisconsin (11-16-5, 7-10-5-2, 28 points). U-M needs a victory to clinch home ice for the playoff but can finish anywhere from second to a tie for fifth, and a No. 6 seed in the playoffs by losing the tiebreaker to the Badgers.

Wisconsin, which will be on the road for the playoffs, can finish no higher than fifth and can still wind up in seventh.

Meanwhile, Minnesota (14-15-4, 11-10-3-0, 36 points) starts the weekend in second place, but the Gophers completed Big Ten play last weekend with a split against Notre Dame. They'll play a non-conference series at home against Arizona State on Friday and Saturday.

Minnesota, which has clinched home ice for the first round, is two points ahead of Notre Dame and Michigan, and four ahead of Penn State. But because the Irish and Nittany Lions play each other, and with the points involved, the Gophers cannot finish second and will end up third or fourth.

The final standings and playoff pairings may not be determined until the final game of the weekend is played – Michigan at Wisconsin – late Saturday night.